To be sure, the Supreme Court rulings and con-gressional resolutions that have underpinned the Administration's constitutionality are indispensable. It also obtained the unanimous recognition of other countries, even as the resurgence of the peso and the return of capital demonstrated the backing of global business. But it is the President's thrusts - addressing the people's demand for good governance, effective and clear policies and programs, public consultations, and the eradication of poverty in all its forms - that ultimately and indisputably demonstrates the democratic character of the Macapagal-Arroyo Administration.

It is a government of the people, brought into office by their express will, as seen in protests across the archipelago over multibillion-peso corruption allegations against Estrada made initially by Ilocos Sur Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson and subsequently in testimonies during the nationally broadcast Senate impeachment trial. These rallies eventually led government, police and military officials to end their support for Estrada, rendering him unable to rule.

Acknowledging that incapacity at the top, the Supreme Court voted 13-0 to declare the presidency vacant and authorize the swearing in of the constitutional successor. In three subsequent unanimous decisions on a claim by Estrada that he was still nominally president, the high court further affirmed that the Arroyo presidency, the 14th in the history of the Philippines, was nothing less than the full and constitutional fulfillment of the people's sovereign will.

Hers is also a government by the people, and the plan for her first 100 days in office reflected that fact. In late October, after she left the Estrada Cabinet to offer herself as a constitutional option in the people's drive for change, then Vice-President Arroyo convened the Constitutional Transition Committee to help her draft the First 100 Days Agenda.

Composed of men and women respected in their sectors, the CTC canvassed the views and aspirations of a broad range of sectors and classes in Philippine society. This national consultation process informed not just the CTC, but also the Selection Committee who assisted President Arroyo in choosing her key officials.

The new government also opened its arms to all Filipinos from day one, calling for an end to divisive animosities and for oneness in the quest for national reform and recovery. In her inaugural address, the President said: "It is now, as the Good Book says, 'a time to heal and a time to build.' The task is formidable, and so I pray that we will all be one - one in our priorities, one in our values and commitments and one because of EDSA 2001." Thus, as steward of the people's victory in January, the Macapagal-Arroyo Administration immediately took up the task of healing the nation and institutionalizing the reforms sought by the great majority of Filipinos and enunciated by the President in her inaugural speech.

In that address before the EDSA crowds, she called on the nation to move boldly as one in the war against poverty, to finally win within this decade the struggle started by the great plebian Gat Andres Bonifacio in the 1896 Philippine Revolution against Spain.
Second, President Arroyo underscored the need for higher moral standards in government and society as a whole, in order to establish a strong foundation for good governance.

The third of her core beliefs is a new brand of politics - one of clear platforms and programs formed through sincere consultation with various sectors of society, as opposed to the traditional politics of personality, power plays and patronage.

Finally, leadership by example. The President stated that as responsible leaders and members of society, public officials must promote exemplary traits such as hard work and a simple but dignified lifestyle, matching action to rhetoric and performing rather than grandstanding.

These four tenets, President Arroyo concluded, are part of the new beginning that People Power II made possible. "As we break from the past in our quest for a new Philippines, the unity, the Filipino's sense of history, and his unshakable faith in the Almighty that prevailed in EDSA '86 and EDSA 2001 will continue to guide and inspire us."

With the restoration of business and public confidence in the country upon President Arroyo's assumption into office, she continued with her task of rebuilding the nation. She appointed department secretaries and presidential advisers and assistants coming from varied sectoral and geographical dimensions and with proven competence and high sense of personal integrity. The Cabinet includes the largest number of women in any administration in Philippine history, with ample representation from leaders of NGOs catering to the poor and other marginalized segments of society.

Reaching out to all Filipinos continued and increased after the President took office. She showed her resolve to immediately forge lasting channels to the entire nation by conducting scores of dialogues with strategic and basic sectors, including the youth, farmers, fisherfolk, business, religious groups, and even rebels. These were part of efforts to institutionalize the consultative process and encourage participation from the full spectrum of society.

Also advancing the healing and dialogue process, the Administration scrapped Estrada's policy of all-out war against Muslim and communist insurgents, and instituted peace talks, bending over backwards to accommodate MILF and CPP/NPA demands for foreign venues and the suspension of offensive military operations.

Ultimately, however, a government must be one that acts for the people if it is to maintain their support and better their lives. That means promulgating and delivering on policies truly beneficial to the nation. In its first 100 days the Arroyo government faced three main challenges as it sought to address the nation's distress in Estrada's last year in power.
   
First, the government moved to immediately restore political stability and manage the transition to a regime of good governance and a strict work ethic. Next on the to-do list were pressing problems due to the breakdown of the economy and the deteriorating social conditions under the former president. After stabilizing the political and economic situation, the Arroyo government had to lay a solid foundation for sustained poverty reduction and sustained growth.

The big question, of course, is: How well did the Macapagal-Arroyo Administration deliver? The First 100 Days Agenda espoused seven leading tenets to be implemented: ethical standards in public service, poverty focus, results orientation, human capital as a strategic resource, subsidiarity (or devolution of power), partnership with civil society, and resolving armed conflict.

There are also 13 impact projects or policy initiatives, from addressing the coconut levy controversy in favor of small farmers, to taking urgent steps to alleviate traffic and garbage problems. Other priorities include enhancing the public's communications with the Office of the President; creating a public policy advisory committee, peace talks, cheap medicine, right to information, an employment summit, consensus building and youth consultations.

After 100 days, all seven leading principles have infused many aspects and accomplishments of government, including the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan. Among impact projects and policies, only the one on youth consultations still needs to be addressed in a substantial way. In addition, action has been started on six other major initiatives: value formation for government personnel, rapid employment mechanism, health cards, a mini-Marshall Plan for Mindanao, the moratorium on squatter demolitions, and a more effective government entity to address indigenous people's needs.

The President's Administrative Order No. 1 prohibits public officers and employees from entering into official transactions with real, pretended or imaginary relatives of the chief executive. All members of the Cabinet were made to sign the Pledge to the Filipino People, which enumerates the ethical standards of official and personal conduct that they must follow in the discharge of their duties and responsibilities.

The Administration has appointed a "garbage czar" who immediately convened a garbage summit on solid waste management in Metro Manila. The President has also called a tripartite national employment summit to address rising unemployment and underemployment. The Text GMA cellphone texting project was launched to promote access by the citizenry to the Office of the President and to set an example of a transparent and responsive government. The details of these and other achievements are contained in the next three chapters on political, economic and social concerns. The last portion outlines the government's future initiatives.

On May 1, hours after the President rounded out her 100th day in office, pro-Estrada protesters driven to frenzy by opposition politicians assaulted Malacaņang as part of a rebellion plot. Again, the naysayers were out in force, casting aspersions on People Power. And once again, the Arroyo Administration and the EDSA forces that fought for its constitutional assumption of authority must answer the doubters and critics of Philippine democracy.

This report on the first 100 days of the Arroyo presidency, with its litany of concrete policies and projects put into action, should help make the case that People Power II has established a government of the people, by the people and for the people. And by carrying through its program of moral rectitude, new politics, leadership by example, and the liberation of millions from poverty, ignorance, violence and oppression, the government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will set the stage for full empowerment - economic, political, social and spiritual - of the entire Filipino people. So help us God.

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