GMA wanted to be a pilot

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was born 54 years ago today in San Juan, Rizal, the hometown and bailiwick of her predecessor and political foe Joseph Estrada.

So you see, it is more than just the presidency that they have in common. They also share the same roots.

As a young girl, she once wished she could fly the skies and be a pilot, "like Amelia Earheart." But for her 54th birthday, her wish is something closer to the ground.

"My birthday wish? That I will be a good president," Mrs. Arroyo told The STAR in a recent interview.

Even if she did not fulfill her childhood dream, the President has, in a way, soared to her own Cloud Nine. She topped the senatorial polls in 1995 with a record 16 million votes and garnered 13 million votes when she ran for vice president in 1998. Three years before she could have made a bid for the presidency, she became president.

"I do not plan my life. I leave it up to God. If I were a job applicant and were asked how I saw myself in 10 years, I would have flunked the interview," she explains.

In the last few weeks, gifts were virtually heaped on her doorstep, even if the givers did not intend them to be so.

Two days before her birthday, the Supreme Court, voting 13-0, declared with finality that she is the country’s legitimate president. Just a few days before, her trust ratings in the latest Social Weather Stations survey soared from a -4 to a +24, a development she welcomed gratefully.

"I am only human," she told reporters, explaining her joy. "It is only human to want approval, so I am grateful."

And perhaps, to celebrate their boss’ Supreme Court-affirmed stay in the Palace, the Arroyo Cabinet is giving her as birthday present, a set of monogrammed export-quality linen for the presidential bed, a double bed.

Unlike her father, whom she remembers aging fast during his term, this President refuses to wilt on the job.

Malacañang watchers say the 4’10" President has never looked lovelier. She has lost 15 pounds and now takes step to avoid bad-hair days. The shoulder-length bob she sported during her inauguration was cut short a few weeks ago by hairstylist Leo Espinosa because the President wanted a "wash-and-wear" hairdo. And Mrs. Arroyo has taken on a wardrobe consultant, Joanne Zapanta Andrada, who introduced her to the work of young designer JC Buendia.

Buendia has been making most of the President’s tailored outfits.

Mrs. Arroyo, too, seems not to have lost her sense of humor, despite the burdens of office. During last week’s Manila Overseas Press Club induction at the Dusit Hotel Nikko, the President went though the reception line and had a personal greeting for everyone. Among those in line was her own husband Mike Arroyo, and she teased him, "And so you’re here! No wonder you did not pick me up at home!"

She says she and her husband had long discussed what his role would be if she became president and they found a model in Mr. Thatcher, spouse of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

When does the commander-in-chief bow to the wishes of her husband? "Only in household matters," she smiles.

And matters of the heart. Though her birthday is packed with activities, she has reserved tonight for a private celebration with him. The Palace has not confirmed if their children would be present.