A meeting of minds

THE DAY Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo became President, text messages went around pointing out that George W. Bush had also assumed office that day and that the two were children of ex-presidents.

With time, we've certainly seen how Bush and GMA share more than presidential fathers and inaugural dates. Their common world views and values came into much sharper focus during GMA's visit to Washington, the two presidents coming through in their toasts, speeches and a news conference like they were doing a karaoke love song duet.

Here are some samples:

Bush: The Philippines and America are old friends who are tackling a lot of new challenges. Our relationship is strong; our relationship is growing stronger. . .

GMA: There may be others who might feel tainted or hostile about US leadership in the war against terrorism. We believe that the US leadership and engagement with the US make the world a safer place for all of us to live in.

Bush: She's (GMA) tough when it comes to terror. She fully understands that in the face of terror you've got to be strong, not weak. She knows, like I know, that the only way to deal with these people is to bring them to justice. You can't talk to them, you can't negotiate with them, you must find them. And that's precisely what our alliance is continuing to do.

Now we can all appreciate how important it was for GMA to have held her own press conference in the Philippines right before she left for Washington, with her orders to bomb suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front areas in Mindanao.

GMA's tough and loyal stand is paying off. Contrary to what her detractors have claimed, Bush is lavishly generous with rewards for his allies. During GMA's visit, he announced that his government was thinking of considering the Philippines a "non-Nato ally." Bush explained what this would mean: ". . . it will be easier for us to answer requests on military equipment; to provide parts and equipment to make sure that the defense capabilities of the Philippine military are modern, and the choppers fly, choppers are maintained, choppers move; when the president orders up a strike, it happens quickly."

Now that should make the Abu Sayyaf quake in their boots. It wasn't clear if the Philippines will have to pay to get the military stuff but I guess we should be honored with this new designation. Perhaps astutely concerned that we'll need help to make the choppers fly and move, Bush promised more US troops.

Wait, there's more. As a final perk, Bush announced at a state dinner, after expressing thanks for GMA's unwavering support, that he would come to visit us this year, part of a trip to Asia for an Apec meeting. What a greater honor can there be -- not just US choppers and US troops but the Commander in Chief himself.

GMA did us proud when she responded to Bush's toast: "In a time of crisis, friends do not ask why, they ask how." Bush nodded.

It wasn't all military talk during GMA's visit. Terrorism, she warned, would spread through Southeast Asia like SARS if poverty was not addressed, and that "In the Philippines, terrorism thrives and gets its recruits, not coincidentally, in the provinces that are the poorest, in the region that is the poorest in our country. That is why I appreciate the support of President Bush not only for the security assistance in the war against terrorism, but also in the efforts to fight poverty and the socio-economic ills that plague southern Philippines especially."

Pressed on by a reporter to explain how the US government was helping to address poverty in the Philippines, Bush offered these profound insights:

"And the poverty problem -- listen, this nation is committed to dealing with poverty. First, let me make it very clear, poor people aren't necessarily killers. Just because you happen to be not rich doesn't mean you're willing to kill. And so it's important to understand -- people are susceptible to the requirement by these extremists, but I refuse to put killers into a demographic category based upon income. After all, a lot of the top al-Qaeda people were comfortable middle-class citizens. And so one of the things you've got to do is to make sure we distinguish between hate and poverty."

Bush went on to talk about how trade and a Food for Peace program would help to alleviate poverty in the Philippines, and praised the Philippine government for trying to be more efficient in collecting taxes.

Bush had this to promise: "In other words, all up and down -- the energy we talked about -- all up and down the different aspects of our society, we had meaningful discussions. Not only in the Cabinet room, but prior to this and after this day, our secretaries, respective secretaries, will continue to interact to create the conditions necessary for prosperity to reign."

GMA responded to Bush's remarks about poverty reduction: "With regard to poverty issue, I don't see poverty only as a means to fight terrorism. Fighting poverty is an end in itself. So I agree with President Bush, it's not poverty that causes terrorism. Terrorism breeds on poverty, and poverty breeds on terrorism. They reinforce each other. And that's why we must fight them together."

GMA then expressed her gratitude for the ways in which she saw the United States was helping with poverty reduction: investments in the Philippines, the possibilities of more privileges for some of our exports (specifically carageen seaweed, since it comes from an area stricken by poverty and terrorism) and plans to reduce fees on the remittances of Filipino overseas workers.

What a meeting of minds this state visit has been. With such leaders as Bush and GMA at the helm, we can all sleep well, confident that the Philippines and the United States, if not the entire world, will truly be safer and more prosperous.