GMA hits Mar; Mar 'tweets' back

MANILA - President Arroyo's State of the Nation Address on Monday, which lasted for less than an hour, was punctuated by at least 119 instances of applause, according to a count by abs-cbnNEWS.com.

Interestingly, the most applauded sections of her speech were the ones when she made pointed barbs against her most vocal critics.

Pointing to her decision to pass a tougher Cheaper Medicines Law, Mrs. Arroyo gave this piece of advice: "To those who want to be President, this advice: If you want something done, do it hard, do it well. Don’t pussyfoot. Don't pander. Don't say bad words in public. Just do it."

The verbal swipe drew laughs and loud applause from the audience inside the Batasang Pambansa as it reminded them of Sen. Manuel Roxas II's expletive during an anti-Charter change rally in Makati last year.

Minutes after Arroyo's speech, Roxas sent the following message via his Twitter account: "Gloria, I have to say bad words in public because of bad deeds done in secret."

Mrs. Arroyo also drew loud applause when she fired back at her critics who has accused her of misgovernance.

"I am falsely accused, without proof, of using my office for personal profit. Many of those who accuse me of it have lifestyles and spending habits that make them walking proofs of that crime," Arroyo said. "We can read their frustrations. They had the chance to serve this good country and they blew it by serving themselves." Without mentioning former President Joseph Estrada, Arroyo said: "Those who live in glass houses should cast no stones. Those who should be in jail should not threaten it, especially if they have been there."

Estrada was found guilty of plunder by the Sandiganbayan in 1987, but did not serve time in prison after Arroyo pardoned him.

"Governance is not about looking back and getting even. It is about looking forward and giving more--to the people who gave us the greates, hardest gift of all: the leadership of a country, the care of a nation," she said.

Another portion of the speech that drew applause and laughter was when she said that she would "not step down from the presidency."

"At the end of this speech I shall step down from this stage...but not from the Presidency," she said to strained applause before adding: "My term does not end until next year. Until then, I will fight for the ordinary Filipino. The nation comes first. There is much to do as head of state—to the very last day."

The President's speech focused on "unknown heroes' to highlight her administration's achievements including a household service from Dubai, a Badjao farmer and the country's first Muslim woman bar topnotcher.

She also mentioned Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao whom, she said, had to defeat his own weakness first before he could defeat his opponents.

"However much a President wishes it, a national problem cannot be knocked out with a single punch. The President must work with the problem as much as against it, and turn it into a solution if possible," she said.

Still, the loudest applause for the President came at the end of her speech when she thanked the public for letting her serve as the country's Chief Executive since 2001.

"And to the people of our good country, for allowing me to serve as your President, maraming salamat. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas."