MANILA, Philippines – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo celebrated her 62nd birthday on Sunday but just like in previous years, she has a packed schedule ahead of her which meant work, according to a senior Malacanang official.
But on her birthday celebration this year, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said President Arroyo has a special wish: for the Philippines to withstand the economic and financial meltdown that is now buffeting the world.
From her Cabinet and other government officials, Remonde said the President also wished that the best birthday gift they could give her is their “sincere dedication and support for her visions for our country.”
However, it appears that President Arroyo received more than that when the various national dailies, especially those with the biggest circulations, published special supplements of as many as 10 full and colored pages which contained, among others, President Arroyo’s accomplishments, her vision for the Philippines as well as topics like the “other side of the President” based on interviews with her three children.
Media experts noted that even at the discounted rate of the equivalent of $3,000 per page, a 10-page supplement would cost a total of $30,000.
In the case of the “Philippine Star,” the “sponsors” that helped pay the paper’s 10-page special supplement consisted mostly of government agencies like the Department of Justice, Department of Education, the government pension fund for public servants, the Government Service Insurance System and its counterpart in the private sector, the Social Security System; as well as the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, which operates the country’s lucrative gambling casinos; as well as the Department of Transportation and Communication.
Meanwhile, Remonde reported that in keeping with tradition, the President and her family celebrated her birthday in the hometown of the Macapagals in Lubao, Pampanga province in Central Luzon.
She started the day, Remonde said, by attending an 8 a.m. mass at the St. Augustine Catholic parish church, which was officiated by Archbishop Paciano Aniceto of the archdiocese of Pampanga.
After the liturgical service, the President administered the oath of 94 new batch members of the para-military group Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Units at the quadrangle of the parish, followed by lunch with local government officials,the clergy and residents of Lubao.
The rest of the day was not much different from the President’s usual workday, Remonde said, as she supervised the implementation of several social service and infrastructure projects in the province.
As part of the activities, Remonde said the President visited the Clark Freeport in Angeles City for the ceremonial drive-through of the South Clark interchange of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac expressway (SCTEX).
According to the press secretary, the interchange represents the last phase of the SCTEX which has paved the way for faster travel between Clark, in Pampanga and Subic in the neighboring provinces of Zambales and Tarlac, also in Central Luzon.
Clark and Subic were former giant US military installations which have been converted by the government into free trade zones.
In Manila, Remonde said he led another activity related to the President’s birthday, which was the rollout of a 180 x 160-foot photo mosaic at the Quirino Grandstand at the Luneta Park.
Remonde said the mosaic contains more than 1,000 photographs of President Arroyo taken by a photojournalist. He added the country would attempt to break another record in the Guiness Book of World Records for the world’s largest photo mosaic.
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