Luli Arroyo abhors our defeatist attitude

Living in the grand Malacañang Palace is a cherished experience for Luli. As the President’s daughter, 4’11" Luli Arroyo is the petite lady who helps her mother with ceremonial jobs such as cutting ribbons and speaking to graduating students.

Evangelina, as her friends from Georgetown University call her, found her passion for IT when she was writing a term paper on a technology company while taking her Masters in Foreign Service. Since then, her work has focused on giving access to Internets to public high school students and their teachers. With funding from Coca-Cola, Luli’s Adventure program has enrolled 150 schools to their "enjoy computers" philosophy.

What does your mom often say to you?

What’s going on?

Which living person do you admire most?

My mom. Under difficult circumstances, she is doing very well. Good balance of family and career. She is very grounded.

Who or what is the greatest love of your life?

I love to write poetry, essays and occasional travel articles.

What is your most fervent wish?

For the Philippines to become a developed country. By hard work and with sacrifice today, future generations may benefit.

How do you resolve your conflicts?

Dialogue. Sometimes it is difficult to implement our ideological preferences with our partners’ fixed ideas.

What sports do you like most?

Things that can be done with family and friends like badminton in the PSG compound.

Where would you like to live?

Anywhere in the Philippines is fantastic. I like the quality of life in Davao or Cebu where there is so much time for the family to be together.

What book influenced your life?

The books that my grandfather, Diosdado Macapagal, gave me. When I was in Grade 7, he gave me my college dictionary. He saw in me so much more of what I could be.

Which hero of fiction can you most identify with?

The strong female character from the movie Broadcast News. She was a small editor who was a driven woman but on certain days she needed to cry on her own.

What is your greatest fear?

To underachieve.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Very difficult and hard to control is my temper. It is valid to get mad when something does not get done but it is not right to be mad at the person.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Filipinos who treat other Filipinos worse than they would treat others. I also abhor the defeatist attitude that we have.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?

Weak chin.

How do you start your day?

Try to pray the rosary in the early morning.

What is your motto?

The family motto: Do what is right, do your best and God will do the rest.

What is your current state of mind?

Thoughtful about events here and abroad.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Scuba diving and travels.

Which historical character would you like to have been?

Margaret Thatcher.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

We had a project sponsored by Lucent Foundation on teacher training. I saw this three-year project from conception, proposal through to funding and implementation.

Which famous quotation would you have wanted to be the author of?

My grandfather taught me this, "Choose integrity over wealth."

Who greets you when you get home?

My dachshund, Frank.

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E-mail: babycamp2 @yahoo.co.uk