Press Release No. 068-03
25 February 2003
GMA
WON HEARTS AS NAM’s “LADY IN RED”
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Instead of facing isolation as predicted by her
critics, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo turned out to be the “fashion
icon” of the Non-Aligned Summit in Kuala Lumpur for choosing to break convention
and showing up in the NAM Summit in a resplendent red outfit.
In a news article entitled, “A Lady in Red A Hit in NAM” published in The
Malay Mail, a survey among reporters and onlookers observing the NAM summit
showed approval for President Arroyo’s bold fashion statement.
The Malay daily carried a front-page photo of the Philippine president garbed
in an elegant red dress, smiling brightly.
“While it is convention for leaders attending such a summit to opt for dark
sober colors, her break with convention is a breath of fresh air and we should
have more of it,” a veteran reporter told The Malay Mail.
The news daily said the petite leader’s fashion taste drew admiration from
female journalists covering the summit.
“Many men cannot carry bright colors without losing certain seriousness about
them, but women can,” said a reporter. “So why should we restrict ourselves
to boring clothing just because the men have to?”
Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople confirmed that he also received positive
comments from other delegates attending the NAM Summit regarding not only
the President’s striking appearance but by her performance in the summit.
“They were impressed to learn that the President flew in for the day to deliver
her statement, hold several bilateral meetings including one with Malaysian
Prime Minister Mahathir and to serve as vice-chair of the summit. They admired
her energy and her conviction in pushing for a global peace agenda through
peaceful disarmament of weapons of mass destruction,” Ople said.
Before she left for Kuala Lumpur, there were published reports pointing to
the President’s isolation from other NAM heads of state due to her unwavering
support to the US-led fight against terrorism.
Ople said no isolation took place. “She stood out as a leader of substance
and style,” he stressed. END