WASHINGTON, DC (VIA PLDT)—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was a picture of a proud mother as she talked about her only daughter’s involvement in conservation work at a conference of environmental groups.

The President’s busy schedule in Washington included a luncheon with the Coral Triangle Initiative, a multilateral network that includes the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Island and Timor Leste, at the Willard InterContinental Hotel here on Monday.

She shared the table in the front of the hall with Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, World Wildlife Fund CEO Carter Roberts, The Nature Conservancy acting CEO Stephanie Meeks and other officials, while her daughter Evangeline (Luli) sat at the last table.

Ms Arroyo said she was “thrilled at this meeting.”

“At a time when so many things seem to be going wrong in the world, this event demonstrates what is going right,” she said.

“We have men and women from all walks of life and organizations, public, private and governmental coming together to make the world a better place.

“We believe in the Coral Triangle Initiative, and not just because our daughter Luli—seated over there—is a dedicated environmentalist and works for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).”

Ms Arroyo said she also had the deep conviction that environment conservation should not take a back seat to economic development.

“There is no reason that job creation and a good, sound, clean environmental policy cannot coexist. The Coral Triangle Initiative is proof positive that the sustainable environmental model is not only possible; it is also necessary and we are going to make sure it happens,” she said.

The President again expressed a mother’s pride in her child:

“We are proud of what we are trying to do today here. And on a personal note, I’m deeply proud that Luli has sought to spend her gifts working with the WWF and making sure she preserves God’s gift of the Coral Triangle, a perpetual blessing for the peoples of the region and the world.”

The Arroyo family is in full force here for the President’s trip. Aside from Luli, she is accompanied by her husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, their sons, Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo and Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado Arroyo, daughters-in-law and grandchildren.