Alternative Views and Assessments of the Macapagal - Arroyo Presidency and Administration: Record and Legacy (2001 - 2004) Jose V. Abueva

The third U.P. Lectures on the Philippine Presidency and Administration, held from February 4 to March 18, enabled President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her Cabinet and other senior officials to report on her record and legacy to the nation as she approached the end of her leadership and stewardship as President as President from January 20, 2001 to 30, 2004. Together, the President and 31 associates delivered 32 lectures as self- assessment Of her Presidency and Administration. Published as The Macapagal-Arroyo Presidency and administration: Record and Legacy (2001-2004), the collected lectures make up Volume 1 of the Third UP Public Lectures on the Philippine Presidency and Administration. As in the first two UP Public Lectures, following most lectures, except that of the President, a panel of academics, journalists and representatives from the civil society organizations and the private sector delivered their commentaries before the open forum. As alternative views and assessment of the Macapagal-Arroyo administration, the commentaries and a summary of the open forum were brought together and edited to form this book: alternative Views and Assessment s of Macapagal-Arroyo Presidency and Administration: Record and Legacy(2001-2004). This volume 2 of the third UP Public Lectures on the Philippine Presidency and Administration. In order to put in to context the views and alternative assessments of the commentators and other participants in the open forum, we first present the Highlights of the Lecture of the different department secretaries and Heads of offices. The reader may also refer to the self-assessment in volume 1 if he or she wishes. The Editorial Board used various commentaries by journalist and writers to provide critical views and alternative assessments of the policies, leadership and style of governance of the Presidents. Thus, Volume 1, as self-assessments by the Presidents and her administration, , is somewhat balanced by Volume 2, the alternative use and assessments of concerned commentators and critics . In regard to this volume, we applied the same framework with used in respective UP public Lectures from the Presidency and Administration of President C. Aquino and President Fidel V. Ramos. We also wish to acknowledge the two constitutional bodies participated in the public lectures series, the civil Service commission and the Commission on audit. Being independent bodies, we are publishing the public lectures delivered by Honorable Carina C. David and Honorable Guillermo N. Carague in a separate publication. We are also incorporating the commentaries of the different stakeholders and the highlights of the open forum in this book. By organizing in publishing the UP public lectures, UP helps Filipino readers, officials and citizens, as well as scholars and writers, to make knowledgeable and responsible judgments on National Leadership and Governance. In this way, the nation can learn from and build upon its pasted contemporary experience in nation building and governance, democratization and development. Keywords: politics, government, presidency

Towards the end of her presidency in 2004, President Arroyo's cabinet members and senior officials and then she herself, delivered their lectures on the work and accomplishments of the Arroyo Presidency and Administration from January 2001 to June 30, 2004. The Arroyo 2004 lectures were the third in the series of U.P. Public Lectures on the Philippine Presidency sponsored by the Center for Leadership, Citizenship and Democracy of the U.P. College of Public Administration and Governance (CLCD - U.P. NCPAG). As in the first and second lecture series focused respectively on the presidency and administration of Pres. Corazon C. Aquino (1986 - 1992), and that of the Pres. Fidel V. Ramos (1992 - 1998), two volumes were edited and published on the Arroyo Presidency and administration (2001 - 2004): (1) Self- Assessment and (2) External Assessment. Volume 1. The Self- Assessment, is the edited collection of the lectures of President Arroyo and her cabinet and senior officials. Volume II. External Assessment is the Anthology of the invited commentators of the various lectures plus published materials on President Arroyo's leadership and administration. Through the U.P. Public Lectures on the Philippine Residency, every outgoing president and administration and concerned commentators, scholars and critics are able to record the contemporary experience and history of presidential leadership and governance. The recording of this cumulative, knowledge, experience, and assessment has become institutionalized for the benefit of political leaders, administrators, scholar's journalist, and interested citizens who want to learn from them, In stark comparison it is much more difficult to know what had happened under the earlier Presidencies and administrations from Manuel L. Quezon to Ferdinand Marcos, because there were not systematically assessed. Keywords: lectures, leadership, administration, governance