Top 93 Quotes & Sayings by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

Explore popular quotes and sayings by a Filipino statesman Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Last updated on September 17, 2024.
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo, often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from 2001 until 2010. She is the longest serving president of the Philippines since Ferdinand Marcos. Before her accession to the presidency, she served as the 10th vice president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, making her the country's first female vice president under President Joseph Estrada, despite having run on an opposing ticket. She was also a senator from 1992 to 1998. After her presidency, she was elected as the representative of Pampanga's 2nd district in 2010 and later became the speaker of the House of Representatives from 2018 until her retirement in 2019. She later came out of retirement to be elected as representative of the same district in 2022. She is the only person to hold three of the four highest offices in the country: vice president, president, and house speaker.

The military is very constitutionalist, and I have my faith in them and in the cooler heads of the people.
As I have shown, I will defend democracy with arms when it is threatened by violence; with firmness when it is weakened by division; with law and order when it is subverted by anarchy; and always, I will try to sustain it by wise policies of economic progress so that a democracy means not just an empty liberty, but a full life for all.
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.
I'm not worried. I'm in control. — © Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
I'm not worried. I'm in control.
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.
A president must be on the job 24/7, ready for any contingency, any crisis, anywhere, anytime.
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.
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.
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 follow my father's philosphy; 'Do what is good, do what is right, and God will take care of the rest.'
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.
We must weed out corruption and build a strong system of justice that the people can trust.
The military is faithful to the constitution. They will come in only to protect the people from the enemies of the state.
I was invited by President Bush to come to the United States on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the mutual defense treaty.
I feel that if I am freed of the burden of politics, then I can do more and I can take more unpopular decisions. I can have as my guidance for decision whatever is right, not whatever is popular.
I sow; my successor reaps. This is the majesty of democracy. — © Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
I sow; my successor reaps. This is the majesty of democracy.
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.
I believe that the war against terrorism and the war against poverty in these times of turmoil go together. So you - when you fight one, you have to fight the other.
I feel that if I am freed of the burden of politics, then I can do more, and I can take more unpopular decisions.
My responsibility as president is to take care to solve the problems we are facing now and to provide a vision and direction for how our nation should advance in the future.
I can say that I have not done any culpable violation of the constitution.
The Philippines has no policy that demands sacrifice of human lives.
I ask the educational system, the parents, the church, and pillars of the community to help shape a new culture of honesty, patriotism, respect, discipline and service for young Filipinos.
Filipino businessmen must have the ability to compete freely in the global economy.
Now I ask you to make your sacrifice. Take a gamble. I took the plunge and I'm glad of it.
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.
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 roof cannot collapse when the value pillars of government and society are sound and strong.
The contracts for Iraqi rebuilding are commercial contracts. I think being in the coalition of the willing puts us in the radar screen, but we also have to compete with other countries that are in the coalition of the willing, but the Philippines is a country that has produced world-class skilled workers that we have seen all over the world.
It's never right to fight terror with terror.
The Philippines was with the U.S. in the Second World War, in the Korean War, in the Vietnam War, and now in the war against terrorism.
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.
In 1995, we had evidence of the brother-in-law of Osama bin Laden being in the Philippines, living in the Philippines. We had evidence of front organizations set up in the Philippines. And we uncovered evidence about, which would help the U.S. with - about the perpetuators of the World Trade Center bombing.
I want justice to be so pervasive that it will be taken for granted, just as injustice is taken for granted today.
As the leader of the nation, I say in behalf of the Filipino people to the world: we are strong and principled believers in democracy.
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.
It is the civilian part of the politics that is very, very bad, and we have to change that.
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.
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.
We must promote solid traits such as work ethics, a dignified lifestyle, matching actions to rhetoric, performance rather than grandstanding. — © Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
We must promote solid traits such as work ethics, a dignified lifestyle, matching actions to rhetoric, performance rather than grandstanding.
I was at Ground Zero, and it was, to me, such a graphic illustration of what terrorism has done to our world.
I can't do everything alone. I need all Filipinos to unify.
We're working with our neighbors Indonesia and Malaysia to fight terrorism in our own common seas.
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.
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 the hardest working people in the world, the most adaptable and the most congenial to employ.
In the time one is given, the steward must make the most of the talents one is given by the Lord.
The Constitution says that troops can be in the Philippines if there's a treaty that provides for it, and we have two treaties with the United States.
You have 60 countries in the world with a terrorist problem. That's two-thirds of the world. We have this group in Basilan, which is a small island in the far south of the Philippines, and the island itself has a population of - what? - 300,000.
I want ordinary people to enjoy a decent standard of living, with ever increasing security, comfort and joy.
In my presidency I've been guided by what's right, not what's popular. — © Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
In my presidency I've been guided by what's right, not what's popular.
In a global arena, what our businessmen need in order to be competitive is transparency and a level playing-field.
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 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.
I know the pain of having to deal with terrorism. And that's why, after 9-11, I was one of the first to join the international coalition to fight terrorism.
The power of one, if fearless and focused, is formidable, but the power of many working together is better.
We may disagree among ourselves, but let us never lose sight of that greater battle for one people, one country, one Philippines.
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.
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.
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.
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