GMA accepts unpopularity, avoids media

MANILA, Philippines - President Arroyo has accepted that she remains unpopular, but this has not weakened her resolve to push for her initiatives amid the global economic crisis, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said.

The latest Pulse Asia survey showed that dissatisfaction with Mrs. Arroyo has remained unchanged in the past three months, but her public trust rating during the same period has improved.

The President’s ratings were lower in Luzon and Metro Manila and highest in the Visayas and Mindanao.

“The President has already accepted (low popularity) as part of the burden of her leadership,” Remonde told a radio interview.

“Her principle is that governance is not a matter of popularity now that we are in an economic crisis. For her, it is a matter of doing what needs to be done or doing what is right because in a time of crisis, we have to make difficult, maybe unpopular decisions and I think this is a true test of leadership,” he said.

But in Iloilo City, Mrs. Arroyo avoided reporters who tried to ambush her for an interview. She instead played the role of reporter, interviewing call center agents at the newly inaugurated Teletech Iloilo Delivery Center at SM City yesterday.

Mrs. Arroyo was the guest at yesterday’s inauguration.

The President has been complaining she is unpopular because she refuses to be interviewed by media, and even shuns ambush interviews.

Remonde added that when it comes to surveys, Mrs. Arroyo tries to “stay above it” and focus on her work. He also noted the general trend of improvement in her ratings over the last few years.

“We are in an economic crisis so we can expect people to be a bit dissatisfied, but we in the Palace see that as a reason to really work harder,” he said.

He lamented the work of the Arroyo administration has not been widely reported and this contributed to the low satisfaction ratings.

He said as press secretary, he would do his best to improve public awareness of the achievements of the administration.

During the short ceremony inside the Teletech’s main production area, President Arroyo asked three call center agents why they applied for the job and what difference it has made on their lives, in a bid to highlight the importance of the Business Processing Industry (BPO) to the country in the midst of the global economic downtrend.

Their answers confirmed Mrs. Arroyo’s message that with BPOs in the country, Filipinos need not go abroad and be away from their families just to have jobs.

The President said that the BPO industry in Iloilo City has made it possible for the graduates of universities and colleges in Iloilo to stay and be with their families, rather than relocating to Metro Manila or abroad just to find work.

Mrs. Arroyo stayed for less than an hour, then headed to Boracay for the Cabinet meeting.

Meanwhile, the President’s House allies advised her that the country’s resilience to the impact of the global financial crisis is more important than “unstable and unpredictable popularity ratings.”

Deputy Speaker for Women Ma. Amelita Villarosa advised Mrs. Arroyo to stay focused on providing the safety nets that would help the country survive the impact of the meltdown.

Zambales Rep. Ma. Milagros Magsaysay and Cotabato Rep. Emmylou Talino-Mendoza, on the other hand, urged Mrs. Arroyo not to get distracted by survey results.

Neophyte lawmaker Marcelino Teodoro of Marikina and Northern Samar Rep. Paul Daza said the President should disregard ratings and do what is fiscally responsible, no matter how unpopular. - With Rodrigo Ladrido Pamonag and Delon Porcalla