President to address Filipinos amid scandals

MANILA - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will address the Filipino people "on an issue of vital concern" later on Monday, her spokesman said, as she faces allegations over election cheating and illegal gambling payoffs.

Details of the speech at 7pm local time (11pm NZ time) came in a mobile phone text message sent to media by spokesman Ignacio Bunye.

"We urge the public to tune in," Bunye's message said.

The opposition accuses Arroyo of cheating, pointing to recordings of a telephone conversation it says was between the president and a senior election official during the May 2004 polls.

Arroyo has declined to say whether she had the conversation, in which she appears to ask the official to raise her winning margin. She said last week she would comment on the recordings "at the appropriate time."

Nothing has been proven but the political storm has rattled financial markets as Filipinos pay close attention to the twists and turns. The government says the allegations are part of a broader plot to undermine and replace Arroyo.

- REUTERS