[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
[June 24, 2008]
[Pages 862-864]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Following a Meeting With President Gloria Macapagal-
Arroyo of the Philippines
June 24, 2008

    President Bush. Madam President, it is a pleasure to welcome you 
back to the Oval Office. We have just had a very constructive dialogue. 
First, I want to tell you how proud I am to be the President of a nation 
that--in which there's a lot of Philippine

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Americans. They love America, and they love their heritage. And I 
reminded the President that I am reminded of the great talent of the--of 
our Philippine Americans when I eat dinner at the White House. 
[Laughter]
    President Macapagal-Arroyo. Yes.
    President Bush. And the chef is a 
great person and a really good cook, by the way, Madam President.
    President Macapagal-Arroyo. Thank you.
    President Bush. We talked about our friendship, our bilateral 
relations, and we spent some time on foreign policy.
    First, I expressed our deep condolences to those who suffered as a 
result of the typhoon. And I know there's some families that are 
hurting. Some are wondering whether or not their loved ones will, you 
know, reappear. We, the American people, care about the human suffering 
that's taking place, and we send our prayers.
    Secondly, I informed the President--Secretary Gates informed the President, through me, that the United States 
will move the USS Ronald Reagan, a large aircraft carrier, to help with 
the assistance, along with other U.S. Navy assets. Madam President, 
we're happy to do it. We want to help our friends in a time of need.
    We talked about, you know, food, and I assured the President we'll 
continue to help. We helped with rice in the past. And, you know, I'm 
proud of my country. We give a lot of food aid. And this is a time where 
America needs to step up, and we will, Madam President.
    We talked about our mutual desire to advance--how important it is to 
move forward bilateral and multilateral trade agendas. I'm a--I believe 
trade is beneficial to both our countries. I'm hopeful we can get a Doha 
round done; we strategized together about how we can move the process.
    I congratulated the President on her strong stand on 
counterterrorism--more than strong stand--effective stand on 
counterterrorism as well as laying out a vision for peace. The 
President's been very strong in having a carrots-and-sticks approach. 
``Sticks,'' of course, say we're not going to allow for people to 
terrorize our citizens; the ``carrot'' approach is that there's peace 
available.
    And we talked about Burma--the area, the region. The President's 
been a very strong leader when it comes to the freedom agenda and human 
dignity.
    And so all in all, we had a very constructive talk. I'm proud you're 
here.
    President Macapagal-Arroyo. Thank you.
    President Bush. Thanks for coming.
    President Macapagal-Arroyo. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. President, 
with your permission, I'd like to address our countrymen in our native 
language.

[At this point, President Macapagal-Arroyo spoke in Tagalog, and her 
remarks were translated as follows.]

    Interpreter. Fellow countrymen, America is a strong ally in 
supporting our efforts to strengthen our economy and reinforce our 
democracy. The Philippines and the United States have a strong 
relationship, and we are here today to discuss important bilateral 
issues with President Bush, members of his administration, and 
congressional leaders. As President Bush mentioned, we will focus our 
discussions, now more than ever, on food shortages, defense cooperation, 
and economic aid. Together with our friends, such as America, let us 
join forces and move our country forward towards the company of First 
World, developed nations over the next 20 years.
    Long live the Philippines, and long live the friendship between the 
Philippines and the United States.
    President Bush. I couldn't have said it better myself. [Laughter] 
Thank you, Madam President.
    President Macapagal-Arroyo. Thank you. Thank you.
    President Bush. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 10:25 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. In his

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remarks, he referred to White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford.