President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo personally condoled Friday night with the family of Police Officer 3 Oliver Benedicto who was killed in a shootout with five bus hold-uppers along the North Luzon Expressway Tuesday night (August 6).

The President made an unscheduled visit to the wake of the slain police officer at 2575 Tejeron St., Sta. Ana, Manila to personally extend her condolences and sympathies to the victim’s wife, Virginia. She stayed for about 30 minutes in the slain policeman’s residence.

She also handed over to Virginia her cash assistance of P50,000.

Earlier, the President ordered police authorities to conduct a massive manhunt for the killers of Benedicto who are still at large.

Benedicto, 32, who was assigned to the Pampanga police force, was heading home aboard an Aladdin Transport Bus bound for Manila when the robbers announced the holdup.

Benedicto, who was in uniform, announced that he was a police officer and immediately fired his gun, injuring three of the five robbers.

Two of the robbers, who came from behind, ganged up on Benedicto and stabbed him. He later succumbed to 14 stab wounds and a gunshot wound.

Friday was a busy day for the President, who, in the morning, visited the remote town of Baras in Catanduanes where she assured residents of her continued support for their projects, particularly in agriculture and fishery.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo decided Friday night to motor to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to be on hand when the remains of the two Filipino caregivers who were killed in a Palestinian bomb attack in Israel arrived from Tel Aviv.

Last Wednesday, August 7, the President motored to Minalin, Pampanga where she personally extended her condolences to the parents of Adelina Cunanan, one of the two Filipina victims in the bomb attack.

During her visit to Minalin, the President informed Cunanan’s parents that she might not be able to be at the airport when her body would arrive because she will be visiting Baras, Catanduanes that Friday.

But the President changed her mind and decided to be at the NAIA when the remains of the two Filipina caregivers arrived to show that her administration is really concerned with the welfare of the overseas Filipino workers.

The President, who was accompanied by Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople and Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas, talked with the families of Cunanan and Rebecca Ruga, the other Filipina victim in the bomb attack.

The bodies of the two victims arrived at around 7:45 p.m. on board Lufthansa Airlines.

The President handed over to the brothers of Rebecca Ruga her cash assistance of P50,000. In her visit to Minalin earlier, the President also gave P50,000 as her cash assistance to the Cunanan family.

Press Secretary and Acting Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye has said that Malacanang is hoping that the announced resumption of the peace negotiations between the government and the communists would result in the forging of a peace accord.

In his press briefing Friday, Bunye said that he shared the expression of hope of Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. that a peace agreement between the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF) would soon be sealed.

"We want to put a successful conclusion to this peace negotiation," Bunye said.

Bunye said that the Macapagal-Arroyo administration is hoping that this negotiation "would be terminated to the satisfaction of both sides at the earliest time possible."

He said that the continued operations of both sides are counter- productive and have distracted us from the real problem of developing our country.

Bunye said that even during the suspension of the formal talks middle of last year, lines of communications between the government and the NDF leadership in the Netherlands have remained open.

"Even when there was fighting on the ground, communication lines were open. This is known as back-channeling," Bunye said.

Silvestre Bello, III, chief government negotiator, said Friday that talks with the NDF could resume either last week of August or middle of September.

According to Bunye, the inclusion of two officials—Silvestre Afable, head of the Presidential Management Staff, and Presidential Adviser Norberto Conzales—in the back channeling group, could speed up the peace process.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo made an unscheduled visit this morning to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) to see for herself the condition of a construction worker who has been rescued after being buried alive for five hours during an accident that occurred early dawn at a construction site in San Beda College, along Mendiola Street in Manila.

The President went directly to the X’Ray room of the government hospital where the victim, Gerry Garcia, was being examined.

The President also talked to Gerry’s mother, Mrs. Delia Garcia, and handed her the amount of P10,000 as her personal assistance for the medical needs of the patient.

According to reports, rescue workers from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) had to dig through the concrete rubble to free Garcia who was trapped inside the collapsed concrete beam of the school’s gymnasium that is being renovated.

Three workers were killed and two others were hospitalized after the scaffolding that suspended the beams and lumber caved in at 4:00 a.m.

Garcia was provided with an oxygen mask and dextrose to enable him to breath while rescuers worked to free his legs that were covered with cement.

"We have to move fast because the cement was drying quickly. We sprayed water on Garcia’s lower body so the cement would not dry on his legs," BFP official Col. Rafael Corveta said.