The International Board of Advisors to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, composed of global business and political leaders, has recognized that the Macapagal-Arroyo is working diligently to tackle some "very significant" challenges to the Philippine economy amidst serious developments in the global economic arena.

In a statement issued after a two-day series of off-the-record meetings with the President, members of her Cabinet, and selected private sector representatives, the Advisors counseled the President "to do whatever is possible to work with Congress to speed up the process of reform."

During the meeting, the Board also recognized the progress that the government has made in promoting economic growth but said it was critical for the reform program to be pursued with vigor if the Philippines is to meet its important economic targets.

"The Advisors believe that volatility in the global economy will continue to present challenges to developing economy such as the Philippines and that the government must continue its program of reform and liberalization as well as taking responsible steps towards promoting Philippine integration into the global economic system," the statement said.

The Advisors said that they believe the Macapagal-Arroyo administration has made some significant accomplishments, such as creating a policy environment that is generating real economic growth.

The Advisors participated in a series of discussions on the state of the Philippine economy, its prospects and the government’s ongoing efforts to promote economic development, generate increased level of foreign investment, and enhance the international competitiveness of Philippine goods and services.

Commenting on the meetings, the President said: "The Advisors, with their extensive experience leading major international corporations, organizations, and governments and related agencies, offer important perspectives to those of us charged with developing and implementing economic policies and programs to generate increased levels of trade and investments and to strengthen our country’s financial position. They are also very influential messengers of goodwill for us in the global business community aside from major investors themselves in the country."

The meeting was preceded by an Experts Group Roundtable on the challenges and opportunities presented by China’s accession to the World Trade Organization and its emergence as a global economic power.

The roundtable, organized by the Carlos P. Romulo Foundation, was participated in by leading academics from China, Taiwan, Australia, Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines.

The experts concluded that the positive and adverse impact of China’s opening up on the economies in ASEAN would depend on how individual economies structure themselves to be competitive. The emerging trend seems to be a regional production network with China as the hub and ASEAN economies occupying niches in this production value chain.

The Board of Advisors was also briefed on the conclusion of the roundtable, on the Philippines’ economic performance and progress in implementing its development plan.

Private sector presentations on the information and technology (IT) sector, port operations and the Subic-Clark Alliance Development (SCAD) were also given to show areas where the Philippines has achieved global competitiveness.

Representing the government in these discussions were Finance Secretary Jose Isidro Camacho, Trade and Industry Secretary Manuel A. Roxas II, Presidential Adviser on Job Creation Luis Lorenzo and Tourism Secretary Richard J. Gordon.

Private sector participants included Rizalino S. Navarro, chairman of RCBC and Clark Development Corp.; Enrique Razon, Jr. and Noel Mirasol, chairman and senior vice president and chief financial officer of the International Container Terminal and Services, Inc. (ICTSI) respectively; Ramon Dimacali and Gil Guanio, chairman and founder and chief executive officer of Software Ventures International (SVIC) respectively.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, expressing concern for the health of the Filipinos, today instructed the Department of Health (DOH) to go to market starting Monday next week to make sure that retailers sells only iodized salt as part of its "Patak sa Asin" nationwide campaign.

The President also urged the health department to coordinate with local government units to ensure the success of this campaign.

Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit and Marikina Mayor Marides Fernando will lead the local government officials in making the rounds of markets in Marikina next week and post stickers of approval on the stalls of retailers who sells iodized salt and issue warning notices to those who vend non-iodized salt.

Health department and local officials will seize non-iodized salt being sold in stores and stalls and replace these with iodine-treated merchandise.

"We should be vigilant if we want to see results," Dayrit said.

Dayrit said the health department is bent on making all vendors sell only iodize salt.

The Asin Law, or Republic Act 8172 passed in 1995, directs all salt manufacturers, including producers, importers, traders and retailers, to iodize salt both for human and animal consumption and for food processors and food establishments to use only iodized salt.

Health authorities said that vendors all over the country caught selling non-iodized salt will be given warning notices on the first and second offenses. For a third offense, they will fined not less than P1,000.

According to health officials, the department will be conducting weekly market inspections to monitor the sale of iodized salt.

Health and local officials will be checking on some 2,225 public, private and satellite (talipapa) markets nationwide starting Monday, armed with 41,077 salt test kits.

The health chief stressed that the lack of iodine can affect the intelligence quotient (IQ) of an individual. A person loses 10 to 15 IQ points if he/she lacks iodine in his/her system.

"Iodine works like the telecommunication system inside the brain. The system is more effective the more cell sites there are. In the same manner, having enough iodine can be compared to having many cell sites in the country so that getting your message across is very easy even if we are separated by islands. The iodine makes our brain function efficiently by interconnecting the different parts of our nervous system. That’s why we have children who are quick and fast learners. On the other hand, the lack of it may explain why there are children who are slow learners," Dayrit explained.

Experts said that the latest National Nutrition Survey of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute revealed that 35.8 percent of 6-12 years old children suffer from moderate to severe iodine deficiency disorder.

CALAMBA, Laguna –- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today lauded the country’s law enforcement agencies, particularly the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), for institutionalizing the destruction of seized and surrendered illegal drugs.

True to her vow to step up the campaign against drug trade, the President led here the public burning of seized methamphetamine hydrochloride, more popularly known as shabu, and marijuana.

In her second State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered last July, the President elevated the drug menace in the country to the level of a national security problem.

"In this war with the drug trade, there will be no compromise, no quarter, nor fear or favor," the President said in her SONA.

The event, held at the compound of the Integrated Waste Management in Barangay Puting Lupa, was attended by members of the Dangerous Drugs Board, Congressional Oversight Committee on Dangerous Drugs co-chairmen Sen. Robert Barbers and Cebu City Rep. Antonio Cuenco, Bukidnon Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri, Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuno, and other local officials.

Destroyed under the supervision of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) were 198.60 kilograms of shabu and 111 kilograms of marijuana.

The drugs were under the custody of the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory and the National Bureau of Investigation. The courts have given permission for the destruction of the dangerous drugs.

According to the PDEA, the ceremony is the first-ever burning of seized, confiscated or surrendered dangerous drugs under the new law, Republic Act 9165, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Of the shabu burned, 191.94 kilograms came from the PNP Crime Laboratory, while 6.65 kilograms originated from the NBI while 101 kilograms of the marijuana destroyed came from the PNP Crime Laboratory and 10.14 kilograms came from NBI.

In a statement, the PDEA said the seized drugs covered a total of 251 cases filed in court involving shabu, 94 from the PNP and 157 from the NBI, while a total of 16 cases involving marijuana, 7 from the PNP and 9 from the NBI.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today appointed Solicitor General Simeon V. Marcelo as the new Ombudsman, replacing Ombudsman Aniano Desierto, who retired from office.

Marcelo’s appointment was announced by Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye in his regular press conference this afternoon in Malacanang.

Marcelo, 49, was appointed by President Macapagal-Arroyo as Solicitor General in February 2001.

Marcelo, who earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines, has been a consistent scholar and a dean’s lister during his student days. He placed fifth in the 1979 bar examinations.

Marcelo was a partner in the Carpio, Villaraza and Cruz Law Offices from 1982 to January 2001. He was also an associate of the ACCRA Law Offices from 1980 to 1982. In 1974, Marcelo was a professorial lecturer at the Nueva Ecija Doctors Colleges.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today ordered Secretary Manuel Roxas II of the Department of Trade and Industry to be more vigilant in the monitoring of prices of basic commodities so that the traders will not take advantage of the current situation.

Press Secretary and Acting Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye said the President is really concerned with the prices of basic goods and that is the reason why she directed Roxas not to concentrate on the price ceiling but to tightly watch the basic commodities.

"Maybe not price ceiling but what the President wants is close monitoring of prices. That’s why the directive or the instruction for Secretary Roxas is to be more visible and more active in the actual price monitoring," Bunye said in his regular news briefing this afternoon.

Bunye said the purpose of the President’s instruction to Roxas is to keep traders from taking advantage of the increase in the price of oil products.

Malacanang was reacting to reports that the price of pan de sal would increased by 50 percent, to P1.50 per 30 grams from the current P1, according to the Philippine Federation of Bakers (PFB).

PFB vice president for Luzon Luisito Chavez earlier reported that the continued rise in the price of wheat in the world market due to the shortfall in United States, Canada and Australia, will force bakers to raise the prices of various bread products, including pan de sal.

But Roxas has assured the public that the price of pan de sal and other bread products will not increase after getting an assurance from the Philippine Flour Millers Association (PFMA) that importers are still able to buy flour at lower prices.

Meanwhile, the National Price Coordinating Council (NPCC) explained that while the prices of noodles and flour have gone up, the prices of other basic goods and commodities such as canned sardines, coffee and detergent bars have remained stable despite the recent fuel price increases.

STA. ROSA, Laguna – Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) executives informed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today of its plans to further expand operations in the Philippines.

The President thanked the Toyota executives for their continued confidence in the administration and their trust in the skills of the Filipino workers who are benefiting from the planned expansion.

"Maraming salamat sa magagaling na Pilipinong manggagawa dito sa Toyota (I am grateful to all of the very hardworking Filipino workers here in Toyota)," the President said amid cheers and applause from the workers at the Toyota plant here.

The TMC executives later handed over to the Office of the President its newest automobile which runs on a "hybrid system," an environment-friendly technology developed by the motor company.

TMC president Fujio Cho, in turning over to the President the key to a (light aqua metallic opal) Toyota Prius, explained that the sedan runs on both electric and gasoline power.

Aside from Cho, among those who welcomed the President here were Toyota Philippines Chairman George Ty, Toyota Japan Managing Director Akio Toyoda and Auto Parts Philippines president Nobuharu Tabata.

The car, valued at $20,000 (inclusive of taxes), is at present available only in the Japan, United States, and some parts of Europe.

According to Cho, TMC have been donating "hybrid system" cars to heads of states in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other regions to show Toyota’s dedication to make the industry more environment-friendly.

Under the arrangement, the OP will utilize the donated Toyota Prius.

The Toyota Hybrid system uses a battery to store energy that is ordinarily wasted while driving or stopping and then applies the stored energy to supplement engine power for starting and accelerating.

As result, the battery recharging cycle is entirely self-contained so you don’t have to plug anything in.

According to TMC, some Prius users report they can drive for long periods without the gasoline engine turning on. TMC also said the "hybrid system" technology works best in urban stop-and-go driving situations.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today urged the Sectoral Representatives Council (SRC), who presented her this afternoon with a resolution in support of peace negotiations, to go out and campaign among the 95 percent of the citizenry who are now tired of formal peace talks with the communist rebels.

In an en banc meeting with the members of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) in Malacaņang, the President said: "You have to build up a peace constituency because there is only five percent peace constituency right now."

The President, at the same time, stressed that "we want peace talks, we want the NPA (New People’s Army) to lay down their arms" but raised doubts about the motive of the communists in holding negotiations.

"Now they want peace talks but I doubt if they are ready to lay down their arms," the President said. "They want to use it for propaganda," she added.

During her luncheon meeting yesterday with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines, the President said the government panel has been conducting peace talks through back channels in the absence of formal negotiations, which were suspended in June last year.

The President, however, said that recent developments such as the NPA raids on government installations and private facilities have changed the policy on the insurgents.

The policy is that we are not at the negotiating table right now, she said.

The NAPC sectoral resolution called on the government and the Communist Party of the Philippines, as well as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, to return to formal peace talks and pursue them, building on the gains already achieved in previous peace talks and agreements.