MANILA – She describes herself as "not pro-GMA" but Zambales Rep. and senatorial bet Mitos Magsaysay believes former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is a better President than the incumbent as far as work style is concerned.

Magsaysay, who once called President Aquino the “most amateur, stubborn, laid back, lazy, immature, and least knowledgeable president we ever had,” said she admires the former president for her hands-on style of management.

Asked to compare the two presidents and choose which one is better, she told ANC’s Headstart: “For work style, I think GMA because she was more hands-on in terms of...she knows what each and every Cabinet member is doing 24/7. I saw how she worked in the past administration. She was up very early. Every time there was something happening in an agency, she’s on top of it because let’s face it, the Cabinet secretary is the alter ego of the president.”

Asked if she believes Arroyo is corrupt, she said: “They perceive that she is corrupt but so far, nothing has been proven yet. They are all allegations but nothing has been proven. Let’s just say some people in her administration and probably those around her were corrupt.”

During the interview, Magsaysay defended Arroyo on a number of issues including her alleged involvement in the NBN-ZTE deal and the P728 million fertilizer fund scandal.

On the NBN-ZTE deal, the congresswoman pointed out that it was Arroyo herself who discontinued the project after a congressional inquiry uncovered massive overpricing and alleged kickbacks in the project.

On the fertilizer scam, she said agriculture secretary Jocelyn Bolante should not be the only one prosecuted but all the governors, mayors and congressmen who allegedly benefited from the fertilizer funds.

She also defended Arroyo and her husband for playing golf with ZTE officials before the deal was signed.

“That is common. Even the president will do that also with anyone. When you are the president and people will want to host you, who are you to say, I cannot go there? It happened to so many presidents,” she said.

Magsaysay said she also had skirmishes with past members of the Arroyo Cabinet, which earned her the moniker “the feisty dragon lady of Zambales.”

She said she fought with then Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes over the Oil Deregulation Law and former Finance Secretary Margarito Teves over the sale of Petron. She also criticized the past Bureau of Internal Revenue commissioner for non-perfomance and the past Customs chief for smuggling issues.

“In other words, I am a maverick. I don’t care which administration is it, whether GMA or PNoy administration, as long as I see something wrong with policy and we can correct it and give alternative solutions, I will speak out because it affects our constituents,” she said.

PNOY ADMIN A '6'

During the interview, Magsaysay gave the Aquino administration’s performance a rating of “6.”

“I am not rating PNoy. I am rating his administration. I am rating it a 6 because when he was campaigning, he kept on promising the freedom of information law but the FOI is so watered down,” she said.*abs-cbnnews.com