    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [November 20, 2001]
    [Pages 1430-1433]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following Discussions With President Gloria Macapagal-
    Arroyo of the Philippines and an
    Exchange With Reporters
    November 20, 2001

        President Bush. It's my honor to welcome the President of the
    Philippines here to the Oval Office. I had the honor of not only meeting
    the President but having a great discussion with her in Shanghai, China.
    She is a highly intelligent, dedicated public servant, to not only
    better the Philippines but to work with us to make the world more
    peaceful.
        I could tell the first time I talked to her that we had a great ally
    and friend in our cause. And I look forward to having a good, long
    discussion today about how we can work together--how to work together
    more. We've been working together a lot. We've been sharing
    intelligence; we've been talking strategies.
        The United States has got a very close relationship with the
    Philippines, and I intend to keep it that way. The Philippines have been
    great allies and friends for a long period of time, and it's in our
    national interests that we maintain a very close and strong
    relationship. And so I've really been looking forward to this visit.
        I'm so honored for your strong support and for your able leadership.
    I want to welcome you to the Oval Office.
        President Macapagal-Arroyo. Thank you. Thank you.
        President Bush. You're welcome to say a few words, if you'd like.
        President Macapagal-Arroyo. It's my honor to be here, and the
    occasion is the 50th anniversary of our mutual defense treaty between
    our two countries. And this treaty just demonstrates how we've been
    allies for so long: allies in the Second World War, allies in the cold
    war, allies in the Korean war, allies in the Vietnam war, and now allies
    in the war against terrorism.
        We're allies, too, in the economic front. The U.S. is our number one
    trading partner; cumulatively, our number one source of investments. And
    the Filipinos who live in America are number one in income earning and
    also number one in education. They are 3 million, and 1.5 of them are

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    voters--1.5 million. So I know that they are very happy about this
    partnership.
        President Bush. Thank you, Madam President.
        I'll be glad to answer a couple of questions.

    White House Tours

        Q. Mr. President, why is it okay for the American public to return
    to normal and fly and travel in this country, but it is not okay for
    public tours to enter the White House?
        President Bush. Well, Laura and I regret that the public tours
    aren't going on. It's--particularly during the Christmas holiday season,
    I know a lot of Americans look forward to touring the White House during
    this period of time. But we're in extraordinary times, and as I said
    yesterday, evil knows no holiday; evil knows no--it doesn't welcome a
    Thanksgiving or Christmas season. And in these extraordinary times,
    we're taking extraordinary measures.
        It is a further reason why we must continue to wage a diligent and
    consistent fight against terror and to rid the world of terror, to make
    our country safe so that we can have tours at the White House.

    Abu Sayyaf Terrorist Group

        Q. Mr. President, we have advisers on the ground helping the
    Filipino Army in tracking down and getting rid of Abu Sayyaf. Are you
    prepared to go the next step, sir? Are you willing to put American
    combat troops on the ground there?
        And President Arroyo, would your Constitution allow that?
        President Bush. Well, first of all, I'm willing to listen to
    President Arroyo; I'm willing to work with her in any way that she wants
    to. We've had a discussion about Abu Sayyaf. She's got a clear vision
    about how to fight Abu Sayyaf, and I'll let her speak for herself. But
    the Philippines are a great ally. They're close friends, and we will
    cooperate in any way she suggests in getting rid of Abu Sayyaf.
        Q. Including combat troops, sir?
        President Bush. That's going to be up to the President. It's up to
    the President to make those decisions. I have asked her pointblank, what
    help does she need. She says she's got a great military, a competent
    military; she's confident that her military can deal with Abu Sayyaf.
    And for that I applaud her and will wish her all the best. And we want
    to help her military deal with them.
        Q. My question was, would your Constitution allow U.S. ground troops
    to join in an active engagement against Abu Sayyaf?
        President Macapagal-Arroyo. We would have to check that. But in any
    case, as President Bush said, we have a framework on how to fight the
    Abu Sayyaf, how to fight terrorism in the southwestern part of the
    Philippines. And the framework covers what we need in terms of
    diplomatic assistance, technical assistance, assistance in winning
    hearts and minds, and military assistance. We have advisers from the
    U.S.; we have equipment from the U.S. All of these are part of our
    mutual defense treaty.
        It just so happens that now the mutual defense treaty facilities are
    being used in the fight against terrorism. But we've had this pattern
    for many years now, and I think the pattern is going very well as it is.
        President Bush. Let me say something just in general. Your question
    points up what I have been saying, that the front against terror is not
    just in Afghanistan, that we're going to fight terror wherever it
    exists. And we will work with our allies and friends to use whatever
    resources we have to win the war against terror.
        President Arroyo understands now is the time to make a stand against
    terrorist activity, whether it be in Afghanistan or in the Philippines
    or anywhere else Al Qaida exists. Because if we don't make a stand now,
    our children and grandchildren will not be able to grow up in a free
    world.

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        And so we are looking for opportunities to help friends and allies
    strike Al Qaida wherever they exist. There's a lot of focus, of course,
    on Afghanistan these days, and I can understand why. But I want people
    in America to understand that, first of all, the theater in Afghanistan
    is entering a difficult period of time. We could be there for quite a
    while, which is fine because we've got an objective in mind, and we'll
    stay there until we get our objective. But there's going to be other
    fronts in this theater; there will be other places where we need to work
    to rout out Al Qaida and other terrorist organizations. And the
    President and I are going to have a good discussion, a continued
    discussion, about how we can help the Philippines.

    Robert F. Kennedy Building Dedication/Education Legislation

        Q. Sir, later today you're going to the Justice Department for a
    ceremony renaming it for Mr. Kennedy.
        President Bush. Yes.
        Q.  Why now? And do you hope that you get some help with the
    education bill out of this? [Laughter]
        President Bush. Well, I'm not quite that devious. I made the
    decision to name the Justice Department building after Robert Kennedy
    because he is deserving--his memory is--and his family are such a great
    part of American history. He was a wonderful Attorney General, and I
    think it's fitting to do such. I'll get an education bill based on its
    merits, not based upon renaming a building for a great American.
        Today, interestingly enough, is Robert Kennedy's birthday. And you
    said, why today? I think it's fitting that we name the building for him
    on his birthday.
        I look forward to the event. Mrs. Kennedy
    will be there, as are a lot of the Kennedy family. Senator
    Kennedy will be there; I presume that's
    who you were referring to about the education bill. I think Senator
    Kennedy wants to get a bill to my desk, and I feel good that we'll get a
    bill to the desk here pretty soon.
        One from the Philippine press. Excuse me.

    Philippines-U.S. Relations

        Q. Mrs. President, are you signing any agreement with President Bush
    regarding our security?
        President Macapagal-Arroyo. No, no, we're not. What we're going to
    talk about is how we can make our partnership against terrorism--both
    terrorism in the world and terrorism in southern Philippines--more
    useful, more efficient.
        Q. Could you, sir, give more--elaborate on the assistance that will
    be given to the Philippines?
        President Bush. I think the Philippine Government will make that
    announcement when the President feels comfortable making the
    announcement. There's been a lot of discussions about military items,
    discussions about trade, discussions about enhanced commerce, and we
    look forward to listening to our close friend and ally in ways that we
    can help. We've got no better friend in that part of the world than the
    Philippines.
        And as the President has said, there are a lot of proud Filipinos
    living in America. And one of the things that's going to happen after
    this meeting, she has graciously agreed to have her picture taken with
    Filipino Americans working here in the White House. And I've got a
    confession to make--they're looking forward to having--they're more
    looking forward to having their picture taken with her than with me.
    [Laughter]

    Filipino Veterans Equity Legislation

        Q. Did you ask the U.S. President to support the veterans equity
    bill?
        President Bush. The what bill?
        Q. The Filipino veterans equity bill.
        President Bush. Oh, the veterans security. She did bring up the
    issue. And she

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    strongly brought it up, and she was an advocate for the Filipino
    veterans bill, which has been an issue around here for a long period of
    time.
        Q. [Inaudible]
        President Bush. Good question. I hope by December 1st.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:25 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group,
    Muslim separatists operating in the southern Philippines.