Mrs. Arroyo is planning a visit to address the National Press Club (NPC) on Feb. 21.

Record, the NPC’s weekly publication, said the Filipino leader would be at the club for lunch on that day.

However, there is no meeting scheduled between Mrs. Arroyo and any senior American official in the Bush Administration.

U.S. Government sources said Manila is trying to arrange such a meeting but there is too little time to finalize anything by Feb. 21.

Arranging such meetings can take up to a year, the sources said. A U.S. Government official would only say that Manila’s request is “under consideration.”

NPC luncheons are open only to members and their guests at a cost of $16 for members and $28 for guests.

Club sources said Mrs. Arroyo’s visit to the club was arranged by media consultants Stanton Communications, described in its website as the “best small agency...in the media capital of the world.”

Stanton Communications could not be immediately reached for comment.

As far as is known, Mrs. Arroyo has no official engagements arranged yet other than the club visit, but sources said they expect the Philippine Embassy will make sure she has a full calendar during her planned stay from Feb. 20 to 22 in Washington.

It would be strange for Mrs. Arroyo to come to Washington only to address the NPC, no matter its longstanding invitation to her, the sources said.

The sources added that she has to meet some very important people to prove to friends and foes alike that she is still relevant despite facing pressing problems back at home.

The higher a foreign leader is held in esteem in Washington, the more doors open up in the White House, the State Department or Congress.

Mrs. Arroyo was at the height of her popularity in Washington only three years ago when she was the first foreign leader to come out in support of America’s fight against global terrorism.

In May 2003, she made a state visit to Washington at the invitation of Mr. Bush, who also visited Manila.

In November 2001, Mr. Bush received Mrs. Arroyo at the White House during a working visit she made to the U.S.

Mrs. Arroyo’s decision to withdraw Filipino troops from Iraq ahead of schedule in July 2004 to save the life of a kidnapped Filipino truck driver, however, have soured relations with Washington, which viewed her as an unreliable ally.

Allegations she fiddled with the results of the 2004 presidential election in her favor have also tarnished her image.

(Jose Katigbak)