President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will deliver her second State of the Nation Address (SONA) tomorrow (July 22) before the joint session of Congress, which will focus on these vital issues-- peace and order, graft and corruption, and the power situation.

According to Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, the President will expound on her plans and programs for the incoming years.

Bunye said that the President would give her attention to peace and order concerns to further gain the confidence of foreign investors to put their capital to labor-intensive but competitive industries in the Philippines.

"Without peace and order, investors tend to shy away from the country. And without investor confidence, we will not be able to have more businesses," Bunye added.

Bunye said that President Macapagal-Arroyo would underscore her administration’s all-out war against any form of criminality, which includes smuggling and corruption.

He pointed out that a large portion of the President’s SONA would likewise center on the government’s thrust on how to find a viable solution to the power rate problem.

President Macapagal-Arroyo had ordered the National Power Corporation on May 8, this year to reduce the controversial Purchased Power Cost Adjustment by P0.40 per kilowatt/hour to ease the consumer burdens.

Bunye said that the President would spell out measures to be undertaken by her government to lower electricity and power rates.

The President’s directive has resulted in a national average reduction of P0.85 per kilowatt/hour. Negotiations of contracts with independent power producers are expected to further bring down stranded power costs soon.

Bunye emphasized that the SONA would be less in "nitty-gritties" but would concentrate more on the fundamental issues which need immediate solutions.

He said that "President Macapagal-Arroyo would explain what she would do and basically, this is a declaration of war against all forms of criminality and all forms of anomalies, including smuggling."

Toward the end of her address, Bunye said that the President would seek the support and cooperation of lawmakers on her administration’s priority bills, which include the franchise law that will assure power consumers nationwide of affordable electricity.

In other related developments:

• President Macapagal-Arroyo has returned the administrative control over the police to Metro Manila Mayors as an effective way of stabilizing the peace and order situation in the metropolis. She pointed out that the restoration would be experimented and limited to Metro Manila only

• The Department of Energy reported that 85 percent of all barangays nationwide now have electricity as a result of the intensified government program to promote rural development through electrification.

• The Department of Budget and Management stressed that the government remains committed to carry out President Macapagal-Arroyo’s national agenda of raising the moral standards in the bureaucracy and society so as to push socio-economic programs.

• The Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council reported that the government had already provided security of tenure to almost 338,858 families as of end-June this year, exceeding the SONA target of President Macapagal-Arroyo by 113 percent.

• The Philippine National Police pursues its war against crime syndicates following the neutralization of three members of a kidnap for ransom group in Marilao, Bulacan.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today reiterated her administration's commitment to stop, once and for all, the incidence of kidnap-for-ransom (KFR) activities nationwide, as she lauded the Philippine National Police (PNP) for neutralizing the Fajardo KFR Group.

The President commended PNP Chief Deputy Director General Hermogenes Ebdane, who recently vowed to eliminate KFR groups in a year, for the arrest of three members of the Fajardo KFR Group and the killing of three others in a shootout in Marilao, Bulacan Saturday (July 20) afternoon.

Stabilizing peace and order conditions in the country to promote a healthy business climate, attract more foreign investments and create more jobs for the people is one of the vital issues the President is expected to sound off in her second State of the Nation Address on Monday (July 22).

In Malacanang, Ebdane this morning presented to the President three arrested members of the Villaver KFR gang, a unit of the Fajardo KFR Group.

A PNP report identified the three as Florante Concepcion, Joven Mercado and Leo Vigildo.

The report said that Concepcion and Mercado gave up to police after getting death threats from the Fajardo KFR Group leaders. Vigildo was arrested in manhunt operations launched by the newly-created Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response (8PACER) team.

Mercado is the brother of Lito Mercado who was killed in the shootout with lawmen in Marilao.

The police report said that the three suspects were involved in the abduction and killing of kidnap victim Connie Wong in December last year. They were also tagged in the kidnap of Mary Grace Cheng-Rosagas in June 2001.

A sub-group leader, Rolando Villaver, was arrested on December 22 last year, the report added.

Ebdane said that the KFR groups nationwide have started feeling the heat of the President's iron-fist policy against criminality, to include KFR activities, manufacturing and trafficking of illegal drugs, and smuggling.

He said that the PNP identified at least 21 active KFR groups operating nationwide.

Just recently, the PNP also scored in its anti-drug efforts with the seizure of some P118 million worth of shabu and illegal drug manufacturing paraphernalia in a raid on a drug laboratory in Quezon City. Arrests were also made following the raid.

President Macapagal-Arroyo Saturday commended the PNP for its continued vigilance against crime syndicates, following the neutralization of three members of the Villaver KFR gang in Marilao.

She motored to the town after receiving reports that the PACER unit and policemen of the Bulacan Provincial Police Office engaged KFR members in a shootout along Mahogany street, Town and Country Executive Village in Barangay Abangan Norte in Marilao.

The PNP report named only two of the slain suspects as Lito Mercado and a certain Alvin, said to be the group's negotiator. The third suspect, who remained unidentified, was the driver of the group's car.

The police said that they recovered the car, a Mitsubishi Lancer with plate number UDK-478; three bullets of a cal. 38, a cal. 45 automatic pistol, two cellular phones, and three hand grenades.

Initial reports from Bulacan police director Senior Superintendent Edgardo E. Acuņa said that the suspects were spotted by PACER intelligence operatives and the Marilao police under Superintendent George Torcuator.

The PNP report said that the suspects were involved in various high-profile kidnappings including the abduction of Police Officer 1 Dionisio Burca, Jr. in October 2001 and that of Ricardo Tan in February 2002.

They were also involved in the robbery-holdup of the Rural Bank of Meycauayan, Bulacan in July 2001 and that on RAMCAR Meycauayan two years ago.

Shortly before motoring to Marilao, Bulacan, the President cited two experts from the United Kingdom's world-renowned Scotland Yard for helping members of the PNP upgrade their knowledge on handling KFR cases.