Malacanang today called on the residents of the vicinity of Sirawai, Sibuco and Baliguian towns in Zamboanga del Norte to alert military authorities on any sightings of the Abu Sayyaf terrorists who are believed to be still in the area after the firefight last Saturday.

In an interview, National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said the residents should be on the lookout of any suspicious-looking persons or activities so that they can help protect their communities from any new hostage-taking incident by the Abu Sayyaf bandits.

"Dapat maging alerto din sila para magbigay ng impormasyon kung sakaling may nakikita silang mga kahina-hinalang mga kilos ng mga tao doon sa paligid (They should also be on the alert to relay information if they notice some suspicious-looking persons or movements in their locality)," Golez said.

Golez made his appeal in the wake of an unequivocal statement from Gracia Burnharm, the rescued American hostage, that the Abu Sayyaf should be treated as common criminals and should be brought to justice.

In a statement that she read before enplaning for the United States this morning, Burnham said that during their one-year ordeal, they were "repeatedly lied to by the Abu Sayyaf and they are not men of honor."

"They should be treated like common criminals. We support all efforts of the government in bringing these men to justice," Burnham said.

Burnham, widow of the slain Martin Burnham, also thanked the people for their prayers and support during their ordeal.

The Burnham family also absolved the Philippine government of any responsibility on the death of Martin.

"The family is not looking to find out the person who pulled the trigger that shot the bullet that killed Martin," Doug Burnham, Martin’s younger brother, said in an interview last Saturday in Wichita, Kansas.

Doug said that "if Martin was killed by some other than the Abu Sayyaf, that is unfortunate, but we knew that was a risk in the military rescue."

The younger Burnham also pointed out that the Abu Sayyaf bandits were the enemy and because they were the ones who took Martin and Gracia hostage, they should be brought to justice.

In the interview, Golez also called on the Filipino people to pray so that the country’s armed forces would finally succeed in wiping out the Abu Sayyaf.

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today lauded the Department of Agrarian Reform led by Secretary Hernani Braganza for exceeding its target of distributing 104,261 hectares of private agricultural lands to some 72,188 farmer beneficiaries all over the country.

"I would like to congratulate you. I would like to thank our official development assistance partners, because they helped us meet these targets without getting additional budget from the General Appropriations Act," the President said in her speech at the 14^th anniversary of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) this morning at the Expo Filipino here.

"Nilampasan ninyo ang target na ibinigay ko sa inyo (You have exceeded the target I set)," she said, referring to her State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July where she set a target of 100,000 hectares of private agricultural lands for distribution under CARP.

As the President called out the name of each province and the corresponding hectarage distributed under CARP, the huge crowd present, which included farmers, landowners, representatives of foreign donor-countries and DAR employees, cheered and applauded.

The President noted that the reason why Secretary Braganza was able to achieve the land distribution goal was because "he was able to have a very high absorption rate for official development assistance."

The President recalled that during her State of the Nation Address, she cited agricultural modernization founded on social equity as one of the four major components of her administration’s fight against poverty.

According to the President, the social equity that her government worked on under the agricultural modernization program is land reform. "This is why land reform is one of the primary goals of my administration," she declared.

Even when she was still Vice President, she said, she was articulating the four components of what she believes a program to fight poverty should have.

"I said many times that the promise of land reform, a commitment that spans several presidents, must finally be redeemed," the President stressed.

"I said that without equity and modernization, we will never win the struggle against poverty in our rural countryside," she said.

The President also said that other presidents aspired hard to achieve genuine land reform for the country.

She said that her father, the late President Diosdadao Macapagal, considered the initiation of land reform in the country as the primary achievement of his presidency. She added that her father believed that tenancy is against the law.

"It is for this reason that I continue to work on what my father had started – the country’s land reform program," the President stressed.

During her speech, the President enumerated the various provinces that have contributed their share to the success of CARP.

The President said the administration’s land reform project is two-fold.

"Ang pinaka-land reform, iyong private agricultural land. So iyon ay 100,000 hectares a year, ang ating goal. (Actual land reform covers private agricultural land. That’s 100,000 hectares a year, our main goal)," she said.

"There are also lands available owned by the national government or public domain that can be alienable and this is also another 100,000 hectares that we want to distribute every year," she added.

The President arrived here at exactly 10 a.m. Upon arrival, she led the switch-on ceremonies of the agrarian reform communities already established in the country, including those formed and activated during the Macapagal-Arroyo administration.

I am very pleased and thrilled by the brilliant masterful defense of the IBF Junior Featherweight crown by Manny Pacquiao Sunday morning in Memphis, Tennessee. For a few anxious moments, millions of his countrymen, from around the world, had nothing else but the powers of their prayers to help him win. His skills, discipline and courage proved to be more than enough to give his country a rare moment of glory.

I cannot but think of it as coming like a ray of sunshine for our nation during a most difficult time. His victory also reinforces our faith in the capacity of the Filipino to rise above adversity to fulfill his most cherished dream.

Millions of our youth who have want of new heroes, find inspiration in his triumph. At his age, physical conditioning, and with the good people around him, Pacquiao will go far and win more laurels. He is now ranked with some of the great Filipino prizefighters of yesteryears like Pancho Villa and Flash Elorde.

His homecoming will be a joyous event for our country.

Malacañang today took very strong exception to certain distortions and miscalculations of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s net worth as reported in the media.

In a press briefing this afternoon at Malacañang, Acting Press Secretary Silvestre Afable, Jr. said: "I would like to make it of record that her net worth in the year 2000 was about P58.3 million and her net worth in the year 2001 was about P66.7 million for an increase of about just P8.4 million," Afable said.

Reports said the President’s net worth more than doubled to P66 million during her first year in office based on her statement of assets and liabilities which she filed as required by law.

Under the law, government officials are required to submit a statement of assets and liabilities each year. This is meant to discourage public officials from acquiring wealth illegally by showing that their wealth was acquired within their means.

Malacañang announced today that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has appointed Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benjamin Abalos as the new chairman of the Commission on Election (Comelec), replacing Alfredo Benipayo.

Acting Press Secretary Silvestre Afable, Jr. said during an interview after his regular press briefing that the President appointed Abalos to the top Comelec position last June 5.

Affable also announced that the President reappointed on the same date Transportation and Communications Secretary Pantaleon Alvarez, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Heherson Alvarez, and Comelec Commissioners Florentino Tuazon and Resurreccion Borra.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today approved the new Export Development Plan, the embodiment of the country’s strategy for exports in 2002 to 2004.

The President approved the plan immediately after a briefing on its strategic and operational directions during the quarterly meeting of the Export Development Council at the Heroes Hall in Malacañang.

Under the plan, Philippine exports are projected to grow by 10 percent in 2002, 15 percent in 2003 and 16 percent in 2004, higher than the estimates in the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan of zero percent exports growth for 2002 and 10 percent for 2003 and 2004.

In approving the plan, the President noted that the United States, which is the Philippines’s main export market, is beginning to recover. "Therefore things should only get better," she said.

She also stressed that China, a giant market, is entering the world trading system and so "we should benefit from that."

"And then we have all the other markets and we identified the products that we should concentrate on under the Export Development Plan which has been approved and the mode of promoting these new products or improving the competitiveness of the old products," she added.

The high estimated growth in the succeeding years is expected to come from the so-called 10 Revenue Streams, export products identified to have high growth potentials.

According to the EDC, these revenue streams are projected to post double-digit growth rates in the next three years, led by information technology which is forecast to grow by 95 percent in 2002, 64 percent in 2003 and 42 percent in 2004. Other product groups expected to perform well are marine products, organic and natural products, motor vehicle parts and components, electronics, giftware and holiday décor and food.

The plan will be jointly implemented by the government and private sector, led by the Department of Trade and Industry and Philexport, the country’s accredited umbrella export organization. The export sector contributes 35 percent to the Gross National Product and generates significant employment.

In 2001, Philippine exports decreased to $32.2 billion from $38.1 billion the previous year, due mainly to the general downturn in the global economy. The implementation of the PEDP is expected to focus government and private business efforts towards sustained growth.

The approval of the plan comes at a time when the country’s exports posted a 22.4 percent year-on-year increase last April, the first rebound posted in 13 months since the global economic slowdown in the last two years, which was aggravated by the terrorist attacks in the United States.

Among those present at the meeting were EDC chairman Trade Secretary Manuel "Mar" Roxas II and EDC Vice Chairman Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. of the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc.

Representing the government sector in the EDC were Foreign Undersecretary Franklin Ebdalin, Finance Secretary Jose Isidro Camacho, Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Montemayor, Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas, Science and Technology Secretary Estrella Alabastro and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Dante Canlas.

Justice Secretary Hernando Perez today directed the National Bureau of Investigation to coordinate with all military and police authorities to exert all efforts for the early apprehension of Abu Sayyaf Group members.

Perez also directed the NBI to coordinate with the Bureau of Immigration, International Police Organization, police and investigative agencies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation for a possible regional or even worldwide manhunt for ASG members who might flee Philippine territory.

The top leaders of the ASG being hunted include:

1. Amir Khadafi Abubakar Janjalani a.k.a. Abu Muktar or Khadafi Monationio or Jihad Manalad
2. Jainal Antel Sali, Jr. a.k.a. Abu Solaiman
3. Aldam Tilao a.k.a. Abu Sabaya
4. Isnilon Toton Hapilon a.k.a. Abu Musab
5. Hamsitaji Marusi Sali a.k.a. Jose Ramirez or Siti Birkis or Tiberkis

Perez also approved the request of the NBI to issue Hold-Departure Orders against these ASG members.