GMA flies to Kuwait in tiny Challenger jet

President Arroyo left yesterday for a whirlwind visit to Kuwait — aboard a tiny Challenger jet — to check evacuation plans for large numbers of Filipino workers who could be at risk if war breaks out in neighboring Iraq.

Mrs. Arroyo designated Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr. as "caretaker" of the government while she is away.

"It’s the same as in previous trips," said Guingona, who saw Mrs. Arroyo off to wish her well. "It is just a caretaker administration supervision."

Aides said the trip showed the importance Mrs. Arroyo places on the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), defending her from views that she was risking a lot in a potentially dangerous trip for so little.

"The President’s role is to meet with our people and that is what she is doing in Kuwait," Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo said.

"This is unprecedented, for a president to go in a middle of a crisis, so when I was invited to come along, I agreed. I wanted to be part of history," said Negros Rep. Apolinario Lozada Jr., who is part of Mrs. Arroyo’s small entourage.

"I think the most important thing there is the action really speaks louder... even if there will be nothing substantial that will be discussed with the government of Kuwait," Lozada said.

Mrs. Arroyo’s departure reflected her mission’s urgency. Arriving at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City, she walked briskly on a red carpet, escorted by Armed Force chief Gen. Dionisio Santiago, to a waiting 12-seater chartered Challenger jet.

She smiled and waved to a crowd of well-wishers and then left without any farewell remarks.

On the eve of her two-day trip, Mrs. Arroyo said the government was ready to carry out a voluntary evacuation of some of the 1.5 million OFWs in the Middle East, including about 60,000 in Kuwait who are considered at risk if war breaks out.

"Our consideration would be to ensure that as much as possible no worker loses his job, and we will maintain our smooth ties with countries in the Middle East," she said in her weekly radio address.

Mrs. Arroyo is expected to meet with Emir Sheik Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah, Filipino workers and Philippine embassy staff in Kuwait today, officials said.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople said Mrs. Arroyo will also meet with the ambassadors of other Middle Eastern countries in Kuwait to ensure that Filipinos in the region will be protected if the United States goes to war against Iraq.

She is expected to be back tomorrow in time for a weekly Cabinet meeting.

About 7.4 million OFWs remit an estimated $6 billion in earnings to the Philippines yearly, a crucial amount for the country’s frail economy.

They also will soon become politically important, with the passage of a bill — expected to be finalized by Congress this week — allowing a large number to vote for the first time overseas in the 2004 presidential election.

As the United States prepares for a possible strike against Iraq, Philippine authorities have not monitored any specific terrorist threat to the Philippines, one of Washington’s closest Asian allies in the global war on terror, National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said.

But he said security preparations would remain on a "heightened alert" while Mrs. Arroyo is away. "There’s no (threat), but we’re not taking anything for granted," Golez said.

Mrs. Arroyo says her administration will support military action against Iraq if it is authorized by the United Nations.

If Washington goes to war against Iraq without UN authorization, the government will convene a national security meeting to determine what position to take, Golez said.

"It is still premature at this time to talk about the postwar operations of the US against Iraq and what will be the role of the Philippines in that."