ILOILO CITY -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo last night received assurances from Sen. Loren Legarda-Leviste of continued support for the platform of her administration in Congress.

"There's no such thing. There are no such plans," Legarda-Leviste said when asked to comment on reports that she had jumped ship and would be the running mate of the opposition candidate for president.

"That's pure speculation from the media," she added.

Legarda-Leviste was with the President at a dinner at Tatoy's Restaurant in Arevalo district which was also was attended by the leaders and officials of this Western Visayas City. The President was guest of honor during the affair.

The senator, who is in town to attend the 2002 Sangguniang Kabataan National Congress at the Sarabia Manor Hotel, arrived at the dinner while the President was discussing with Iloilo government officials ways of enticing foreign investors to pour more money and open more businesses in the area.

Stressing that she came to Iloilo City to speak before the SK forum, Legarda-Leviste said she reiterated to the President that she has no intention "of jumping ship."

"And she believed my reassurance," she added.

When Legarda-Leviste sat near the President, local officials teased her about reports that she would jump ship.

The President remarked, "Ninang ni (Pampanga Vice Gov. Juan Miguel) Mikey (Arroyo) ‘yan."

The President was referring to the forthcoming wedding of her son to Angela Montenegro, where the senator will be one of the principal sponsors.

Aside from Legarda-Leviste, Senate President Franklin Drilon, who is also an Ilonggo, was at the same event.

LAGAWE, Ifugao – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today led government officials in distributing 105 free patents for land titles, checks for procurement of post-harvest facilities and heavy equipment, farm implements and agricultural products as well as PhilHealth cards to qualified beneficiaries of Ifugao province and neighboring towns and cities.

The Chief Executive, dressed in an Ifugao costume, distributed various forms of government assistance after addressing thousands of Ifugao residents in celebration of the 36^th Ifugao Foundation anniversary held this morning at the Capitol Plaza here. She was assisted by Ifugao Governor Teodoro Baguilat, Jr. and other concerned agency representatives.

The President said the 105 free patents for land titles distributed to Ifugao beneficiaries represents a 103-percent accomplishment rate for the year 2002.

It can be noted that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources office in Ifugao has a commitment of 101 free patents for 2002 as enunciated in the President’s State of the Nation Address in July last year.

The President handed out some 100 PhilHealth cards from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation to the indigent families enrolled in Lamut, Ifugao under the Greater Medical Access (GMA) Para sa Masa program.

During the awarding rites, the President also distributed checks for various government programs and projects in Ifugao and nearby towns and cities as follows:

• Department of Social Welfare and Development – a check worth P125,000 for water tank and pipe installation presence to Teresita Rillon of Barangay Laya, Alfonso Lista, Ifugao; P150,000 check for the construction of a foot bridge given to Pablo Guhip of Barangay Dulao; P150,000 check for the construction of Day-Care Center received by Donato Bubod of Barangay Pugol, Lamut, Ifugao; P145,000 check for the construction of a spring reservoir, to Johnson Chupalan of Barangay Banhal, Mayoyao, Ifugao; and P115,00 check for the construction of water system given to Rebecca Maguiwe of Mayoyao, Ifugao.

• Department of Labor and Employment – awarding of checks amounting to P1,300 each to 44 qualified students under the Special Program for Employment, and awarding of two checks amounting to P120,000 to two Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) beneficiaries.

• Department of Agriculture – P2.8 million check for post-harvest facilities and heavy equipment procurement presented to Mt. Province Vice Governor Anthony Warden; and a P1.8 million check for heavy equipment procurement given to Kalinga Vice Governor Joseph Delson.

The President arrived at the Capitol Plaza here at exactly 10 a.m. from the Loakan Airport in Baguio City. She was accompanied by Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Heherson Alvarez, and Acting Press Secretary and Presidential Management Staff head Silvestre Afable, Jr., who is CORD officer for the Cordillera Administrative Region, and other government officials.

A comfortable ride on faster on-time air-conditioned trains crisscrossing Metro Manila’s main roads awaits everyone when the government completes the expansion and extension of two operating rail lines and the construction of a mass rail transit by 2004.

Another three new rail networks, to include those that will bring passengers north and south of the metropolis are projected for completion by 2007.

Government has tapped private sector support, through the Build-Operate-Transfer Law, to fund the projects that are expected to ease vehicular traffic in the country’s capital, a Presidential Management Staff (PMS) report said.

The report cited the achievements of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) in relation to commitments President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo made during her July 2001 State of the Nation Address.

Targeted to be fully operational in December 2004 is the Metro Manila Strategic Mass Rail Development (MSMRD) project that stretches from Claro M. Recto Avenue in Manila to Santolan in Pasig City.

The DOTC said construction on the MSMRD, also known as the Mass Rail Transit (MRT) 2, has passed its halfway stage.

The MSMRD project depot is 64.03 percent complete, its substructure 89.47 percent finished, and its systems, vehicles and trackworks 36.28 percent done.

The extension work on the 16.8-kilometer MRT 3, which runs in the middle of EDSA from Taft Avenue in Pasay City to North Avenue in Quezon City, will also be completed by 2004.

The nine-kilometer extension will bring passengers from the MRT 3 depot on North Avenue to Monumento in Caloocan City. It will also complete the loop between the MRT 3 and the Light Rail Transit (LRT) 1 that runs from Monumento to Baclaran.

The DOTC said it has approved the Build-Transfer (BT) draft contract for the civil works, to include development rights, proposed by the Sobrepeņa-controlled private firm Metro Rail Transit Corporation.

The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has endorsed the project with focus on traffic projections that the Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee (ICC) of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is evaluating.

By April 2004, work on the air-conditioning of the old train fleet of the LRT 1 will be completed. A contract was signed last April 1 between the Light Rail Transit Administration (LRTA) and Japanese firm Marubeni Corporation.

The LRTA also projected the completion of additional civil works and the installation of 12 more air-conditioned four-car trains for the LRT 1 by December 2004.

The LRTA has approved the contract for concurrence by Japanese financing agency Japan Bank for International Cooperation.

The PMS-DOTC report further showed that the government hoped to operate the LRT 1 South Extension, the Northrail and the Southrail by 2005.

The LRT 1 South Extension stretches from Monumento to Bacoor, Cavite. The Implementation Agreement of the Joint Venture Agreement between the LRTA and Canadian rail company SNC-Lavalin was signed on December 20, 2001.

The DOTC, meanwhile, has submitted to the NEDA-ICC the draft Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Southrail project that would cover the Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon (Calabarzon) growth corridor.

After a NEDA-ICC approval, the TOR will be referred to the Asian Development Bank for concurrence. The DOTC said a memorandum of understanding has been signed by the Philippine National Railways and Daewoo Corporation to conduct the feasibility study.

On the Northrail project, the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) has obtained the NEDA-ICC approval for the feasibility study for the project’s Obuchi Fund-bankrolled Phase I, to operate from Caloocan City to Clark.

Finally, the PMNS-DOTC report said a French consortium is refining the proposal to build the MRT 4 that will ferry rail commuters from the Old Bilibid in Manila to the Batasan area in Quezon City. Project completion is targeted in 2007.

As this developed, the MMDA also reported the increase in traffic speed in Metro Manila’s major thoroughfares.

Traffic speed in the metropolis leapt to 17.42 kilometers per hour (kph) in April from 16.18 kph in March and 13.5 kph earlier.

Increases in traffic speed were noted along EDSA, R. Magsaysay to Aurora Boulevard Commonwealth, Rizal Avenue Espaņa to Quezon Boulevard, E. Rodriguez Boulevard, A. Bonifacio, South Super Highway, Roxas Boulevard and Pres. Quirino Avenue.

LAGAWE, Ifugao–President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today called on all Filipinos, not only the tribal folks of Ifugao and the Cordilleras, to help in the preservation of the rice terraces, which have been declared as one of the world’s heritage sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Speaking before thousands of residents during the celebration of the 36^th founding anniversary of the province of Ifugao at the Capitol Plaza here, the Chief Executive said that it is the duty of every Filipino to help preserve the rice terraces.

Wearing an Ifugao native costume, which was woven by the tribal folks, the President said that there are only a few heritage sites in the world and among them are the Ifugao rice terraces.

The President announced that her administration was able to secure from the UNESCO a grant of $75,000 for the preservation of the rice terraces.

She said that she was giving the Ifugao provincial government the responsibility to manage the UNESCO grant, adding that she did not believe in creating a task force to handle the money.

"If there is a task force, there’s no more accountability. I believe in accountability resting in one office. And since the rice terraces are in Ifugao, then the UNESCO project be managed by the provincial government of Ifugao," the President said.

The President urged the people of Ifugao to support Governor Teodoro Baguilat, Jr., in the efforts to preserve the rice terraces.

She also directed the National Commission on Culture and Arts (NCCA) and the Department of Tourism (DOT) to provide technical support to Governor Baguilat for this project.

According to the President, the NCCA and the DOT are planning to put up a P50 million program for the rice terraces.

The President also expressed the hope that the Ifugao provincial government will use part of the UNESCO grant to provide the means to take tourists to the site of the rice terraces.

During her speech, the President also touched on the peace and order situation not only in the province of Ifugao but also the entire CAR.

She directed Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina, Jr., to ensure the peace and order in the areas where the rice terraces are located "if we want more tourists to go there."

The President specifically ordered Regional Director George Alino of the CAR Philippine National Police "to help the governors of the Cordillera galvanize community action and become vigilant against those who transgress the law and peace of mind of the people."

BAGUIO CITY—Malacanang today said that military authorities can handle the latest hostage-taking incident off the waters of Tamuk Island, some 45 nautical miles from Zamboanga City, and operations are ongoing to track down the still unidentified hostage takers.

In a press briefing at the Mansion House here, Acting Press Secretary Silvestre Afable, Jr. said the incident involving four Indonesian crewmen is still being investigated by military authorities.

Afable held the press briefing after the more than five hours of the joint meeting of the Regional Development Council and Regional Peace and Order Council of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

Afable said that it is unfortunate that this incident has happened when the pursuit operations of the remnants of the Abu Sayyaf terrorists in Sirawai, Zamboanga del Norte are still in progress.

"But I am sure that the authorities can handle the situation and be able to gain an early solution to this problem," Afable told newsmen.

Elements of the Philippine Navy and Philippine Coast Guard have started search and rescue operations for the victims on the nearby islands.

Reports said that the victims of the latest kidnapping incident in Mindanao included the captain, chief engineer, chief petty officer and chief mate of an Indonesian tugboat towing a barge loaded with coal from Indonesia and bound for Cebu.

In another topic, Afable reiterated that Malacanang is not involved, nor will it get involve, in the partisan squabble in the Senate.

"It is not involved in raiding the opposition of any of these things. Actually the activities within the Senate itself and among its members are generating this hype of party raiding," Afable said when asked to comment on reports that the administration senators are trying to lure opposition senators to their camp.

Afable also said that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo proceeded to this city from Ifugao to preside over the RDC-RPOC joint meeting. In Ifugao, she attended the 35^th founding anniversary of the province.

BAGUIO CITY—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today announced her approval of the transfer of the management of two government-owned assets to the city of Baguio.

President made the approval during the five-hour joint meeting of the 10^th Regional Development Council and Regional Peace and Order Council held at the Mansion House here.

During the meeting, the President personally congratulated Baguio City Mayor Bernardo Vergara after announcing the turnover of the management of the Baguio Convention Center and Hilltop Hotel property.

President believes that the transfer of the management of the refurbished and well-maintained convention center would boost Baguio’s reputation as a "convention capital" and center of the Cordillera Autonomous Region.

The Convention Center has been the site of national and regional conventions, stage plays, school graduation and other important regional events. Lately, however, it has been in a state of disrepair and neglect.

The Hilltop Hotel, meanwhile, has lain idle and unutilized for productive purposes after it was heavily destroyed by a strong earthquake of July 1990.

BAGUIO CITY -- The development thrust of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) was discussed extensively as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo presided over a five-hour joint meeting of the Regional Development Council-Regional Peace and Order Council (RDC-RPOC) at the Mansion House here today.

National Economic and Development Authority Director General Dante Canlas said the CAR is envisioned to be the watershed of the country, the leading source of hydro power and non-conventional energy, the premier eco-tourist destination, the prime educational center, the leader in the manufacture of light industrial products and the food basket for semi-temperate fruits and vegetables.

The strategic interventions for CAR to become the watershed cradle of the county include the improvement of forest cover and quality of groundwater resources, promotion of equitable distribution of benefits from watershed and strengthening support activities.

On becoming the major energy producer, the strategies include the development of small-scale hydro power potentials; rehabilitation, upgrading and modernization of major power plants, transmission lines and substations; facilitation of the completion of on-going and committed power plants and expansion of rural electrification.

On the goal of CAR becoming the premier eco-tourism paradise, the strategies include the implementation of tourism cluster development approach, strengthening of tourism development bodies and institutions, intensification of fund sourcing for tourism projects, improving access infrastructure and tourism related services, intensification of tourism promotion and marketing activities, and development of regional eco-tourism database.

To be the center of responsive, basic, tertiary, technical and vocational education in North Luzon, the interventions include the development of quality teachers and administrators, promotion of responsive and relevant education curriculum, identification and development of CAR Centers of excellence and development of programs of advocacy, brokerage, direct action, research and development among institution.