The respected Social Weather Stations (SWS) has taken issue with the results of a survey recently conducted by Pulse Asia, Inc. which reportedly showed that 31 percent of the respondents in the ABC class was hopeless and that they would migrate to another country if given the chance.

In a letter to Malacaņang, Mahar Mangahas, SWS president, said that the question answerable by "agree" or "disagree" is double-barreled and tends to cause ambiguity in interpretation.

The question used by Pulse Asia in its survey was: "There is no hope for this country. If possible, I would migrate to another country."

The Pulse Asia survey, conducted in March and April, also found that one out of five Filipinos, or 19 percent, wanted to leave the country.

According to Mangahas, one cannot tell if an "agree" answer means that the respondent feels there is no hope for the country (whether or not it is cause to migrate), or if it means that the respondent would want to migrate to another country for any other reason.

Mangahas said that 11 survey trials of this item, designed by a former consultant of the SWS, showed little variation in results over time.

Using the same question, the SWS survey conducted in March 2002 showed that 16 percent of the respondents agree, meaning having a feeling of "hopelessness," which is identical with the 16 percent that agreed in the question in a survey conducted in July 1993, the second year of the Ramos administration.

Significantly, the percentage of those who had the feeling of "hopelessness" in this country had declined in March 2002 (16 percent) from the 26 percent in July 2001.

The country’s domestic liquidity has grown steadily by 6.9 percent year-on-year to reach P1.57 trillion as of end-May 2002, a slight improvement from the 6.6-percent growth as of end-April 2002.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said the steady growth in domestic liquidity could be attributed partly to the increase in net foreign assets (NFA) of the monetary system, arising from the decline in foreign exchange liabilities of financial institutions -- partly due to the appreciation of the peso against the US dollar.

The BSP said the preference of banks for peso deposits to foreign currency deposits helped reduce the foreign currency liabilities of the monetary system.

The steady growth in May was also supported by significant increases in public sector credits that offset the decline in private sector lending.

The BSP said public sector credits grew by 2.8 percent during the same period while credits to the private sector as of end-May 2002 dropped by 3.7 percent from the level a year ago.

Commercial bank (KB) loans, in particular, registered an annual decline of 1.8 percent to reach P1.41 trillion in May 2002, an improvement from the 2.2 percent year-on-year decline in the previous month.

The bulk of KBs’ outstanding loans continued to flow to the productive sectors of the economy: manufacturing; financial institutions; real estate and business services; and wholesale and retail trade, which comprise a combined share of nearly two-thirds of total KB loans.

The decline in private sector credits and KB loans, in particular, could be traced mainly to the relatively low demand for bank credit by firms despite recent signs of improvement in economic activity due to the presence of spare capacity in the manufacturing sector.

The average capacity utilization in April 2002 stood at 75.3 percent, slightly lower than the March 2002 level of 75.9 percent.

Further, banks’ lending activity has been constrained by the need for banks to contain any possible build-up in their non-performing loans (NPLs), which stood at 18.4 percent in May 2002, up from18.2 percent in April 2002.

Domestic liquidity growth, however, is expected to gain some strength in the months ahead given signs of improved economic activity, which would enhance greater demand for liquidity.

Among others, the volume of production and value of production index of manufacturing rose by 17.0 percent and 14.9 percent, respectively, a welcome reversal from the annual declines registered in March 2002.

Merchandise exports registered a 2.7-percent cumulative increase in May 2002, up from the 0.4 percent year-on-year cumulative increase in the previous month.

Meanwhile, demand for electricity has been on the uptrend since April 2002. Meralco’s energy sales rose annually by 4.0 percent in May 2002 from 2.9 percent year-on-year increase in the previous month.

Going forward, the BSP said it would remain watchful of the evolving economic and financial developments to ensure that an appropriate level of domestic liquidity is made available while containing any possible build-up in price pressures.

This is in line with the objective of maintaining price stability consistent with the economy’s growth objectives.

Last Monday, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo cited gains in the economy.

In her second State of the Nation Address, the President said "the basic macro signs indicate that things are under control. Inflation is at a low, driven down by stable food prices and now by declining power costs."

"Interest rates are also at a low, and our peso is stable. From P56 to the dollar, it is now a little over P50," she added.

TANJAY CITY, Negros Oriental – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today directed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to transfer the management of the water supply here to the city government unit in order to provide clean, safe and cheap water to the people.

In her speech during the Second Tanjay Cityhood Anniversary celebration at the Osmeņa Park here, the President said DPWH Secretary Simeon Datumanong assured her of the immediate transfer of the Tanjay Water District (TWD) from the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) to the control of the city government.

Upon hearing the President’s directive, the huge crowd gathered here that included top provincial and local officials of Negros Oriental province gave the Chief Executive a thunderous applause.

Tanjay City Mayor Baltazar Salma earlier wrote the President requesting for her approval on the dissolution of TWD.

"Madam President, the dissolution of the TWD will result in clean, safe and cheap water supply for the people of Tanjay, your great gift ‘Para sa Pamilyang Pilipino, Malinis at Murang Tubig," Baltazar said in his letter.

The present sources of TWD are surface water from the Monagoto River and ground water through deepwell and springs.

According to Baltazar, the said sources show some failure when heavy rains pour in the vicinity of the Mangoto River and interruptions to the service are frequently experienced.

The Tanjay mayor also noted the presence of horseshoe worms, sediments and mud have become common occurrences after every service interruptions.

Aside from poor service and increasing water rates, Baltazar informed the President that TWD is also beset with P30 million in unpaid loans to LWUA.

Despite the increase in water rates, Mayor Baltazar argued that no major project was done to solve the present technical problem due to the need for a bigger fund estimated to be around P80 million to build a treatment plant.

Prior to her speech, the President rode a jeep for a 100-meter inaugural drive-thru of the Dumaguete North Road Project here in Tanjay.

The concreting of the road was started in year 2000 and was completed today in time for the Tanjay town fiesta.

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Businessmen here today cited President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's tenacity in going after syndicated criminals and terrorists who have, for some time, eroded investor confidence in this bustling southern city.

Manuel Yaphucon, acting chairman of the General Santos City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said business and investment climate here had greatly improved since the neutralization of a terrorist band tagged as responsible in the burning of two malls and the bombing of another here early this year.

But Yaphucon sought continued vigilance by the police and military to sustain the healthy business climate.

Owners of the burned shopping malls earlier said they planned to put up bigger shopping centers in the city by December.

The Koronadal Commercial Corp., owners of KCC Mall, said they looked forward to building a four-story mall almost at the same site where the fire-razed mall once stood.

Yaphucon said many businessmen here hailed the recent arrest of two of those believed responsible in the bombing of the Fitmart Department Store last April 21.

At least 15 people were killed and over 60 hurt during the bombing.

The two suspects, identified as Abdulbasit Usman and Moamar Esmael, were presented Wednesday to President Macapagal-Arroyo in Malacaņang.

In her State of the Nation Address last Monday, the President announced the arrest of Usman, a bomb expert, by elements of the Central Mindanao Regional Police Office.

Months ago, other suspects behind the blasts here and in nearby Tacurong City were arrested and formally charged in court.

Yaphucon also cited the move of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Asian Institute of Management to qualify General Santos City as the most competitive mid-size city in the entire country.

The conferment, the DTI and AIM said, was based on a study involving 30 Philippine cities. The title showed that the city has all the positive factors investors look for in a place, City Mayor Pedro Acharon said.

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is set to join the townspeople of Malungon in Sarangani Province celebrate their 33^rd foundation anniversary tomorrow.

The President, expected to arrive here at 9 a.m., will first lead officials in burning some 30,000 fully-grown marijuana plants and seedlings worth about P60 million at the Philippine National Police Camp Fermin Lira in the city proper.

Following the burning, the President will proceed to Malungon, some 50 kilometers northeast from this city. It was in a part of Malungon, bordering Kiblawan town in Davao del Sur, where the bulk of the marijuana plants were uprooted and seized in a raid last Tuesday.

The people of Malungon, officials said, expect the President to extol the significance of the uprooting and seizure of the illegal plants in the government's no-nonsense campaign to rid the country of the social menace brought about by drug abuse and addiction.

In her State of the Nation Address last Monday, the President called on the people to support the all-out war against syndicated criminals, particularly those involved in drugs, smuggling and kidnappings.

Malungon Mayor Teody Padernilla cited the people's cooperation in dealing with the marijuana plantation owner and his cohorts, who have been identified by the National Bureau of Investigation raiding team.

The President is also expected to award and distribute a number of socio-economic programs and projects for the people of Malungon and the other six towns of Sarangani, as well as for those in the Central Mindanao region.

From Malungon, the President will return here to confer with local government officials and private sector leaders

Local officials and the people eagerly await the coming of the President who earlier visited the city on February 27, when she graced the 63rd foundation anniversary of settlements in the Cotabato area.

The landing of the first batch of 62 settlers on the shores of Sarangani Bay occurred in 1939.

The President is expected to spend the evening in nearby Alabel town, the provincial capital of Sarangani province.

The Alyansa ng mga Mamamayan at Magdaragat sa Lawa ng Laguna, Inc. has pledged its full and unequivocal support to the 18-month-old administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

In a letter of support to the President, Alyansa national president Ka Pabling Marquez said that since the inception of the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) which was created under Republic Act 4850 coordination between the small fishermen and the LLDA has never been fully established.

Marquez pointed out that it is only under the administration of President Macapagal-Arroyo that Executive Order No. 75 has been issued and signed on March 4, 2002.

Through Executive Order No. 75, Marquez said, the President appointed three representatives from the small fishermen of the Laguna Lake to sit in the Board of Directors of the LLDA as advisors.

DUMAGUETE CITY - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today inspected the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital (NOPH), one of the most modern provincial hospitals in the country equipped with multimillion-peso state of the art medical equipment.

The President arrived here at the Dumaguete Airport at around 9:30 a.m. and then motored to the NOPH together with Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit, Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Negros Oriental Gov. George Arnaiz, Rep. Emilio Macias II (Second District- Negros Oriental) and Dumaguete City Mayor Agustin Perdices.

While touring the hospital facilities, the President took time to exchange pleasantries with patients as well as with nurses, doctors and other staff of the NOPH. Some even posed for photographs with her.

Provincial Health Officer and NOPH chief Dr. Ely Villapando briefed the President during her visit tour to the different facilities of the hospital like the laboratory, the radiology section, dialysis center, women's health section and the emergency room.

Located in the heart of this city, the NOPH boasts of a facility that is not usually found in provincial hospitals - a Diagnostic Center equipped with P53- million modern medical equipment such as dialysis facility, ct scan, mammography, mobile x-ray and a clinical blood analyzer, automated microbial detection system, coulter hematology analyzer, refrigerated centrifuge separator, and many others.

The acquisition of the equipment and other improvements on the hospital were made through a P45-million loan as well as donations from private individuals and non-government organizations.

Thus, NGOs and the private sector have been tapped as members of the governing boards of the NOPH and its satellite hospitals.

NOPH has a capacity of 250 beds, 77 percent of which are service beds and 23 percent pay beds and medicare.

Its service area covers the entire province of Negros Oriental, some parts of Negros Occidental, southern Cebu, Siquijor and Northern Mindanao.

As a tertiary hospital, it undertakes a comprehensive health care system covering the curative, preventive, promotive and rehabilitative aspects of health care.

Malacaņang today said that it is optimistic that newly appointed Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople will not have any difficulty in his confirmation before the Commission on Appointments (CA).

Press Secretary and Acting Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said that prior to the appointment of Ople to the foreign affairs portfolio, all the senators who are members of influential CA have expressed their approval to the senator’s assumption of the top DFA post.

"You know all the senators who are members of CA have a very high regard for Senator Ople. So it will be fair to assume that he would not have any difficulty as far as his confirmation is concerned," Bunye said during his regular press briefing at Malacaņang this afternoon.

Bunye said that there is still no date as to when Ople would officially assume his new post but "it will be in the immediate future." "So that (we) will give him enough leeway to wind down his affair at the Senate," he added.

"Knowing Senator Ople, I’m sure he meant really to patch things up and to resolve the differences between all the parties and to keep the institutions of government moving forward," Bunye said.

TANJAY CITY, Negros Oriental – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today led the distribution of 30 certificates of land ownership awards (CLOAs) to 224 beneficiaries covering a total of 230 hectares in this city and in the municipalities of Mabinay, Pamplona and Bais.

In a ceremony marking Tanjay’s second cityhood anniversary celebration held at the Osmena Park here, the President also presided over the mass oath-taking of newly elected barangay officials and Sangguniang Kabataan members from the second congressional district of Negros Oriental.

The Chief Executive awarded three units of hand tractors worth P195,000 to the two congressional districts and the provincial government of Negros Oriental, and 600 seedlings of fruit trees in support of the agricultural modernization program in the province.

The President also handed over checks totaling more than P130,000 for various livelihood and micro-finance projects in Tanjay City and Sibulan municipality.

She likewise awarded more than P1.5 million worth of certificates of scholarship to 108 beneficiaries in Negros Oriental under the Private Education Student Financing Assistance (PESFA) of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Another 68 scholarship certificates worth about P1 million from the TESDA scholarship program were also turned over to the province of Negros Oriental under Gov. George Arnaiz.

The said scholarship program is being funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Prior to the awarding ceremony, the President was feted with a five-minute "Sinulog" presentation in celebration of Tanjay City’s "fiesta."

From Tanjay, the President flew to the municipality of Guihulngan, some 200 kilometers away from this city, for the unveiling of the P31-million Bulado Roll-on/Roll-off Port Development Project.

The said project is part of the P43-million Bulado, Guihulngan-Tangil, Dumanjug, Cebu Port Development Project.

Malacaņang today said that the government does not intend to curb civil liberties in the wake of the announcement of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that henceforth law enforcement authorities would stop adopting the "maximum tolerance" policy.

In his regular press briefing, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said that the government would continue to respect freedom of speech and freedom of peaceful assembly as enshrined in the Constitution.

"But if the rallyists overstep this freedom, then the police will certainly have to come in," Bunye said.

Definitely, according to Bunye, the government would not tolerate police brutality. But he said in the violence that erupted at the rally at the Batasan Pambansa during the President’s SONA, it was the demonstrators beating up the policemen, Bunye said.

He said if one would go by the number of people hurt during the demonstrations, there were more policemen hurt than demonstrators.

"So, the President will not tolerate this kind of situation. And since maximum tolerance is not a law, but just a policy, for the time being, this is being suspended," Bunye said.

In a luncheon with the members of Malacaņang Press Corps Wednesday, the President said "maximum tolerance is not required by law but is just a policy."

Malacaņang today said that as a matter of procedure, the Philippine government would insist on having jurisdiction over the trial of Abu Sayyaf terrorists.

However, in his regular press briefing this afternoon, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said that if the Abu Sayyaf terrorists are caught outside of our jurisdiction or within American territory, then it would be another matter.

"In which case, they (US) can try the Abu Sayyaf," Bunye said.

Bunye was reacting to reports that the US State Department has indicted five top leaders of the Abu Sayyaf for kidnapping spree that led to the death of two American nationals.

The US federal indictments identified the five as Khadaffy Abubakar Janjalani, Isnilon Totoni Hapilon, Aldam Tilao, Jainal Antel Sali, and Hamsiraji Marusi Sali.

He said that if the Abu Sayyaf leaders would be caught in the Philippines, then "we will insist on trying them based on our laws."

Malacaņang today said that the counter State of the Nation Address (SONA) of the opposition delivered Wednesday by Sen. Edgardo Angara in the Senate is exaggerated.

In his regular press briefing in Malacaņang this afternoon, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said although the contra-SONA of the opposition is a traditional practice, Angara has exaggerated in his presentation of the present situation in the country.

"I don’t think the situation is really that bad. There have certainly been improvements as far as the economy is concerned," Bunye said.

He said that the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has notched tangible achievements in education, health, price stability, and also in reducing the cost of electricity.

"All of these tend to improve the plight of the common people. So, I would like to believe that the opposition SONA is really exaggerated," Bunye said.

Bunye also took exception to the allegations of the opposition camp that the government has been remiss in curbing rice smuggling.

He said that in her SONA, the President herself pointed out that more than P1.2 billion worth of smuggled rice has been confiscated, which is several times over the confiscated rice during the previous administration.