President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today reassured the mother of slain hostage victim Dexter Balala, 4, of swift justice, as she ordered the police to file administrative and criminal cases, if warranted, against responding policemen who might have killed the boy in last week’s failed rescue try at the Philtranco terminal in Pasay City.

During her regular weekly radio interview aired nationwide, the President noted the relief of Pasay City Chief of Police Superintendent Eduardo de la Cerna following the botched rescue and killing of Balala, who was held hostage by Diomedes Talvo, 35.

The President also urged the retraining -- on hostage management, negotiation and rescue -- of the police group who figured in the incident that also led to the killing of Talvo, who stabbed Balala several times before sustaining at least 56 gunshot wounds following a hail of police gunfire.

She cited the move of the police command to subject to ballistics test the policemen involved in the hostage drama "para malaman kung sino talaga iyong nagbaril lalo na iyong bala na kung iyon nga ang nagpatay doon sa bata (so we will know who fired their guns and if a bullet from those guns really killed the boy)," she said.

There have been at least 50 hostage-taking situations in recent years, but this was the only time that the hostage was killed, she said.

"Kaya malaking kapalpakan noong Pasay City team (the Pasay City police team bungled)," she added.

In the same radio interview, the President again condoled with the family of Balala, particularly the boy’s mother Sally and his grandmother.

"Gusto kong siguraduhin sa iyo na bibigyan natin ng katarungan ang iyong anak at mapaparusahan iyong pinanggalingan ng kanyang pagkamatay (I want to assure you that your son will get justice; those responsible for his death will be punished)," she told Sally and Dexter’s grandmother over radio.

She recalled that after being informed on the incident, she immediately went to condole with the Balala family.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today said that before the government and the mainstream Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) sign a final peace agreement, development programs in the former conflict areas in Mindanao should already be in place.

In her weekly radio interview aired nationwide every Monday, the President also reiterated that there is no hidden agenda in the agreement signed by representatives of the government and the MILF in Kuala Lumpur early last month.

"I have always been saying that I want development to take place in the conflict areas before we sign a final agreement," the President said.

According to the President, if the former conflict areas would be developed, then the signing of the final peace accord would be a fait accompli or done deal.

Actually, the President said, the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Agriculture have already implemented a lot of projects in Camp Abubakar, the former main camp of the MILF.

She said that thousands of evacuees have now returned to the different barangays that comprise Camp Abubakar and the other former MILF camps.

Earlier, the President assured the nation, especially those who tried to twist the facts for political reasons, that the Kuala Lumpur accord never mentioned about the return of their former armed camps to the MILF.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today said it was imperative for the country’s foremost political party to indulge in "new politics."

The President said "the new politics must be the politics of party platforms and institutional consultation with the people."

"A political party should exist between elections," not only for elections, the President said during her regular weekly radio interview aired nationwide.

She stressed that the "old politics (or) the politics of patronage and personality" should be done away with.

The President was formally named as the chairperson of the Lakas-National Union of Christian Democrats (NUCD)-United Muslim Democrats of the Philippines (UMDP) ruling party in its national directorate meeting last Saturday.

The President said the presence of Press Secretary on-leave Rigoberto Tiglao in Japan was very timely.

"Ang kanyang research fellowship ay iyong Christian democratic ideology sa ating administrasyon (His research fellowship is on the Christian democratic ideology in my administration)," she said.

This is the very basic philosophy of the Lakas-NUCD-UMDP party that should be translated into the ground ideology of this government, she added.

She stressed that she wanted to make Lakas "a genuine political party."

"Be responsible parents," this is the motherly advice of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to couples who are going to tie the knot this month.

In her weekly radio interview aired nationwide every Monday, the President said that under our Constitution, the family is the basic unit of Philippine society.

"So, dapat ay patatagin natin ang pamilya (So, we should strengthen the family)," the President said, adding that responsible parenthood is also one of the principles enshrined in our Constitution.

"Kaya dapat iyong magpakasal siguruhin nila na magiging matatag ang pamilya nila at dapat ay makamtan nila ang katangian ng responsible parents (So, those who are going to get married should make sure to strengthen their family and that they should possess the qualities of good parents)," the President said.

The President also said that she does not personally attend to the nitty-gritty of the preparations for the upcoming wedding of her son, Pampanga Vice Governor Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo, and Angela Montenegro.

"Ako, bilang Pangulo, bilang ina ng bayan, iyon ang mas malaking focus ko (As president, and mother of the nation, that is my main focus," the President said when asked what she felt about the wedding of Vice Governor Arroyo this month.

The President said she has entrusted the details of the preparations for the wedding to her social secretary, Ms. Betina Aboitiz, although from time to time, when she had the chance to see Ms.Aboitiz, she would inquire about the arrangements made for the wedding.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today called on the people to emulate the honesty, selflessness and dedication to duty demonstrated by teacher Marilyn Bien-Bongiad, of Calabanga, Camarines Sur, who returned some P6 million erroneously credited to her bank account.

The President cited Bien-Bongiad’s honest deed as she called to mind the opening of classes next week and the deep commitment of public school mentors to hone their students and pupils academically and morally.

"Bigyang-pansin natin ang magandang halimbawang pinamana ni Marilyn (Let us cite Marilyn’s good example)," she said during her weekly radio program.

"Ang ganitong pangyayari ay parang sariwang hangin na nagbibigay ng panibagong sigla sa bawat isa sa atin (This deed comes like a fresh gust of wind that reinvigorates everyone)," particularly those in public service.

"Ito ay patunay lamang na hindi basta nasisilaw sa salapi ang mga lingkod-bayan. Ang nakararami sa kanila ay nananatiling tapat sa tungkulin at matibay ang paniningdigan at sumusunod sa code of ethics (This proves that public servants are not easily tempted by the glitter of money. Many of them remain true to their duties, firm in their convictions, and faithful to the code of ethics)," she said.

She hoped that Marilyn’s act would inspire government officials and workers to help clean the bureaucracy of graft and corruption that had stalled the country’s economic growth.

Replicating the teacher’s honesty in the public service would mean the eventual return of the people’s faith in good government, leading to faster social development and economic progress and the attainment of the collective national goal.

Good and clean governance has been the President’s commitment since she was installed as President on January 30, 2001 following EDSA People Power II that ousted former President Joseph Estrada.

She urged public school teachers -- having been one of them at one time – to instill in the minds and hearts of their students and pupils the value of honesty.

The President, who opened later this morning the Palarong Pambansa (National Games) in Naga City, reiterated her praises for Marilyn and other public servants who showed the same brand of honesty.

"Nawa’y magsilbing inspirasyon sa ating lahat ang ipinamalas na katapatan ni Marilyn at marami pang katulad niya (May we be inspired by what Marilyn and others like her did)," she told more than 8,000 officials and athletes gathered in the Naga City sports complex.

Honesty and other good values should unite the people in their campaign to overcome the various challenges being faced by the Filipino nation, she added

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today underscored the importance of micro-finance in providing livelihood opportunities for the poorest of the poor.

In her weekly interview program over the radio, the President also outlined the achievements of her administration in connection with the poverty alleviation targets she spelled out during her first State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July last year.

According to her, the center of her administration’s livelihood program lies in the People’s Credit and Finance Corporation (PCFC) together with its conduit banks, financing agencies, the various non-governmental organizations (NGOs), cooperative rural banks, as well as micro-finance replicators.

The micro-finance scheme involves loans of up to P5,000 as capital funding to enable the poor to put up a source of livelihood.

"It (micro-finance) is a very effective system called Grameen bank which started in Bangladesh. It became well-known in the world as an effective tool of livelihood for the poorest of the poor," the President said.

With regards to her SONA target, the President noted that her administration was able to achieve its goal of providing some 150,000 urban poor families the right to buy their own land.

She added that the government had been able to drastically reduce the signatories in housing permits from the previous 108 to 41.

The President likewise announced that some 1.5-million urban poor and 1.7-million rural poor folk have already benefited from the government’s health insurance program.

As spelled out in her SONA, the President said half-price medicines are now available in 73 hospitals under the Department of Health (DOH).

In the agriculture sector, she said the government has already generated 852,000 jobs from its original target of 1 million in three and a half years.

On top of that is the completion of the Mal-Mar dam project in Cotabato, providing irrigation to some 5,000 hectares of farmlands in the area.

As promised, the President said her administration has succeeded in controlling the budget deficit and sustained a 3.8 percent gross national product (GNP) after more than a year in office.

Also in the interview, the President called on the various sectors in the society to help the government in achieving its goal of providing 100,000 housing units for the working class as well as the construction of school buildings in every barangay throughout the archipelago.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today ordered the repatriation of non-essential personnel in the Philippine Embassy in Pakistan and their families.

In her weekly nationwide radio interview this morning, the President also said Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) stationed in Pakistan were also enjoined to coordinate with Labor and Employment Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas to ensure their safety and return to the country.

The President asked National Security Adviser Roilo Golez, who briefed her on the India-Pakistan situation, to inform Vice President and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teofisto Guingona, Jr. about her decision to return home the non-essential staff in the Philippine Embassy.

The President said the United Nations took a similar action and ordered the evacuation of their non-essential staff with their families in Pakistan.

Around 300 families of UN staff are expected to begin evacuating Pakistan as fear of war mounted between the nuclear foes, according to UN Information Center Director Eric Falt.

NAGA CITY – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today awarded some P4.3 million worth of checks for various social programs and infrastructure projects in the province of Camarines Sur.

After her speech during the opening of the Palarong Pambansa (National Games) at the Metro Naga Sports Complex here, the President issued checks totaling P1.9 million for 1,065 student-beneficiaries of the Special Program for Employment of Students implemented by the Department of Labor and Employment this summer.

The President also awarded P1.95 million in checks to the towns of Magarao, Lupi and Bombon for the concreting of farm-to-market roads. Magarao Mayor Lourdes Sanar, Lupi Mayor Roberto Matamrosa and Bombon Mayor Vicente Asido received the checks.

A separate check for P154,000 was issued to 40 family- beneficiaries in San Rafael, Pamplona for the installation of septic tanks in their respective houses. The President gave the check to Allan Llamado, chairman of San Rafael’s committee on health and sanitation, and Barangay Captain Maria Rebutiaco.

She awarded a P200,000 check also to finance the construction of a day-care center in Barangay Palangon, Libmanan and P140,000 for the improvement of a water system in Barangay Magais, Del Gallego.

Besides this, the President awarded seven carabao to the Regional Gawad Saka Outstanding Achievers of 2002, namely, Carlos Anmado of Taysan, Legazpi City; Tito Urbano of San Vicente, Camarines Norte; Avelina Miranda of Camarines Norte; Ric Antipolo of Minalaba, Camarines Sur, Leonardo Libreja of Ocampo, Camarines Sur, Bangkilingan 4 H Club Young Farmer Organization from Bangkilingan, Tobaco City and Liberato Navarro Sr. of maguisoc, Mercedes, Camarines Norte.

She likewise distributed 10 sacks of hybrid rice to Manuel Morano, Leonido Oberos, Neslie Jemeria, Delia Esperida, Salud Boragay, Luzviminda Quizon, Noe Mira, Pelagio Constantino, Romegio Guevalondo and Ernesto Betabara, all small farmers of Naga City.

She also led the distribution of 594 Certificates of Land Ownership Awards covering 1,293 hectares to 894 farmer-beneficiaries from Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Masbate and Sorsogon.

Meanwhile, the Land Registration Authority and Department of Environment and Natural Resources, under the "Pamamahagi ng Titulo Program," distributed 533 land titles to beneficiaries from the towns of Canaman, Camaligan, Gamza, Magarao, Bombon, Minalabac, San Fernando, and Calabanga, all in Camarines Sur.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today thanked members of the House of Representatives for their speedy action on the 50-year franchise application of the National Transmission Corp. (Transco), the entity that will handle the transmission lines of the National Power Corporation (Napocor).

In her weekly radio interview aired nationwide every Monday, the President said no private firm would buy the Transco if the franchise bill would not be approved.

Over the weekend, the House committee on legislative franchises chaired by Bukidnon Congressman Miguel Zubiri approved the bill containing the Transco franchise.

The bill is expected to be approved by the entire House before it adjourns its regular session this coming Thursday. It will, however, still have to go through the Senate.

The President said that with the passage of the franchise bill, the government could now bid out Transco, adding that this would translate into some $1.5-billion to $2-billion new capital infusion that could be used to pay for the debts of Napocor.

She said that selling the transmission facilities of Napocor is in line with the government’s privatization policy as she stressed that frequent power failure is caused by tripping in the transmission lines.

So, it is necessary to allow the private sector to run these transmission lines because it has been proven that the government is not good in managing businesses, the President said.

According to the President, depending on the amount that the government could get out of the sale of Transco, the transaction may even result in the lowering of the controversial purchased power adjustment (PPA).

NAGA CITY -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today urged young Filipino athletes to excel in their chosen games, saying that the country’s sports program must develop true champions in both local and international competitions.

In her keynote address during the opening ceremonies of the Palarong Pambansa 2002 at the Naga Sports Complex here, the President said the country needs to create a broad pool of fresh athletes who can compete and excel in a sustained manner.

The President said she has directed Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Eric Buhain to continue to forge greater collaboration and linkages especially with the Department of Education (DepEd), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the local government units (LGUs), the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) and other sectors of the society to sustain the tradition of the Palarong Pambansa.

Aside from Palarong Pambansa, the President said there are other government sports programs that aim to instill core values in the hearts and minds of the Filipino youths such as the "Batang Pinoy," the "Palaro ng Bayan," and the Summer Training Camps under the auspices of the PSC.

Last year, she noted, the PSC conducted a Summer Training Camp for more that 200 medalists of the Batang Pinoy and the previous Palarong Pambansa.

Effective November last year, the President also said, the government increased the allowances of national athletes and approved the incentives package for athletes and coaches who bring honor to the country through major international competitions.

This, she said, is in accordance with Republic Act 9064, otherwise known as the Sports Benefit and Incentives Act which she signed into law in April last year.

Just recently, the President led the distribution of financial rewards to more than 200 national athletes who brought honor to the country during past international competitions.

"Some of them were crying because they honored our country as far back as 50 years ago. And now, at last, they received their belated financial recognition," she said.

Also in her speech, the Chief Executive commended the sacrifice and contribution of the DepEd officials led by Secretary Raul Roco and all the school superintendents and teachers for their extra effort in pursuing the holding of Palarong Pambansa even as she thanked them for supervising the training of the country’s youth athletes.

She, however, urged them to take good care of the young Filipino athletes and give them due respect, especially the female athletes.

Since the staging of the Palarong Pambasa is a shared vision and a shared responsibility between the PSC, the DepEd, the DILG and the LGUs, the President said all the stakeholders must work together and be the vanguard in upholding the prestige and tradition of the national sports competition.

NAGA CITY – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today ordered Southern Luzon Command (Solcom) Major General Roy Kyamko to solve the insurgency problem in Bicol region to give way to the infrastructure development of the area, particularly in Sorsogon.

The President issued the order during the joint Regional Development Council and Regional Peace and Order Council meeting at the Magic Splash Resort in Barangay Carolina, Naga City.

The President said she was alarmed by reports that the New People’s Army (NPA) has been undermining efforts to fast-track the construction of the Fisheries Resource Management project in Tambugoy, Sorsogon.

She said Kyamko has the ability to resolve the insurgency problem in Bicol and that his background have been spoken well for him, even before he assumed as commanding general of Solcom and replaced Brig. Gen. Ernesto Carolina, now commanding general of Southern Command in Mindanao.

She added that Kyamko has the experience to fight communist rebels because of his successful anti-insurgency campaign in Davao del Sur.

The President also warned local officials that the national government would stop supporting their programs once they have been proven as supporting communist rebels.

"The NPA is violating the law and any local government official who plays with the NPA is violating the law. No local government that deals with the NPA will be supported by the national government," she said.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo last night sought additional United States security assistance for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) aimed at paving the way for the AFP to be self reliant through the development of more defense industries in the future.

Briefing the media on President’s meeting Sunday night with US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and California Rep. Dana Rohrabacker in Malacanang, Acting Press Secretary Silvestre Afable, Jr. said that one of the topics discussed was the strategic alliance of the Philippines and the United States in the fight against terrorism.

On the status of the joint US-RP military training exercises in Basilan, Afable said that both sides expressed satisfaction that the Balikatan exercises have been successful in terms of the training benefits for both the Fililipino and American soldiers.

"There was consensus of cooperation in intelligence activities," Afable said, pointing out that the US delegation was satisfied on the manner the Philippine government is organizing the anti-terrorism efforts in Mindanao.

According to Afable, President Macapagal-Arroyo briefed the US officials on the constitution of the joint unified task forces under which all the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) units in Mindanao will be placed under the operational control and supervision of the Secretaries of National Defense and Interior and Local Governments.

The US delegation was likewise briefed on the status of the government’s peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CCP-NDF).

Afable also said that changes in the Balikatan’s Term of Reference were not discussed during the meeting. "The Balikatan exercises will take its course until its termination in July," he said.

According to Afable, there was a consensus that the training exercises would be intensified and pushed forward to the company level, instead of the battalion level.

NAGA CITY— President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today announced the holding of an Energy Summit in Region 5 in the weeks to come to address the electricity concerns of the Bicolanos.

The President announced her decision during the joint meeting of the Regional Development Council (RDC), the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) and the Cabinet at the Magic Splash Resort here.

The President made the decision following the issue of inequity raised by Albay Gov. Al Francis Bichara, chairman of the RDC and RPOC.

During the meeting, Bichara noted the high cost of electricity within the region, despite its being a net exporter of power supplied to the Luzon Grid.

Bichara noted that Bicol is the second poorest region in terms of poverty incidence. "But ironically, by paying a higher rate than other regions, it is subsidizing the more advanced regions connected to the Luzon Grid," he added.

In addressing the issue, the President said Energy Secretary Vicente Perez, who was present during the meeting, would address all the concerns of the region in the summit.

The President also said Perez would also take up the issue of the Energy Fund under the Department of Energy and the National Power Corporation (Napocor).

Bichara noted that an estimated amount of P7.2 million has been reportedly made available for the Bicol Region, but not a centavo has been disbursed because of bureaucratic red tape.

Explaining that the DOE is being merely sensitive to the regulations and other requirements. Perez assured Bichara that there would be closer coordination with the concerned local government units (LGUs).

Bichara also suggested the possible increase of the region’s share of royalty taxes from geothermal power plants. The local government code provides that twenty percent of the royalty taxes shall be used to finance livelihood and development projects and the remaining 80 percent shall be used as electric consumption subsidy.