President Arroyo believes she has performed creditably after a month in office.
"I think we were able to accomplish many things," Mrs. Arroyo pointed out, saying that even without benefit of a normal transition period, her government has finished what other admi-nistrations would take about a couple of months to do.
"When you consider that in other countries, between the time that the winner is proclaimed and the time the winner begins governance, usually there’s a six-week (grace period to pick) who your Cabinet members will be," she said.
She also declined to view the May 14 congressional and local elections as a refe-rendum on her presidency.
"What political test? I mean, I’m functioning. We don’t have to wait until May 14 to find out whether I’m functioning," she said.
The President, who took over from disgraced President Joseph Estrada last Jan. 20 after people power II, has endorsed 13 senatorial candidates for the People Power Coalition. Estrada allies have their own slate.
In an informal chat with reporters at a dinner reception she hosted for them at Baguio Mansion House last Saturday night, Mrs. Arroyo noted with satisfaction her being able to form her government in the shortest possible time.
"I practically completed my Cabinet and ... there are OICs (officers in charge) who are quite competent and they can do the work very well," she said.
Only five Cabinet positions remain vacant: defense, health, energy, environment and natural resources, and national security.
She said that among her major accomplishments after the first month are: the formation of two negotiating peace panels, the appointment and confirmation of Vice President Teofisto Guingona, and the distribution of land in Cebu and Baguio City for the government’s low-cost housing projects for the poor.
"So I think we were able to accomplish in four weeks what one might expect a usual transition to be able to accomplish in maybe two months or maybe three months," she said.
Her administration is preparing its first 100 days accomplishment report due in April. –Marichu Villanueva