MANILA, Philippines?When President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo meets with US President Barack Obama at the White House on Thursday?Friday in Manila?her opponents back home will be hoping that it will result in a change they can believe in.

Ms Arroyo left for Washington on Wednesday afternoon for her much-sought meeting with the newly elected US president amid a call by a civil society group on Obama to tell her that she should comply with democratic principles and adhere to human rights.

In an open letter to Obama that was published Wednesday in national newspapers as paid ads, the group, led by former Vice President Teofisto Guingona and ex-Senate President Jovito Salonga, said that upon Obama?s assumption of the US presidency, Filipinos ?rejoiced at the audacious hope? that he had inspired.

?We joined all freedom-loving people of the world who exulted when you declared that ?those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent ? are on the wrong side of history.?

?In your meeting with Ms Arroyo, it may serve you well to be mindful of Ms Arroyo?s legacy of corruption, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, bribery, election cheating, among others.

?The Filipino people also yearn for change from the effrontery of hopelessness and the curse of decadence that Ms. Arroyo represents.

?In your meeting with Ms Arroyo, we feel confident that you will make clear to her that a government that does not comply with Principles of Democracy and respect for human rights cannot have the approval and support of your administration.

?We implore you, Mr. President, to inspire hope and be an instrument of change for the common good of the long-suffering Filipino people,? the letter said.

?Height of political uncivility?

Malacañang bristled at the letter to Obama.

?Every time matters of that nature come from the detractors of the President, you could expect that the intention is really just to besmirch the President,? Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told reporters.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde described the letter as ?the height of political uncivility.?

Former Senate President Franklin Drilon, one of the signatories, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that lack of time prevented more concerned Filipinos from signing the letter, which he said was sent to Obama as well.

?We would just like to inform him (Obama) how people like us perceive the Philippine situation,? Drilon said, adding that the letter would provide a ?balancing information? in his talks with Ms Arroyo.

Wearing a red business suit, Ms Arroyo said in a pre-departure statement that peace and security issues, including measures boosting regional cooperation on antiterrorism, would top the agenda of her meeting with Obama on Thursday.

?I am very hopeful that the Obama administration will once again put America back on the radar screen in Asia,? she said, describing the United States as the Philippines? strongest ally.

Signal of US commitment

Ms Arroyo said that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton?s visit to Asia ?sends strong signals that the US is committed to a new, more robust engagement with the region.?

She said she would also take up ways to advance the peace process in Mindanao with Obama, whose country has taken the ?soft? tack by helping build schools, roads and bridges through development assistance.

The other issues are global economic crisis and climate change, according to Ms Arroyo.

?Finally, I will convey our deep appreciation for the payment of $190 million by the US for Philippine veterans of World War II. This long overdue recognition will go a long way to rewarding the patriotic Filipinos who fought side by side with Americans, under US command, during the heroic days of World War II,? she said.

Chartered PAL

Ms Arroyo flew on a Philippine Airlines commercial flight at 1 p.m. to Vancouver, Canada, where she will board a chartered PAL flight to Washington.

Her delegation included her husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, and son, Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado ?Dato? Arroyo, Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, Ermita, Remonde, Trade Secretary Peter Favila, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, and reportedly 20 lawmakers led by Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago and House Speaker Prospero Nograles.

Also in the party were Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr., Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera, Labor Secretary Marianito Roque, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez and Chair Bayani Fernando of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

Ms Arroyo designated Vice President Noli de Castro as caretaker while she was away.

?Let us not destroy the honor?

Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel ?Mikey? Arroyo dismissed opposition suggestions that Obama would scold his mother for her dismal human rights record.

He said that the Obama invitation was a ?big honor to our country.?

?Let us not destroy that honor,? Mikey Arroyo said, pointing out that Ms Arroyo was the first leader in Southeast Asia to be invited by the new president to the White House.

He also shrugged off talk that his mother was unclear on whether she would step down at the end of her term in her State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday. ?There will be a new president in 2010,? he said.

Sen. Rodolfo Biazon said in a news forum that he thought Obama had not so much as ?invited? Ms Arroyo as ?summoned? her to explain certain issues like political killings and human rights violations in the Philippines.

?It?s unfriendly for a government, especially if it?s an ally, to call the chief executive of a republic and ask the chief executive to explain and be accountable on the issue of corruption, human rights violations, disappearances and political killings,? Biazon said.

?Raw deal?

Migrante International, an alliance of overseas Filipinos, said in a statement that the Washington talks could be ?another raw deal in the making.?

It said in a statement that the United States would support Ms Arroyo?s continued stay in power as prime minister through Charter change in exchange for her support of US business interests, the visiting forces agreement and the global war on terror. With reports from Christine O. Avendaño, DJ Yap, Jerome Aning and Edson C. Tandoc Jr.