ZAMBOANGA CITY -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today ended her visits to Zamboanga City and Lamitan, Basilan on a historic note.

For the first time in the nation’s history, the President led the flag-raising ceremony for the celebration of Philippine Independence Day in Mindanao, specifically at the municipal hall grounds in Lamitan, Basilan.

By raising the Philippine flag in Lamitan to signal the start of activities for the country’s 104^th Independence Day anniversary, the President echoed the common aspiration of the people of Basilan, of Mindanao and of the entire Filipino people to be finally free from the bondage of terrorism and poverty.

The President raised the flag at exactly 7:00 a.m., simultaneous with other flag-raising rites conducted nationwide.

She was assisted by Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Roy Cimatu, Basilan Governor Wahab Akbar and Lamitan OIC-Mayor Arleigh Eisma.

Immediately after the flag-raising rites in Lamitan, the President was flown by helicopter to the Edwin Andrews Air Base (EAAB) here where she took off for a flight to Manila where she is expected to grace Independence Day activities at the Rizal Park.

In Lamitan where she stayed overnight and braved security risks, the Chief Executive convened the joint meeting of the Regional Economic Planning and Development Board and Regional Peace and Order Council

of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Tuesday afternoon.

Following the meeting, the President attended a short program where she awarded a Community-Based Forest Management Agreement Utilization Permit to Sarri Bolon, president of the Maligue Multi-Purpose Cooperative.

The permit allowed the extraction of 500 cubic meters of forest products worth some P1.5 million in three barangays of Isabela City.

The President also gave out checks aggregately amounting to P1.285 million for core shelter, potable water, post-harvest, educational, skills training and other projects in different towns of Basilan.

She further distributed Philhealth insurance cards and turned over medicines to officials of Lamitan.

The helicopter bearing the President landed in Lamitan shortly after noon Tuesday.

From the landing site at the Claret High School grounds, she went directly to the Jardin de Infancia inside the compound of the Lamitan Parish to attend the wake of slain Abu Sayyaf hostage and nurse Ediborah Yap.

Yap, who the President declared a heroine, was one of the hostages killed in the encounter between the military and the Abu Sayyaf in Siraway, Zamboanga del Norte last June 7.

The President earlier came from this city where she visited soldiers and a militiaman healing from wounds they got in gunbattles against the Abu Sayyaf in Siraway, Zamboanga del Norte.

At Camp Navarro, Southern Command Hospital, the President talked casually with the wounded soldiers and extolled their bravery and gallantry in defense of freedom and democracy.

She distributed cash assistance worth P50,000 each to the soldiers who were part of the troops that engaged in a search-and-rescue operation to get back American missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham and Filipino nurse Ediborah Yap from the hands of the Abu Sayyaf.

Following her hospital visit, the President had lunch with members of the local media with whom she shared insights on various topics, including the conduct of the Balikatan 02-1, in an informal conversation.

With the President were Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina, Jr., Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman, Energy Secretary Vicente Perez, Budget Secretary Emilia Boncodin, Economic Planning Secretary Dante Canlas, National Security Adviser Roilo Golez, Presidential Assistant on the Peace Process Eduardo Ermita,

LAMITAN, Basilan -- People in Basilan province and Isabela City can consider frequent power outages and poor electric services a sordid thing of the past.

After the National Electrification Administration (NEA) took over Tuesday the management of the Basilan Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Baselco), Basilenos will soon see the light at the end of the dark tunnel.

In a report to Malacaņang, the Department of Energy (DOE) said the NEA takeover of Baselco sought to end the daily brownouts power users in the province have been experiencing for several months now due to insufficient power supply from Baselco.

The DOE report said Baselco has a peak load of six megawatts, but it could only produce four megawatts and deliver power by consumer sectors in six towns of Basilan and Isabela City.

The DOE said Baselco has also been experiencing frequent line tripping brought about by damaged insulators, unbalanced load per phase, right-of-way clearing and uncoordinated protection setting between the National Power Corporation’s (Napocor) relay and Baselco’s recloser.

It is a pity that while the national, regional and local governments have pushed hard to change the people’s perception of Basilan as a lair of terrorists to that of an area of peaceful co-existence among its culturally-diversified people, of agricultural productivity and of tourism, unstable power conditions have stymied growth in the province.

Basilan officials have been implementing various support infrastructure projects to give tourism and agricultural trade in the area a boost in a bid to raise the standard of living of their constituents.

This has led Isabela City’s Sangguniang Panlungsod to pass last April 17, Resolution 02-1146 recommending the NEA takeover of Baselco’s management to save the cooperative from folding up and to protect the interests of member-consumers.

"It is unfortunate that while the local governments of Basilan are doing their best to improve (the people’s) living conditions, they are experiencing the poorest electricity service," said Energy Secretary Vicente Perez.

"We have to exercise available options to ensure that the people of Isabela City and Basilan get efficient and reliable power service," Perez stressed.

The DOE report said NEA and Napocor officials met on June 4 to plan out and effect the Baselco takeover. An agreement was finally reached between and among the two government agencies and Baselco detailing the takeover arrangements.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, during her visit Tuesday to Basilan, announced the takeover.

Napocor records also showed that Baselco owed the state-run power firm some P332 million as of April 30, 2002.

The amount represented Baselco’s current due of P4.44 million, overdue of P125.6 million and restructured debt of P202.1 million.

Napocor has served several disconnection notices to Baselco but the latter ably arranged acceptable repayment schemes.

But Perez said the repayment schemes were not enough. Baselco should settle their obligations in full as Napocor is also beset with obligations of its own.

Baselco also owed NEA some P408 million as of December 31 last year.

The cooperative’s system loss, or the amount of electricity loss from pilferage and technical problems, has reached 24.05 percent, way above the 14-percent required on electric cooperatives.

Meanwhile, the DOE also reported that it has energized some 52 barangays in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) as of end-May 2002.

The accomplishment is in line with the commitments made by President Macapagal-Arroyo in her July 2001 State of the Nation Address.

Energized were 17 barangays in the towns of Indanan, Panamao, Parang and Talipao, all in Sulu; 13 barangays in Barira, Buldon, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Datu Paglas, Kabuntalan, North Upi, Sultan Kudarat and Sharif Aguak, all in Maguindanao

LAMITAN, Basilan – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said yesterday June 12 should be commemorated not only as the country’s Independence Day but also the "Araw ng Kalayaan (Freedom Day)" of small coconut farmers nationwide.

The President said that starting on June 12, coconut farmers could avail themselves of the fruits of the coconut levy fund "which we have fought for (in the last) several decades" for their benefit.

The President made the announcement during a program conducted before the joint Regional Economic Planning and Development Board and Regional Peace and Order Council of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) at the Claret High School.

She said the coconut farmers in Basilan and elsewhere in the country have been entitled to a P10,000 insurance, up 100 percent from the old insurance coverage of P5,000 they used to avail of from the Philippine Coconut Authority.

She added that registered and accredited small coconut farmers could begin availing themselves of micro-financing of P1,000 each.

Coconut farmers, however, may pool their resources together to engage in small but more productive coconut farming efforts and get better returns from their micro-finance and livelihood project, she said.

The President also announced that farmers could sell their copra directly to oil mills put up and funded through the coconut levy.

The oil mills offer better prices for copra, she said, adding that farmers do not have to suffer from the hands of middlemen who dictate copra prices to the disadvantage of farmers.

The President, during the program, also distributed 500 Philhealth Insurance cards to beneficiaries from this town.

She said holders of Philhealth cards could take advantage of subsidized medical care, particularly in state-run hospitals.

Meanwhile, a report from the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) showed that as of May 15, 2002, a total of 8,040 poor families of 36,984 persons in the ARMM have been enrolled under the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP).

In Basilan alone, 1,726 families have been enlisted, with Lamitan having 1,000 family-beneficiaries; Maluso, 395; and Sumisip, 366.

The PMS report said 6,221 families from six towns in Lanao del Sur and Marawi City are enjoying the benefits of the NHIP. A total of 5,817 families are in Marawi City, 164 in the town of Masiu, 130 in Piagapo, 58 in Ditsa-Ramain, 20 each in Madamba and Madalum, and 12 in Balindong.

Twenty families are covered by the NHIP in Indanan, Sulu and 38 in Sapa-Sapa, Tawi-Tawi.

Besides providing benefits under Philhealth, the government has also stocked four Department of Health-retained hospitals in the ARMM with low-cost imported medicines, the PMS reported.

These are the Sulu Sanitarium in San Raymundo, Jolo, Sulu; the Maguindanao Provincial Hospital, Sharif Aguak, Maguindanao; the Dr. Serapio Montaner Provincial Hospital, Malabang, Lanao del Sur; and the Buluan District Hospital in Buluan, Maguindanao.

As of May 31, 2002, the National Food Authoritry has deployed 93 rolling stores in the ARMM.

Archbishop Antonio Franco, apostolic nuncio to the Philippines, today lauded President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for promoting a grassroots-based consultation process and for her commitment to fight terrorism and poverty.

In his response to the President’s remarks at the traditional Vin d’Honneur held this morning at the Ceremonial Hall in Malacaņang, Franco, who is also the dean of the diplomatic corps, said that the diplomatic community welcomes the President’s desire to promote "a new culture of politics intended to integrate and to favor greater participation."

The Vin d’Honneur was held as part of the commemoration of the country’s 104^th Independence Day.

The President just flew in from Lamitan, Basilan where she led the flag-raising ceremonies to kick off the nationwide Independence Day celebration. This was the first time that any incumbent President has led the flag-raising rites on Independence Day in Mindanao.

Franco said that this process of dialogue and consultation that the President has been conducting throughout the country is conducive to a healthier environment and speedier development of the Philippines.

"We appreciate your commitment to dialogue with all--troops and other sectors of the Filipino society--in order to reassure them of their innate rights and respect for human dignity," Franco said.

Franco also cited the President’s stance that the fight against terrorism is invariably linked to the fight against poverty which her administration is waging in the country today.

According to Franco, in order to find a lasting solution to the problem of suffering and terrorism, it is essential for world leaders to realize that this human tragedy often arise from "uninterrupted human frustrations owing to painful poverty and the lack of respect for human rights."

He said that the religion that one group professes, the language that they speak, or their profession, ideology, or prosperity should never be used to suppress others, or to foment a division, wage a war, or disseminate distrust and destruction.

"Our common hope is that the collective efforts of the international community will lead eventually to the eradication of the roots and the manifestations of the evils that we all denounce," Franco said.

Speaking for the diplomatic community, Franco said that with her able leadership and the full dedication of her government as well as the contribution of the opposition, the President would succeed in maximizing the fruits of true freedom and in promoting peace and prosperity not only in the Philippines but also in other parts of the world.

"We assure you of the collaboration of the governments and the organizations that we represent. We pray that together we could build a better world," Franco said.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today paid tribute to the nation’s heroes and heroines, the martyrs who shed their blood and the ordinary people whose small acts of courage, civic duty, honesty and dedication inspire others to take bold and decisive measures.

During the traditional Vin d’Honneur on the 104^th anniversary of Philippine Independence, the President told the world’s ambassadors and envoys gathered at the Ceremonial Hall of Malacaņang of the great acts of courage and martyrdom of such heroes as Dr. Jose P. Rizal, the dedication to duty and sacrifice made by hostage-nurse Ediborah Yap, and the honesty and selflessness of teacher Marilyn Bonguiat.

"Independence Day is not only for great acts of courage and martyrdom, the President said. "Day to day, our nation is built with small but unnoticed acts of courage and civic duty," she added.

The President said the farmer, the street sweeper, the police officer on the beat, the worker in the export factory all serve the family, the community and the nation.

"We salute them all for all their honesty and dedication," she stressed.

The President noted that Ediborah died in the line of duty and had taken care of Gracia and Martin Burnham when they were in captivity.

"She was a nurse to the very end. She stuck to her professional oath even in the darkest depths of adversity," the President said, adding that the death of Ediborah Yap, the last of the Filipino Dos Palmas hostages, challenges the entire Filipino citizenry anew to the fight against terrorism.

The President also recalled the honesty of Marilyn Bonguiat, the teacher from Calabanga, who returned P6.6 million inadvertently added to her meager pay check.

"She is telling us that civic duty comes ahead of personal gain," she said.

While many people could find it difficult to believe that this is happening in the Philippines, President Macapagal-Arroyo said the "truth is that we have heroes and heroines all around us."

"These heroes and heroines all around us inspire us to take bold and decisive measures towards national consolidation. They inspire us to provide leadership and the example of hard work. They inspire us to deliver care and service to our people," she declared.

According to the President, the keel of democracy is balanced on freedom and responsibility.

"Here and now, we are buoyed by a new sense of resolve and hope in successfully restoring the political and economic moorings of our nation," she said.

The President noted that the 104^th anniversary celebration of Independence Day is also a celebration of the Filipino people’s common ideals. "Ideals that all peoples live and fight for at work, in the streets, and homes all over. These are the ideals of human freedom, human dignity, human excellence," she said.

However, the President noted that there are times in history when the promotion of these ideals calls for the ultimate sacrifice.

"Some, like Dr. Jose P. Rizal, consciously answered that call. Others, like Ediborah Yap, answered that call, though nothing in their previous life had warned them that they would have to do it," she said.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today said her administration is committed to use all its resources, including that of the military, in the fight against terrorism and poverty in the country, particularly in Mindanao.

Speaking before the diplomatic community at the traditional Vin d’Honneur held this morning at Malacaņang’s Ceremonial Hall, the Chief Executive likened terrorism to a phantom in the night that stalked the world and the southwestern Philippines.

"But we have learned to muster the military and development of forces to fight this evil," the President said.

The Vin d’Honneur was held as part of the commemoration of the country’s 104^th Independence Day.

The President said her administration has recognized that beyond physical security what is needed is "total human security" which relates to basic human needs as food, shelter, education and employment.

"Unless all these are comprehensively addressed, impoverished and disillusioned communities will continue to be the recruitment grounds for the evil of terrorism," the President said.

According to the President, in her visits to countries in the region, she has expounded on two main points: one, is that the drive towards economic integration is part of the answer to the problem of poverty in the world and in the region, and the other is that there should be a united front against terrorism and international crime.

The President said that the Balikatan exercises of Philippine military troops with the United States holds a profound significance to national security.

She also said her government has formalized its cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in order to "check transnational crimes and terrorism."

"This is found in the trilateral agreement of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines recently joined in by Thailand to share intelligence and maintain tighter control of borders to stop the flow of weapons and terrorists," she said.

According to the President, the agreement includes within its purview other transnational crimes, such as money laundering, hijacking, drug trafficking and piracy.

"The integration of Asean, once a hazy vision, is now a reality. From the early part of this year, when most of the goods traded among us had their tariffs go down to zero to five percent," she said.

The President said she was reminded of the European experience where, between 1870 and 1945, there were three major wars between France and Germany, "but they, eventually overcame the past to win the future."

She noted that Europe’s economic integration led to greater political stability and security.

In this connection, she asked the ambassadors and envoys present during the Vin d’Honneur to think and act together as East Asians rather than just individual nations and cultures.

She also said that the Philippines will be a part of this new economic order working with, though not dominated by, regional and international economic and financial organizations.

But even if the country becomes a part of the new economic order, the President said she still subscribes to what her late father, Diosdado Macapagal had said – that the "Philippines and its government should become truly independent so as to adopt policies and decisions on the overriding issues of national interest."

"It is only if our government and its leaders are free to decide and act in the highest interest of our people that we can solve our vital problems, particularly the redemption of the poor from poverty," she said.

The President said she looks forward to continued partnership with all countries represented by their respective ambassadors at the diplomatic reception.

In her speech, the President also cited the accomplishments of her government during the past one and a half years based on the targets that she set in her first State of the Nation Address (SONA).

For instance, she said, the government has distributed 104,261 hectares of private agricultural land more than the target of 100,000 hectares of land, which she pledged during in the SONA.

The President said that the administration has also provided with health insurance a total of 1.5 million rural and urban poor individuals from her target of 500,000.

"I said that all public school students will have textbooks for priority subjects in grades one to four and first and second years in high school. And by September this year, we will have five textbooks in the hands of every child in the public schools," she said. 

The President said this is the essence of human freedom. "People are not truly free if they do not have education. They are not truly free if they do not have access to health care. They are not truly free if they are landless," she added.

In closing, the President thanked the ambassadors present during the occasion "for helping the Philippines achieved true freedom for its people."

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today urged the Filipino people not to forget the sacrifices of the country’s heroes like Andres Bonifacio and to carry on the struggle they initiated, particularly against poverty.

In her Independence Day speech at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, the President stressed that aside from terrorism, the nation’s main enemy is poverty.

She said that as long as poverty exists, a nation and its people can never be considered truly free and independent.

That is why, the President said, she has made the war against poverty the central theme of her administration.

The fight against poverty is a carry-over from the past, she added, initiated by Andres Bonifacio as part of the nation’s struggle for independence.

The war against poverty never ended as poverty continues to exist to this day, the President said, at the same time urging the people to unite and bring to an end, within the decade, the battle launched by Bonifacio.

The President prodded the Filipino people to draw more power and knowledge from the lessons of the past, from the country’s heroes and heroines who demonstrated determination and resolve, courage and civic duty, dedication and selflessness.

She also said that a few years before her father, former President Diosdado Macapagal, died, he wrote an article and discussed poverty and its possible cures, one of which is independence.

"The Philippines and its government should become truly independent so as to adopt policies and decisions on the overriding issues of national interest. It is only if our government and its leaders are free to decide and act in the highest interest of our people that we can solve our vital problems, particularly the redemption of the poor from poverty," the President quoted her father.

The President said she strongly believes that progress and development would not materialize if the majority of Filipinos is not free from poverty.

She then reiterated the four core beliefs that guide her administration: to win the war against poverty within the decade; to improve moral standards in government and society; to change from personality-driven to party and program-based politics; and to promote leadership by example.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today called on all Filipinos to close ranks in responding to the needs of the nation and in fulfilling their respective obligations, especially in fighting the Abu Sayyaf scourge in Mindanao.

In her speech during the 104^th Philippine Independence Day celebration at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta, the President said no other group has sowed so much hardship, fear and instability in Basilan and elsewhere in Southwestern Philippines except the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group.

The President said that for as long as the Abu Sayyaf terrorists are not brought to justice, the suffering of the people of Southwestern Philippines would not be assuaged.

"Mga kababayan ko, ang mga terorista ay naghangad ng gulo kung kaya’t sila ang dapat makatikim nga makatarungang galit ng sambayanang Pilipino, ng mga kawal, at maging sibilyan man (My countrymen, these terrorists are out to sow trouble, and that is why they should be dealt with the full fury of the Filipino nation, by the soldiers as well as the civilian population)," the President said.

In calling for unity among the people, the President cited the case of the people of Lamitan, Basilan who became divided in the aftermath of that unfortunate incident involving the incursion of Abu Sayyaf bandits in their area.

The President noted that this year’s theme of the Independence Day celebration, "Bayan Ko, Sagot Ko" aptly described how the people of Lamitan have responded to that call by posting stickers in the walls along the streets calling for unity among the residents.

When she led the flag-raising ceremony in Lamitan early this morning, she also noticed that the people there are now talking about how to close ranks, to move on and to unite in fighting the Abu Sayyaf menace.

By moving on, the President said it is a way for the people of Lamitan to show that they really care about their place.

"Independence Day is not only for great acts of courage. Day to day, our nation is built through small unnoticed acts of courage and civic duty. The farmer, the street sweeper, the police officer on the beat, the worker in the export factory, all serve the family, the community and the nation. We salute them all for their honesty and dedication," the President said.

After one year that everyone was praying to end the abduction of Filipina nurse Ediborah Yap and the Burnham couple from the hands of the Abu Sayyaf bandits, the President stressed that now is the time to show that the terrorists should not be allowed to escape from justice.

"As we have shown time and again, it is the Filipino who can love the Philippines so much as to lay down his life for his country so that others may enjoy the blessings and joys of living in this land," she said.

Time and again and generations after generations, the President added that the call to make the ultimate sacrifice has been made.