MANILA, 6 September 2003 — While assuring that the country is safe despite an alleged conspiracy to destabilize her government, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo may shorten a planned 11-day trip abroad starting Sept. 21.
Arroyo is to visit the Middle East, Europe and the United States.
Her planned trip includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait, where she is to meet with Filipino workers presumably to indirectly check whether they would prefer her to run in the May 2004 presidential election.
Under the Overseas Absentee Voting law signed by Arroyo early this year, Filipinos working abroad are allowed to vote for the president, vice president, senators and party-list representatives.
Some 1.5 million Filipinos work and live in the Middle East, making the community a potentially strong voting bloc.
The number of Filipinos in the region who have registered so far, however, had been dismally low.
Presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said, however, that Arroyo may skip some of the countries she planned to visit “our country has many problems that the president must attend to.”
Arroyo also is scheduled to attend a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Bali, Indonesia, on Oct. 7-8 and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok, Thailand, on Oct. 20-21.
“I’m sure the current situation will be factored in this decision of the president on how long or how short the trip would be,” Bunye said. Bunye’s announcement followed the president’s assurances that any attempt to topple her government would fail.
“Whoever thinks our country is a political risk fails to read the basic factors of stability — effective leadership, sound policy directions and an enterprising and resilient people,” Arroyo said in a statement.
“The conspiracy is still there, driven by raw ambitions of power of persons who want to evade justice,” she added. “But the threat has been beaten, and no amount of media play and intrigue can make it rise again.”
Since stifling a military mutiny by 300 troops in July that the government claims was part of a power grab, Arroyo has been buffeted by controversies, including allegations of corruption and money laundering against her husband, rumors of ongoing military restiveness, widespread doubts about her vow not to run in next year’s election, and calls for her to quit.
“The so-called destabilization plot, or what remains of it, is an empty shell of rumors, mischievous (cell phone) text messages and noisy propaganda,” she said. “We are moving forward in the security and law enforcement fronts and this is clearing the ground for sustained reforms.”
Army commander Lt. Gen. Gregorio Camiling called a news conference yesterday to deny rumors he and at least four other generals have resigned.
“I told President (Arroyo) I do not give personal loyalty to politicians because I’m professional ... but to the president, I told her I give her my personal loyalty,” Camiling said. “The army is behind the president and the chain of command.”
Interior Secretary Jose Lina said Thursday the government has identified groups involved in the alleged plot against the government but refused to name them. He warned, however, of criminal charges “if they commit overt acts.”
Cabinet Secretary Ricardo Saludo said there is concern about moves to “create an impression of instability and growing anti-government sentiments among the public” although there is no evidence of another brewing coup plot.
The failed mutiny also battered the financial markets.
The Philippine stock market fell to as low as 1,190 points last week. The peso weakened from 53.50 to the US dollar before the mutiny to 55.45 on Aug. 26, its lowest closing ever.
The military’s recent assurances that it would crush coup plots have brought little comfort to the market.
“As long as there is a threat to security, words are not enough. Reforms are needed. This is a long-term problem that will stick with us,” AB Capital Securities economist Jose Vistan told Dow Jones Newswires.
Arroyo said Thursday she is assuming the defense portfolio for “a few weeks” to lead a “speedy consolidation” of the armed forces.
