GMA back from Vatican, vows to work hard for the poor

President Arroyo returned from the Vatican yesterday vowing to honor her promise to the late Pope John Paul II to work hard for the welfare of the poor.

The President arrived from Rome, Italy at 1:20 p.m. after heading the Philippine delegation attending the funeral of Pope John Paul on Friday.

Although missing the traditional Araw ng Kagitingan celebrations at Mt. Samat in Pilar, Bataan, Mrs. Arroyo nonetheless started her working day by proceeding to Farmer’s Market in Cubao, Quezon City for the "Pulong Bayan" surrounded by market vendors.

"Even if the Pope has died, his memory will live on and he will continue to become the inspiration to fight poverty, corruption and other wrongdoings in government and to work for peace," Mrs. Arroyo said.

Being the only predominantly Catholic nation in Asia, Mrs. Arroyo said the Pope impressed upon her his love of the poor in the country.

Mrs. Arroyo last met the Pope in 2003 following her "discernment" before deciding to seek a fresh mandate the following year.

She first met the Pope in October 2000, when she was still vice president before corruption scandal involving former President Joseph Estrada broke out.

She declared the Pope had provided the moral impetus for the bloodless people power revolt that ousted Estrada from power in January 2001.

Mrs. Arroyo said the Pope had received her well and had even granted her family a private audience.

"It was very clear that the Pope wanted a good life for the poor, also spiritually," Mrs. Arroyo said.

The President said the Pope spoke about the importance of moral-based governance to better the lives of the Filipinos, particularly the poor.

In explaining the importance of her presence at the Pope’s burial, Mrs. Arroyo said Filipinos and the late Pontiff were "very, very special" to each other.

She even reminded UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who was seated beside her during the funeral Mass at the Vatican, that the late Pope gathered the biggest crowd in the Philippines among all his activities as a Church leader. — With Marichu Villanueva, Rainier Allan Ronda