First e-Daughter

Her workstation occupies half of a modest-sized room while another table and computer fill the other. Her desk is free of clutter; there is no stray folder or a wandering piece of paper anywhere in the vicinity. Every item on her desk sits there for a purpose. The only luxury the room affords its occupant is a breathtaking view of the Makati skyline, a perk that she might not even have asked for.

Unlike other presidential progeny, Evangelina Lourdes "Luli" Macapagal Arroyo is in the limelight for shunning the glamorous life. The press has made a big deal of her insistence to be an ordinary citizen, her refusal to be accorded VIP treatment in airports or wherever else she may be and the deferred approval of her well-earned foreign service appointment. So much has been said about her academic and professional achievements and her low-key persona. It’s time that people talk about what she really does eight hours a day in her respectably simple office.

Luli has been busy being the Director for Operations of the Foundation for Information Technology Education and Development (FIT-ED) and delights in talking about the foundation’s major projects. She says she chose to focus on the policy side of information technology, a field that some observers believe is bereft of the usual politicking. It is in this industry that the young Arroyo is carving her niche.

"I have always been a user (of technology)," she relates. "When I was doing my masters in 1993 and 1996, I did a project on a technology company and I thought it was going to be something big. I got interested in that."

That interest has led her to be a voice for the sector that continues to post gains despite gloomy forecasts and pessimism brought on by the global economic downturn. Arroyo is steadfast in her belief that Filipinos have found their place in the ever-growing and fickle IT market.

"We’re really very creative people and I think we found our niche," she says. "I think our competitive advantage is our knowledge worker. Our workers are one of the best. That’s why a lot of companies outsource from the Philippines. It’s also basically why a lot of companies abroad want to recruit Filipino knowledge workers."

Luli is passionate about her work and it shows. She is not one to spew out statistics and growth rates in percentages; rather she presents the big picture and explains it in terms the average Juan or Juana can understand. This is most impressive as her field of expertise can be as variable as the clothes she wears. Will someone who holds a masteral degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in Washington D.C. stay in this line of work for a long time?

"I don’t know," she shrugs. "I like it, so far. I’ve been here for four years and I really believe in the projects that we have. I want to continue them, expand them even."

One of these projects is the Pilipinas SchoolNet, a venture that aims to build a network of schools throughout the Philippines. "Essentially, what we want to do is to network public high schools into SchoolNet and then, eventually, for them to be able to communicate with other ‘schoolnets’ in the region and in the world," she says.

FIT-ED is into this program with substantial assistance from the Coca-Cola Export Corp. The foundation has been asked to manage, as part of the Pilipinas SchoolNet program, an initiative called "ed.venture." The program will provide computers and Internet connectivity, training and post-training services to 15 pilot schools in Metro Manila and the Visayas.

Luli sees the growth of IT communities in key urban centers in the Philippines. "The communities in Davao and Cebu are very active and they really help each other," she observes.

Aside from her duties in FIT-ED, Arroyo also took time out to participate in the recently concluded Philippine Web Awards. She was one of the judges for the Media, Travel and Government categories. The petite young woman smiles when asked to recall the experience.

"It was really a lot of fun looking at the entries," she says. "There were several different criteria (in choosing the winners). I rated them as a user: the ease of navigating through the website, the interactivity, download time. We are in the Philippines and we don’t have that much bandwidth. So we had to take that into consideration."

She also has other passions, including writing, which she says she never gets to do anymore. When asked if still has time to write, she lets out a laugh and gushes, "I wish."

Is she open to the idea of pursuing a writing career?

"I don’t know," she says, with a whimsical look on her face that vanishes as fast as it appears. "Maybe. My dream is to be a travel writer. But it’s just a dream."

The talk becomes more personal and Arroyo is all ears to every question posted. With nary a tinge of self-consciousness, she answers each question with appropriate thought and candidness. So how does the low-key presidential daughter find all the fuss about her being, well, low-key?

"That’s funny but that’s how media works," she says. "My main mission as part of the First Family is to make the First Family matter less from the people’s perception. We are not going to be here (in Malacañang) forever. We’re not the Royal Family."

Is there an effort to maintain this perspective since there are hordes of people who insist on treating them as such?

"I think it’s just the media," she states matter-of-factly. "One of the things that I find difficult is that, you know ... there are still people who approach me, asking for favors. And I try to explain that one of the things we fought for is that we’re not going to do it that way, that you have to look for someone malakas (to get anywhere)."

She reiterates that the first administrative order President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo issued is that her family is prohibited from lobbying for anything.

"Which is why I find funny all the attacks on my father," she discloses. "He doesn’t deserve it because he certainly hasn’t involved himself with anything. He’s a great punching bag."

With all the intrigues and the glitter that comes with a life in politics, how has the year been for her?

"Basically, I try to keep it the same," she relates with a sigh. "I can still be in control of my life and the privacy that I have. I try to do that while at the same time being a good daughter to my mother."

She, however, confesses that the past year has been a "challenge" for her.

"It continues to be a challenge. Which is why I love it that I’m still able to work where I am. I continue to try to do my duties."

At the end of the interview, Arroyo gets up and walks out of her nice, comfortable office to escort and open the lobby door for the discreetly flabbergasted interviewer. She, then, goes right back to her nook and attends to unfinished business.