We have many problems but [Mrs Arroyo] is doing her best to address them

Former President Corazon Aquino

"Cardinal Sin is correct. Our policies should be directed at the poor, not merely as charity," Mrs Arroyo said. "We should spend time with them and listen to them."

"I will dedicate the second year of my term to the workers," she told reporters after the service. "They will serve as our inspiration."

People power

The service was held in a chapel in Edsa, the street where tens of thousands of "people power" protestors gathered last year and by sheer force of numbers deposed President Joseph Estrada.

But the cardinal called for the celebrations to be kept free of political colour.

The police and civil service remain loyal to Mrs Arroyo

"The real hero of our second Edsa people power is not one person or another. The real hero is God, who is at work in his people," he said.

This sentiment was an indication of the nervousness that the new government, having gained power in an uprising, could lose it in a similar manner.

Another indication was the deployment of thousands of police and troops to ensure that any unofficial commemorations did not get out of hand.

Poverty

President Arroyo has been assailed not only by present and former allies of Mr Estrada but by her own former allies who are disappointed by her performance.

Some Filipinos say Arroyo has not done enough for the poor

A survey released on Sunday by the private Ibon Foundation Databank and Research centre, showed that 46.65% of Filipinos believed Mrs Arroyo was governing poorly, against 38.38% who were satisfied with her leadership.

Forty percent of the country's 78 million citizens are poor. Mrs Arroyo has pledged to reduce poverty within 10 years through open-market economic policies.

After mass she visited squatter colonies and handed out food baskets.

Predecessors

Among the guests at the ceremony on Sunday were former presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos.

Mrs Aquino said she was a great fan of Mrs Arroyo.

"We have many problems but she is doing her best to address them," she told reporters after the church service.

Mr Ramos, who had succeeded Aquino, called on the government to "turn to the needs of the poor."

Estrada still claims he is innocent of corruption

The only living former president who did not attend Sunday's mass was Mr Estrada, who is detained without bail while on trial for corruption.

Supporters of Mr Estrada who stormed the gates of the presidential palace on 1 May last year, demanding his return to power, plan to march to the palace on Monday.

The former president told the Reuters news agency last week that he hoped to be acquitted of the charges against him and that he might then stage a political comeback.