The power of one, if fearless and focused, is formidable, but the power of many working together is better.
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Agrarian reform should not merely subdivide misery, it must raise living standards. Ownership raises the farmer from his, but productivity will keep him on his feet.
We have to be bold in our national ambitions. First, we must win the fight against poverty within the next decade. Second, we must improve moral standards in government and society to provide a strong foundation for good governance. Third, we must change the character of our politics to promote fertile ground for reforms.
I sow; my successor reaps. This is the majesty of democracy.
Our children are our most cherished possession. In their early years, we must make sure they get a healthy start in life. They must receive the right food for a healthy body, the right education for a bright and inquiring mind - and the equal opportunity for a meaningful job.
As a country in the path of typhoons and in the Pacific Rim of Fire, we must be prepared as the latest technology permits to anticipate natural calamities when that is possible, to extend immediate and effective relief when it is not.
I will follow my father's footsteps by doing what is right, and God will take care of the rest. My father is my role model. My living role model is Cory Aquino.
Nature did not gift us with a mighty Mekong like Thailand and Vietnam, with their vast and naturally fertile plains. Nature instead put our islands ahead of our neighbours in the path of typhoons from the Pacific.
Our political system needs changing. It needs to move away from personalities and patronage to a system of party programs and consultation with the people.
Optimism is infectious, and opportunity irresistible. Progress follows progress. Someone, even government, just has to get it started.
A president must be on the job 24/7, ready for any contingency, any crisis, anywhere, anytime.
I shall work with Congress, civil society groups and local government executives who are convinced that charter changes are needed to enable the country to surmount the unprecedented challenges of the 21st century.
The Philippines has no policy that demands sacrifice of human lives.
We will downsize the government, motivate excess employees to become entrepreneurs, and increase the pay of a lean and mean bureaucracy.
Over the years, our political system has degenerated to the extent that it is difficult for anyone to make any headway yet keep his hands clean.
On the economy, the U.S. cumulatively is our most important investor, most important trading partner, most important sort of tourists, and we have now a tie that will... a link that will be here for many, many years to come, and that is the big Philippine-American community in the United States - three million of them.
College education is the great Filipino dream. But in a world of rapid technological change, getting a job or keeping it depends as much on how well one reasons as how well one uses his hands.
I stand in the way of no one's ambition. I only ask that no one stand in the way of the people's well being and the nation's progress.
Our educational system should make the Filipino fit not just for whatever jobs happen to be on offer today, but also for whatever economic challenge life will throw in their way.
It's never right to fight terror with terror.
We have the hardest working people in the world, the most adaptable and the most congenial to employ.
Even before 9/11, the Philippines was already fighting terrorism in southwestern Philippines. That's why when 9/11 happened, we could understand the pain.
I am falsely accused, without proof, of using my position for personal profit. Many who accuse me have lifestyles and spending habits that make them walking proofs of that crime.
Our investments in social justice and basic needs are as vital to our future as fiscal and macroeconomic reforms. A nation deeply divided will not stand. And it certainly will not move forward.
As your president, I care too much about this nation to let anyone stand in the way of our people's wellbeing.
Camiguin, Romblon and Camarines Norte got out of the list of poorest provinces in 2003. With tourism, these provinces can become rich.
The Iraqi regime was supporting terrorist cells all over the world. We had to expel three Iraqi diplomats from the Philippines because of evidence that they were either in touch with Abu Sayyaf or doing their own espionage.
Now I ask you to make your sacrifice. Take a gamble. I took the plunge and I'm glad of it.
I feel that if I am freed of the burden of politics, then I can do more, and I can take more unpopular decisions.
We've supported the U.S. every step of the way. The Philippines was the first government in Asia after September 11, in fact, the night of September 11; it was nighttime for us then. It was daytime here. We were the first government in Asia to come out and say that we're supporting the U.S.
By and large, our political system has betrayed its promise to each new generation of Filipinos, not a few of whom are voting with their feet, going abroad and leaving that system behind.
Real government is about looking beyond the vested to the national interest, setting up the necessary conditions to enable the next, more enabled and more empowered generation to achieve a country as prosperous, a people as content, as ours deserve to be.
While there's been much progress on terrorism, there's still much work to do and it is very important that the countries work together in order to address this threat together.
We look at the world and analyze the world, and see what we can do that is in line of our mutual interest and also in line with, you know, what the whole world needs, because this is a world where we really have to all work together.
I will not stand idly when anyone gets in the way of the national interest and tries to block the national vision. From where I sit, I can tell you, a president is always as strong as she wants to be.
We have our own home-grown terrorism, and to the extent that we can obliterate terrorism all over the world, then our own terrorism will be much easier to neutralize.
In the harshest possible terms, I condemn political killings.
Central Philippines has the competitive edge in tourism in its natural wonders and the extraordinary hospitality of its people.
We're working with our neighbors Indonesia and Malaysia to fight terrorism in our own common seas.
We must promote solid traits such as work ethics, a dignified lifestyle, matching actions to rhetoric, performance rather than grandstanding.
I am very grateful to our Muslim population. One of the things we've been doing is stepping up our inter-faith dialogue with the Muslim population. And I think that helped very much in their support for me.
The Philippines and the U.S. have had a strong relationship with each other for a very long time now. We have a shared history. We have shared values, democracy, freedom, and we have been in all the wars together in modern history, the World War, Second World War, Cold War, Vietnam, Korea, now the war on terrorism.
I want justice to be so pervasive that it will be taken for granted, just as injustice is taken for granted today.
I want ordinary people to enjoy a decent standard of living, with ever increasing security, comfort and joy.
In the time one is given, the steward must make the most of the talents one is given by the Lord.
I'm not worried. I'm in control.
It is simply the truth that the political system that I am part of has degenerated to the point that it needs fundamental change.
I can say that I have not done any culpable violation of the constitution.
In all the things I've gone through as a politician, I have seen that in this system it is really very difficult to make any headway without being somehow tainted. And let me say, 'Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.'
The military is very constitutionalist, and I have my faith in them and in the cooler heads of the people.
