Arroyo hears high praise at DFA

Romulo on Arroyo

She cares about the life of every single
Filipino, Romulo said, “thus she worked hard to have death sentences commuted,”
referring to Filipino workers in overseas jails.

Arroyo hears high praise at DFA
Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 03:38:00 06/02/2010
MANILA, Philippines—Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo Tuesday credited President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s “outstanding performance” as the country’s chief diplomat and as a major player in the international field for the Philippines’ standing in the world community.
Speaking at a retrospective seminar during the Department of Foreign Affair’s 112th anniversary, Romulo praised the President for pushing a people-centered foreign policy.
“In the field of foreign relations of which the President is the architect, her performance has been outstanding. Under her leadership, much has been accomplished,” he said.
Ms Arroyo was at the seminar but did not address the participants. Afterward, she was presented with three coffee table books. Presidential awards and citations were also handed out to 44 individuals and groups that were instrumental to the DFA’s success.
Romulo said the Arroyo administration made sure the global Filipino got the best in consular services with the adoption of the electronic ePassport, the construction of a new consular building and the implementation of the Overseas Absentee Voting Law.
She cares about the life of every single Filipino, Romulo said, “thus she worked hard to have death sentences commuted,” referring to Filipino workers in overseas jails.
In international forums, he said Ms Arroyo had no peer.
“Her fellow heads of state listened to her. Listening to the debates, my fellow foreign ministers would approach me and express how impressed they were.”
In the field of national security, Romulo said Ms Arroyo made sure Philippine sovereignty and territory were respected through the Baselines Law.
She made possible the signing of the Declaration of Conduct in the South China Sea; the shift to an all-out peace policy in Mindanao; pushed for interfaith initiatives; strengthened bilateral and multilateral relations; and worked for a nuclear-free world with the Philippines’ presidency of the recent Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in New York.
Romulo said Ms Arroyo’s international trips reaped many benefits. Through her 10 years of economic diplomacy, he said the country was able to attract significant investments and development assistance, particularly for the business process outsourcing sector.
“Indeed the DFA owes the President a lot,” Romulo said.
The seminar highlighted the DFA’s achievements in the “Eight Realities of Philippine Foreign Policy” set by the Arroyo administration in 2001, with testimonials by individuals who affirmed the DFA’s success in these aspects. Cynthia D. Balana