Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroy (SFS ‘68), president of the Philippines, expressed the Philippines’ support of the United States in the war against terrorism in a speech in Gaston Hall on Nov. 19.
On the night of Sept. 11, Macapagal-Arroyo was the first Asian leader to notify President Bush that her country stands behind him, she said.
“They were not attacks on one country but on a world community,” Macapagal-Arroyo said.
In response to the September 11 attacks, the Philippines flew the national flag at half-mast and established a national day of mourning, she said.
The Philippines has made its air space and ground facilities available for the war on terrorism, Macapagal-Arroyo said. If necessary, she added, the Philippines will provide food and medical supplies for the war and would consider contributing troops. Macapagal-Arroyo said her country responded in this way not only because of the mutual defense treaty of the United Nations, but for moral reasons.
“We are determined to go every step of the way … I’m here in Washington to affirm our solidarity,” Macapagal-Arroyo said. “Evil will not triumph.”
Macapagal-Arroyo said that she has seen first-hand what terrorism can do. The government of the Philippines has been combatting terrorism in the southwest region of the country for years.
“Terrorism has been a drain on our country. What we were fighting in isolation in southwest Philippines is now a global fight,” Macapagal-Arroyo said. “We will continue this pursuit until this group is brought to justice.”
Macapagal-Arroyo’s internal policies toward terrorism include no negotiations with terrorists, swift justice and well-organized police, military and intelligence agencies.
Macapagal-Arroyo spoke of the link between poverty and terrorism. While she emphasized that only evil, not poverty, is the cause of terrorism, she said that poverty can be a spawning ground for terrorism.
She called for a global campaign against poverty and has told her own country that “within a decade we must win our fight against poverty.” The Philippines’ national agenda is to encourage free enterprise, to modernize agriculture, to aid the disadvantaged and to raise the moral standards of government, she said.
Macapagal-Arroyo then spoke directly to Georgetown students with a message of hope. “We still live in a world of great promise,” she said. “You will be expected to make great contributions.”
“I hope you will realize your own full potential and make the world free from hunger, free from want, free from despair, so that all people can realize they live in a world of great promise,” she said.
Macapagal-Arroyo’s speech was a part of The Distinguished Southeast Asian Lectures series. She also received the prestigious Georgetown President’s Medal given to Georgetown alumni who demonstrate international leadership.
“I’m touched by the award … I share it with other leaders,” Macapagal-Arroyo said.
