PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday declared that the country has wriggled out of fiscal crisis barely three months after admitting that her government was in dire financial straits to coerce Filipinos in accepting painful reforms such as high taxes, higher power rates and spartan expenses.

Now, here's a quote from the same story, barely a line down:

In a brief talk at the headquarters of GMA Broadcasting Corp. in Quezon City, Ms Arroyo said: "We are now getting out of that (fiscal) crisis and I told my Cabinet members, let's not talk crisis anymore. We rang the alarm bell and the people and the institutions (responded)."

"We are now getting out" is significantly different from "we are now out", as the headline reads. Meanwhile, GMA demonstrates the kind of papertrail bureaucracy she wants:

"Just today, I got some coins from some children in Tiaong (town in Quezon province) amounting to P700. I asked my finance officer to write a receipt and thank you letter for their contribution in solving the crisis. If that is our attitude, then we are out of the crisis," the President said.

Dang, Php 700 goes a long way for column inches huh? ( Bet that Finance Officer would looove to write that thank you letter.)