Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo virtually unveiled her memoir entitled “Deus Ex Machina” detailing her roots and post-presidency experiences and lessons of the past 74 years.
The seven-part, 230-page book, published by the Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation, is the shorter version of the two editions of her memoir.
“This book is more about me as an economist and less as a politician. One of the things I am most proud of is my role in ending our decades-old cycle of economic booms and busts. I left the presidency with 38 quarters of uninterrupted economic growth, so our economy was ready to grow further under the presidencies of my successors,” she said.
Arroyo said it took her nine years to finish writing her memoir because of the difficulties she encountered when she started writing it during her hospital arrest.
“It took so long during my incarceration, firstly with the long recovery period from my three surgeries. Secondly, with access to computers and the internet prohibited, the research required personal interviews with visitors when I felt well enough, and through hard copies of documents; and the writing had to be done manually, on yellow pad, or with an electric typewriter,” she said.
Arroyo added that editing and corrections were “literally cut and paste.”
“Then, when I was acquitted and released, I became very busy and the writing went back to the back burner. When I became Speaker, it stopped altogether. I resumed working on it after my term in Congress ended,” she narrated.
Arroyo also explained her choice of title for her memoir which she said was suggested by her brother Boboy: “Deus ex machina” is a plot device in ancient Greek drama whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly and abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence.
“In realpolitik, there is no deus ex machina. But for those who trust in the Lord, there is, and it’s called Divine Providence. Divine Providence has played such an important role in my career, and I refer to it in several instances in the memoir, interchangeably with the more secular term deus ex machina,” she said.
During the virtual launch, Arroyo read an excerpt of her book in which Divine Providence or Deus Ex Machina played a big part – her placing 13th in the 1992 elections and her subsequent topping of the senatorial elections in 1995, which, in turn, led her to be considered as a vice presidential candidate in the 1998 elections.
Arroyo said the book has seven parts which start from her roots, to striking out on her own, tutelage in public service, going for the presidency up to EDSA 2, her presidency, and post-presidency.
“This is my story, as simply as I can put it, so that you can know me better as a person,” Arroyo said.
She also said that she is now working on the longer version of her memoir to include contributions of her Cabinet members.
Arroyo gave the first copy of her book to her Vice President Noli De Castro.
Dr. Emil C. Yap III, Manila Bulletin president and vice-chairman, said “PGMA’s autobiography is quite a read. There is a lot in this book that anyone interested in Philippine history in general, and PGMA’s life in particular, can pick up.”
“It is always interesting to see things from the point of view of those who actually had a hand in making things happen, even if most of us here were witnesses to the sterling public service career of PGMA, especially during her time as President,” he added.
Yap said the book is also a testament to the friendship between PGMA’s father, former President Diosdado Macapagal, and his two grandfathers, Don Emilio Yap and Johnny Cheng.
The virtual book launch was attended by Arroyo’s former Cabinet officials, including former Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Press Secretaries Rigoberto Tiglao and Ignacio Bunye, Presidential Management Staff Secretary Ric Saludo, Budget and Management Secretary Rolando Andaya, Jr., Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr., Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral, Archdiocese of San Fernando Archbishop Emeritus Paciano Aniceto, Senators Ralph Recto, Sonny Angara, and Richard Gordon, Presidential Adviser on Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion, Enrique Razon Jr., Teresita Sy-Coson, Manila Bulletin Chairman Basilio C. Yap, Manila Bulletin President Dr. Emil C. Yap III, former Land Bank of the Philippines President Gary Teves, and House Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, among others.