What do PGMA, Laura Bush, Queen Elizabeth, Aung San Suu Kyi have in common?

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is listed by Forbes as one of the 100 world's most powerful women. PGMA, who is ranked 45th, is just a little bit below Mrs. Laura Bush (43rd) and even ahead of such well known figures as Queen Elizabeth (45th) and Aung San Suu Kyi (46th). The report was filed August 30, 2006 in Forbes magazine. I heard some time ago that PGMA was listed in a similar list but I am not sure if this is the same list.

Listed as #1 is Ms. Angela Merkel, Germany's new chancellor, while at #2 is US State Secy Condoleeza Rice. Among the other popular figures in the list are Melinda Gates, Oprah, Sonia Gandhi, Hillary Clinton, Katie Couric, and Cristiane Amanpour. According to Forbes magazine, a person is listed as powerful based mainly on two criteria: that of their visibility and economic impact. I am sure the opposition hates the fact that they contribute to PGMA's visibility, and thus helped her get into the listing.

Actually, PGMA dropped 41 notches from last year when she was ranked 4th. Nevertheless, she was credited to have lowered the Philippines' budget deficit and increased the country's electronics export.

It's been a tumultuous tenure for President Arroyo. Last year, she fended off an impeachment attempt stemming from allegations that she cheated to win her country's May 2004 elections. The storm is not over. The scandal-plagued Arroyo, 59, who became president in 2001, faces continuous calls to step down before her term ends in 2010; plans for impeachment proceedings seem to perennially loom. The controversy overshadows Arroyo's successful lowering of the budget deficit and her work increasing Philippine electronics exports. —Tatiana Serafin

A newscaster who cries wolf!

I am sure many people are laughing at how GMA's Mike Enriquez speaks on radio and TV. He is always shouting, or at least sounding as if everything he is saying is of an urgent concern. A friend of mine had a chance to talk to this character and was relieved to learn that he speaks differently when not broadcasting. I do not know what my friend was expecting... but I can bet everyone knows that Mr. Enriquez is just making this up. He is doing it (sounding urgent) on some purpose, to sensationalize the news, that is!

I have read sometime ago that Mr. Enriquez was in fact a former FM radio disc jockey (DWKC), and he used to call himself as "Baby Michael". I remember the name, but I do not remember the voice. Now, Mr. Enriquez is the Senior Vice President for Radio over at GMA - a relatively high position in GMA's corporate ladder, I suppose. If I work at GMA and he is my boss, I would resent it if he speaks to me the way he speaks on his programs!

I wonder if Mr. Enriquez ever heard of "the boy who cried wolf", where the shepherd boy got attention by shouting wolf when in fact there is no wolf. We know the rest of the story.. the boy received no attention when there is indeed a wolf attacking his flock. The story is about credibility, and we teach that to our kids.

When Mr. Enriquez is sounding urgent while delivering regular boring news, everyone knows he is plainly "crying wolf". And when he gets promoted to be SVP, we know that the company he is working for is one big corporate bad boy who would cry wolf for money. They could even be the big bad wolf themselves!