Arroyo chooses to have the female force with her

President Gloria Arroyo has a total of nine women cabinet members, the first in the country's history. "She is making a statement with her recent appointments," said a source from Malacanang, the presidential palace.

It is not known if Arroyo is trying to create an atmosphere to attract votes from women, to back up her presidential candidacy in the May elections.

Marita Mapili-Jimenez, the presidential adviser on absorption of official development assistance, is known in Arroyo's inner circle as the "little president" since the start of her administration in 2001.

"They were classmates at the Assumption College. The president trusts her so much and she is very efficient," a source told Gulf News. Jimenez's appointment in 2001, when Arroyo became president with the ouster of former President Joseph Estrada, signalled the entry of many more women in the cabinet.

Then and now, they were called the "female force in the corridors of power". Very few have noticed Arroyo's preference for women as cabinet members. It became apparent only when she appointed career officer Domingo Albert as foreign affairs secretary, after the death of Blas Ople last December 15.

Last week, Arroyo appointed Merceditas Gutierrez as acting justice secretary, with the resignation of former justice secretary Simeon Datumanong.

"We had to make a graph of her appointees to find out if she is really surrounded by women cabinet members," said the same source. At the start of her presidency, apart from her classmate, Arroyo had appointed three other women into her cabinet. They were Patricia Sto. Tomas, labour secretary, Corazon Juliano-Soliman, social welfare secretary, and Emilia Boncodin, budget secretary.

A year after, she appointed Elisea Gozon as environment and natural resources secretary, with the ouster of former environment secretary Heherson Alvarez. This was followed by the appointment of two other women cabinet members: Juanita Amatong, as finance secretary with the recent resignation of former finance secretary Isidro Camacho.

Teresita Deles was also appointed presidential adviser on the peace process. In January 2001, Arroyo became the second woman president, following a military-backed street protests that toppled Estrada.

Former President Corazon Aquino, the country's first woman head of state, was catapulted into the presidency by a people-backed military mutiny that paved the way for the ouster of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.