Protesters gather ahead of Arroyo address

Arroyo has faced a number of crises while in power

PHILIPPINES, Manila -- Protesters gathered in Manila hours before President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's first State of the Nation address, demanding she do more to fight poverty.

In one of the biggest demonstrations against Arroyo, more than 8,000 protesters -- labor, student, human rights, women and Muslim activists -- were outside the House of Representatives building where the televised address will be held at 4:00p.m. (0800 GMT) Monday.

Around 3,500 police were stationed outside the building.

Presidential spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao said Arroyo's speech would address the concerns of the protesters, with a theme of reaching out to all Filipinos.

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Arroyo, in office since January 20 after mass protests ousted her predecessor Joseph Estrada in January, has faced a number of crises while trying to improve the nation's flagging economy.

"We don't expect her to do everything at once," said Millet Morante, secretary-general of the protest group Movement for National Democracy. "But it's been six months now, and she has done nothing for the poor."

Arroyo's challenges have included a failed power grab on May 1, a hostage crisis in the southern Philippines, natural disasters and inheriting a huge budget deficit.

Security concerns and a world economic slowdown that is partly to blame for a sharp drop in the Philippine peso have dampened business and investment.

In a column in Monday's Asian Wall Street Journal, Arroyo argued that the Philippines' future lies in globalization.

She said two keys to her anti-poverty program were creating jobs and modernizing the agricultural system, and aimed to produce a balanced budget in five-years.

"Linking the Philippine economy with the rest of the world's economies provides net benefits to our society," Arroyo wrote. "This global environment opens up more jobs for Filipinos."

"However, while these challenges are daunting, we must move forward on many fronts; we do not have the luxury of addressing our problems one at a time," Arroyo wrote.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.