MANILA, Philippines -- Before the storm, a song.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Thursday broke into song, with lyrics evocative of the tumult besetting her administration.

With American musician Richard Carpenter at the piano, the President joined Filipino chanteuse Claire de la Fuente in singing the old ballad ?I Have You,? and went solo with the memorable refrain: ?Sometimes/ When I?m almost to surrender/ Then I stop/ And I remember/ I have you/ To save my day.?

When asked later who could have been the subject of Ms Arroyo?s song, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said: ?In the spirit of Valentine?s Day, definitely, someone close to her heart. It must be the First Gentleman.?

But borrowing from a reporter?s rhetorical question, he added: ?Or the Filipino people, why not??

Whatever, Ermita said, meeting with Carpenter ?saved the day for the President.?

The President?s husband, Jose Miguel ?Mike? Arroyo, was not present at the luncheon cum ?media fellowship with President Arroyo and Richard Carpenter? held at the Kalayaan Hall. (But some TV crew members claimed to have seen him at the Palace next door.)

Breather

The luncheon -- where Ms Arroyo was serenaded by Carpenter and De la Fuente -- was intended to allow the President to take a breather from state affairs, according to Anthony Golez, her deputy spokesperson.

Carpenter is the surviving sibling of the popular 1970s singing duo Richard and Karen Carpenter. Karen died in 1983.

De la Fuente, now president of the Integrated Metro Bus Operators Association, became famous as ?the Karen Carpenter of the Philippines.?

At 11:30 a.m., Carpenter and De la Fuente called on Ms Arroyo at the Malacañang Music Room. After a brief conversation, they all repaired to the newly refurbished Kalayaan Hall for the main event.

De la Fuente, with Carpenter at the piano, began serenading Ms Arroyo with the Filipino ballad ?Kahit Kunwari Lamang,? followed by ?Something in Your Eyes? (incidentally the title of her new album).

Carpenter then played ?Thursday Once More,? to which the assembly, composed of Palace officials and employees and members of the Malacañang Press Corps, sang along.

Happy endings

De la Fuente now launched into ?I Have You.? Midway into it, she approached the President, who quickly rose and stood with her beside the piano.

Holding the microphone, Ms Arroyo got into the groove of things, singing ?I believe in happy endings...? She earned applause when she ended with ?I have you to save my day.?

In an ambush interview, Carpenter appeared overwhelmed by the warm welcome accorded him by the Palace.

Asked about Ms Arroyo?s singing, he said: ?Oh, she sang that really well. Karen always made those songs sound very simple to sing, but they?re not that simple. So I mean it sounded lovely, and Claire?s voice as well.?

He added: ?And what meant more to me than listening to her sing is that she knows the words and music to one of our lesser known songs. [It?s] not one of the greater hits, and that really means something.?

Ceasefire

Asked earlier about Malacañang?s Valentine message to administration critics, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said there should be a ?ceasefire? on political attacks.

?My message is the same for all whether they are critics or pro-administration. I believe today [Thursday] is something that we should celebrate, something where love should really prevail. Love can be expressed in so many ways. I?ll end there. Ceasefire.?

Ermita later echoed Bunye?s call, saying: ?The important thing is, we want some harmony among us. I think we will be able to move forward much better if we will set aside for the moment complicated issues...? With a report from Tarra Quismundo