Crusading editor gives Arroyo sleepless nights

She is a grandmother of seven, yet she is one of the biggest thorns in the side of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's administration.

Ninez Cacho-Olivares owns and edits The Daily Tribune, which constantly embarrasses the Arroyo government by disclosing alleged state scandals.

Just last week during the Lunar New Year, Mrs Arroyo was forced to sack Department of Public Works and Highways secretary Florante Soriquez, who had contributed 500,000 pesos ($70,850) to her presidential campaign kitty.

Mr Soriquez was the subject of a bold headline in the Tribune a week before when it revealed that nearly the entire department had protested against his policies, particularly his alleged demand for a cut in every public works project.

Presidential palace officials take great pains not to mention her newspaper by name when rebutting its stories. But Ms Cacho-Olivares noted that while Malacanang Palace does not subscribe, it buys copies of the Tribune daily.

'Even the establishment reads us, although they hate us,' she said as she lit another cigarette.