President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today ordered the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) to scrap its plan to put up slot machine arcades in public places in the entire country.

"In the light of strengthening the moral foundation of leadership, I am announcing that I am instructing the Pagcor to abort the slot machine arcade project," the President said in her keynote speech at the launching of the Arsenio H. Lacson Foundation for Public Service held this morning at Manila Hotel.

The President said that she aborted the project despite its passage by the Pagcor Board as part of its corporate powers.

She further recalled that she also aborted Pagcor’s plan to put up the jai alai project following its victory in the Supreme Court.

"Pagcor says that they passed the slot machine project as part of their corporate powers, that it is well within the law. Pagcor also won in the Supreme Court the right to up a jai alai project. But after Pagcor won at the Supreme Court the jai alai project that was when I aborted the project," the President said.

"Therefore it is not the question of what is legal, it is a question of what is morally upright and morally sound," the President stressed.

"I think this is already two strikes of Pagcor that I have overruled their decision. I am not saying that their decision is illegal. I am just saying that in these two times, the jai alai and the slot machine (projects), it does not quite measure up to the moral standards that we have set for governance in our administration," the President said.

We want to avoid all delays. We want to cut the red tape.

These were the reasons of Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo in issuing a circular requiring well-researched and well-documented requests and issuances for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s signature.

In a radio interview, Romulo said documents intended for presidential action should have gone through complete staff work, so its flow would be smooth and efficient.

The documents included in Romulo’s circular are presidential issuances and/or approval, such as executive orders, proclamations, administrative orders, memorandum orders, memorandum circulars and similar directives.

It was noted that some of these have been passed on straight to the President for her signature by some Cabinet members and heads of government agencies.

In the same interview, Romulo said the complaint against Education Secretary Raul Roco was passed on to his office and "as a matter of course, it was referred to the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC)," being the office handling and responsible for such matters.

"After the ministerial act, it’s up to the PAGC to listen and read and to inquire into the complaint," he said.

The PAGC would have to go through the process of calling the complainants and listening to them and seeing whether there was basis for the complaint, he added.

Romulo said the President and other members of the Cabinet "recognize the dedicated service of Secretary Roco."

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today told the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) to initiate fund-raising projects that would not compromise one of the hallmarks of her administration, which is to strengthen the moral fabric of the Filipino people.

"The Pagcor must have to find other ways more acceptable to our moral standards, to the moral standards we are trying to improve," the President said during a luncheon meeting with the Malacanang Press Corps.

Earlier in her remarks at the launching of the Arsenio H. Lacson Foundation for Public Service at the Manila Hotel, the President ordered the scrapping of Pagcor’s slot machine arcades project.

When told during the luncheon that Pagcor has already signed contracts for the slot machine project, the President said that Pagcor should "work out the legalities there," adding that her decision to scrap the project is final.

"The slot machine project is scrapped, not modified," the President stressed.

The problem with the slot machine project, the President said, is that it will cater to the middle class, the lower middle class and the students.

The President said Pagcor should think of high-end projects that would cater to tourists or people with money, and not to ordinary Filipinos.

"If they have to raise money, they should engage in high-end projects that cater to the rich and the famous," the President said.

The President also explained that the casino project at the reclaimed portion of the Manila Bay is only a small portion of the proposed tourism and entertainment center.

The estate, which is a property of the Public Estates Authority (PEA), will have the Nayong Pilipino, which will occupy a bigger portion, and hotels and restaurants, the President said.

She said the casino would only be a small component of proposed tourism estate.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today called on friends, followers and foes alike to contribute in the efforts to build a strong Philippine Republic, saying she does not expect all to agree with her as president but continues to hope that everyone can unite behind commonalties.

In her keynote speech at the launching of the Arsenio H. Lacson Foundation for Public Service at the Manila Hotel, the President said once again, she is inviting everyone to unite by focusing on the vital ends -- to fight poverty and terrorism, to uphold good governance and to build a strong Philippine Republic.

The President recalled that during the time of Manila Mayor Arsenio H. Lacson and his father, President Diosdado Macapagal, the Philippines was second only to Japan as an economic force in Asia.

The President said today, in recovering from last year’s global slowdown, the Philippines is performing best among our Southeast Asian neighbors and third among Asian countries.

"That is why we must not lose hope but rather maintain this momentum and let us not forget, that we remain the oldest democracy in Asia, that we must demonstrate that democracy works in the Philippines in the 21st century, that a democratic state can be a strong republic and not be the stereotype of a soft state," the President said.

"These are not just sentimental longings but inspiring challenges for us to come together and act together for the common cause. Like the great medieval cathedrals, we must patiently place one stone firmly over the other but we must also be aware that the challenge is more complex that ever," the President said.

"All we need is to patiently rebuild together. We must also do so swiftly, consistently purposively. Leadership must not deceive our people by false promises of an idealized life. Better lives, we can promise and work for, but it must be done with integrity and truth. We must accept the difficulties of the task and make clear the role each one of us has to play," she added.

The President said that through the years, the Republic has unfortunately become a house divided, has not delivered enough basic services to help its poorest, has not given the promise of a bright future to its youth, has lacked the will to enforce the rule of law without fear or favor, has allowed the moral and civic values of its citizenry to wither, has fallen prey to those whose selfish ambition, vested interest or inimical ideology would tear the Republic asunder.

"This is a collective guilt that we must share, for with few exceptions, we are all part of this system," the President said.

The Chief Executive said there are those among us who would argue that they are already working to change the system but oftentimes, their ways have been "patronizing, self-righteous, strident and self-centered."

"On the contrary, the true journey to strengthen the Republic must be a national one, where the individual gives way to the whole," the President said.

She said a strong republic has two essential attributes. First, that it must be autonomous of dominant classes and sectors "so that it represents the people’s interest and not only a powerful minority group or some of them."

Second, the republic must have the capacity represented through strong institutions and a strong democracy to implement its polices and deliver its service, she said.

The President said strong institutions and strong democracy build a strong Philippine Republic and provide an effective government characterized by professional and dedicated civil servants.

"Strong institutions also include a vigorous free enterprise economy where the Filipinos’ full talents are unleashed while government must remove the forces and factors that obstruct free markets," she said.

A strong republic, she noted, must recognize that at the starting gate of competitive field, not all players have equal opportunities such as farmers with no land of their own and the youth with no access to education.

"Thus, it is government’s task to provide these tools that would help level the playing field. And that is how we can make free enterprise a strong institution," she said.

The President also said that in a strong republic, the government cannot rely solely on the invisible hand of the market.

"At the macro level, government must at times intervene to stabilize the economy, or to steer it towards long-term growth. It must also protect its environment and natural resources from blind market forces," she said.

She also noted that a strong republic can be autonomous of dominant classes and sectors through true democratic representations built on new politics, which requires rational electoral processes, where citizens are given the tools for informed choices and their votes are counted properly.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has directed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to take over the Diwalwal mining operations in Mount Diwata, Monkayo, Compostela Valley province and to formulate a scheme that would "equitably" allocate the mineral resources to all the stakeholders operating in the area.

In a luncheon meeting with some members of the Malacaņang Press Corps, the President said that her order was specifically addressed to the National Resource Development Corporation (NRDC), the DENR’s corporate arm.

The President said that since l983, Diwalwal has been the site of subsistence small-scale mining operators without permits to labor intensive medium-scale mining operations involving thousands of miners, local entrepreneurs and service providers.

On August 12, DENR Secretary Heherson Alvarez issued an order for the stoppage of all mining and processing operations in the Diwalwal mining areas.

The order of Alvarez also called for the creation of a technical working group that would formulate a mine management plan for the sustainable utilization of mineral resources in the area.

The President also disclosed that Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who has just been designated as Special Consultant on Public Order and Security, along with Presidential Consultant on Regional Development Paul Dominguez and Presidential Adviser on Jobs Creation Luis Lorenzo were meeting to discuss the Diwalwal problem.

The President also said that the government will construct a "tailing dam" or a tailing disposal system to control the pollution and siltation resulting from the Diwalwal mining operations.

The President said she has instructed Budget Secretary Emilia Boncodin to get a "bridge financing" from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), which has earlier committed to help finance the government regional priority projects, to fund the construction of the tailing dam.

During the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Alvarez said the DENR based its orders to temporarily stop the Diwalwal mining operations because of the deteriorating peace and order in the area where shooting incidents and ambuscades have resulted in more than 80 deaths.

The DENR said there were also frequent incidence of violence among rival miners groups, as well as rallies, protests and critical roads and bridges blockades and other public disturbances.

Severe siltation of the Naboc River and rice lands by mine tailings was also one of the bases of the order of stoppage, while validated mercury and cyanide contamination of the Naboc and upstream portion of Agusan River were found to be above threshold limits, the DENR said.

According to the DENR, some 18,000 residents, including some 7,000 miners were principally dependent on unsafe and illegal mining operations for livelihood.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today welcomed moves of the government of the Netherlands to freeze the financial assets of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).

The President hoped "that it could hasten the peace talks so that the other side can think of parliamentary struggle … using the democratic space rather than engaging in violence and terrorism."

"That’s what communicating with them is all about; trying to make the move from a violent and terroristic mode to parliamentary," she said.

She was referring to government efforts to resume peace negotiations with the CPP-NPA’s political arm, the National Democratic Front (NDF).

Earlier, chief government negotiator Silvestre Bello III said the peace talks might resume either in end-August or mid-September.

Bello said he had talked with NDF spokesman Luis Jalandoni about possibilities of having the talks in either Oslo, Norway or the Netherlands.

Over lunch with members of the Malacaņang Press Corps, the President said there was nothing definite yet on the date for the formal government-NDF peace negotiations.

"(The talks are) in limbo, because I have put it in a back-channeling mode," she said, adding that among those involved in back-channeling efforts was Presidential Management Staff chief Silvestre Afable Jr.

Meanwhile, National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said the move of the Dutch government to freeze CPP-NPA funds would tighten the valves of the group "insofar as their terrorist capability is concerned."

Golez, in a press briefing in Malacaņang, said "we are happy that one of the first to respond to (the call of the United States government to freeze the funds of the CPP-NPA as a foreign terrorist group) is the Netherlands government.

He said the Dutch government has also frozen funds belonging to CPP-NPA leaders, among whom are founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison and spokesman Luis Jalandoni.

"We are talking of funds that were very likely fruits of their extortion activities here in the Philippines" and from remnants of communist parties in Europe, he said.

He disclosed that the CPP-NPA had been able to collect large sums of money in the recent past.

Government estimates showed the CPP-NPA collected as much as P108 million in 1999; P93 million in 2000; and P98 million in 2001. For this year, collections could have reached P50 million, he added.

Golez said one of the communist group’s fund-raising activity was the so-called "permit to campaign" fees they asked from politicians.

The fees ranged from P500,000 to P1 million for a senator; P600,000 to P900,000 or 12 M16 Armalite rifles for a governor; P300,000 to P500,000 or eight M16 rifles for a congressman; P50,000 to P300,000 or four M16 rifles for a city mayor; P50,000 to P125,000 for a town mayor; P10,000 to P20,000 for a vice mayor; P10,000 for a board member; and P1,000 to P5,000 from a councilor.

Besides this, the CPP-NPA was noted for committing a lot of atrocities.

Golez said that this year alone, the communist group "initiated 116 liquidation (missions)" leading to the killing of 92 civilians and the wounding of 21 others.

Last year, they killed 164 people by liquidation or by summary executions.

He called the attention of cause-oriented group Bayan Muna leader Rep. Satur Ocampo who "I understand is opposed to the death penalty."

While Ocampo showed opposition to the death penalty, "he is not opposing the death penalty policy of the CPP-NPA," Golez stressed. "We think he is applying the double standard here."

The National Security Adviser also lashed at the CPP-NPA for targeting vital public and private installations in their terroristic activities.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has obtained her highest Gross Satisfaction Rating of 55 percent and +28 Net Satisfaction in the latest survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) covering the period August 6-9, 2002.

In a press briefing in Malacaņang, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the President’s latest rating in the survey conducted by the SWS was the "highest so far in presidency."

Bunye said the previous highest since she became president was +27 percent, a survey result reflected on Nov. 3-21, 2001.

According to Bunye, the President attributed the improvement in her net satisfaction rating to the partial solution of the Purchased Power Cost Adjustment (PPCA) problem, the defeat of the Abu Sayyaf group, and the government’s continuing drive against criminality.

The SWS survey, commissioned by the Crusade for Better Philippines, also found that 60.4 percent of those polled approve of the President’s leadership, and that 46 percent trust her as a person.

On the leadership issue, the SWS survey revealed that 60.4 percent of the respondents approve and 19.8 percent disapprove of President Macapagal-Arroyo’s leadership, giving a net leadership approval rating of +41 percent.

The President’s leadership approval, according to the survey result, is relatively high in Luzon (+48), Visayas (+49) and the ABC classes (+51).

The SWS survey also showed that in 10 out of 16 problems tested, most people had favorable views of efforts being made by the Macapagal-Arroyo administration to solve the problem.

In a footnote, the SWS noted that leadership approval should not be confused with "job approval," adding that their surveys on governance over the past 17 years have consistently focused on job satisfaction rather than on job approval.

On the plurality trust in the President as a person, the SWS survey found that 46.4 percent have much trust and 23.8 percent have little trust in her as a person, implying a net trust rating of +23 percent.

It added that trust in the President is the same across socio-economic classes, which is relatively high in Balance Luzon (net +33) and Visayas (net +28).

When the survey respondents were asked what they liked about the President’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA), the top 10 answers were: housing for the poor (12%), war against criminality (11%), help for the poor (11%), lower cost of electricity (8.1%), more jobs (6.5%), lower prices of goods, war against terrorism (5.4%), war against illegal drugs (4.0%), help for agriculture (3.4%), and strong Republic (3.3%).

Twenty five percent of the respondents could not recall what they liked while 15 percent said they did not like anything in the SONA.

Some 56 percent surveyed were aware of the President’s second SONA. Twenty six percent of them had seen it on live in television, 17 percent had gotten news about it on TV/radio, 7 percent had heard of it from other people, 6 percent had listened to it on live radio, and 3 percent had read about it in the newspapers.

The SWS said those patterns are similar to those after the President first SONA in July 2001.

On the other hand, mixed opinions were raised with regards to the administration’s claim of delivering the 2001 SONA promises: 38 percent agreed, 30 percent disagreed, and 32 percent were undecided. It added that the +8 net agreement is relatively small.