President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today said the relocation of squatters from river banks and esteros to government resettlement sites offers them not only safer living facilities but also opportunities for a better life.

In her brief remarks during the transfer of 5,913 families to the resettlement area in Kasiglahan Village in Barangay San Jose in Rodriguez (formerly Montalban) Rizal, the President stressed the importance of relocating squatter families living dangerously along riverbanks, esteros, bridges and other hazardous sites.

"Kailangan talaga na magkaroon ng tahanan ang lahat at lalo na iyong masasabi nating ligtas, kasi ‘yun mga tabi ng ilog, nakatabi sa estero, hindi iyon ligtas (Everyone must have a home, especially safe homes. Living along the rivers banks and esteros is not safe at all)," the President said.

Aside from being exposed to dangers, the President said squatter areas do not offer amenities and transportation facilities like the Kasiglahan Village resettlement area.

The government is therefore giving the squatters the chance for a better life and the opportunity to buy their own homes, the President said.

Whenever necessary, as in the case of the Kasiglahan Village, transportation facilities are provided to make livelihood opportunities available, the President also said.

Kasiglahan Village 1, popularly known as KV-1, is a resettlement project of the National Housing Authority (NHA) situated at Barangay San Jose. The project was primarily intended for the affected families of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Program.

In June 1999, the first batch of families residing along the banks of the Pasig River in Barangay San Agustin, Quiapo, Manila were relocated in Kasiglahan Village 1.

A total of 9,915 housing units are available in the Kasiglahan Village. As of last July, 5,623 units are already occupied. San Jose Plains has 4,845 occupants and Sub-Urban has 778 occupants. Exactly 2,176 families came from the Pasig River and 3,477 other families are non-Pasig River residents.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today enumerated several measures designed to clean up the mess in the Public Estates Authority (PEA) in order to regain the people’s trust in the agency and in the government itself.

In her speech at the 80^th founding anniversary of the Philippine Nurses Association, Inc. at the Manila Hotel, the President said although the Senate blue ribbon committee has found that proper procedures were followed in the Manila Bay reclamation road project, still the overall cost has been quite excessive.

"Kaya, dahil doon, hindi pa rin ako kontento (That is why, because of this, I am still not contented)," the President said.

The President said she still want "to go to the bottom of the controversy, discern the truth, identify the wrong doers, if any, clear the innocent and possibly revamp the PEA for being embroiled in many scandals."

She said that she has ordered state probers investigating the PEA anomaly to speed up the pace of work, unmask the guilty party, and submit a final report at the earliest possible time.

The President said that although she has ordered the PEA board to go on leave, she was willing to accept their resignations, without prejudice to their prosecution if recommended by the Department of Justice or the Senate blue ribbon committee.

According to the President, she has also directed the PEA interim board of directors as well as the agency’s top officials and employees to fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation and to conduct its own parallel inquiry on the reclamation road project.

She said that she has also ordered the PEA interim board to make its work fully transparent and above suspicion.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo announced today that she already signed into law the Nursing Act of 2002 which makes the nursing profession more responsive to the ever-changing health needs of the country and the whole world.

The President made the announcement during her speech at the annual convention of the Philippine Nurses Association, Inc. at the Manila Hotel which is also celebrating its 80^th Foundation Day and Nurses Week.

The President lauded both houses of Congress for the passage of Nursing Act and thanked Senator Juan Flavier and Rep. Eladio Jala, principal sponsors of the bill in the Senate and the House of Representative.

President noted that the Nursing Act emphasizes the expansion of the nurse’s role to include comprehensive specialty programs. The new law establishes a minimum base pay for nurses working in the government and abroad and expands the Board of Nursing membership and enhances their functions.

The President said that by enhancing the functions of the Board of Nursing, the law enhances the professionalism of nurses in the country.

In her speech, the President paid tribute to the heroes and heroines in the nursing profession.

"We don’t have to talk about Florence Nightingale anymore," the President said. "We have our own Ediborah Pamaran Yap."

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today renewed her appeal to the people to unite in fighting terrorism, saying that complacency would only embolden the terrorists to further spread their "ideology of mayhem" in the country.

In her speech at the 80^th founding anniversary of the Philippine Nurses Association, Inc. at the Manila Hotel, the President said the bombing attacks in Bali, Indonesia and in Zamboanga City, show that terrorism knows no boundaries.

"We must work together to fight terrorism. We cannot sit back and wait. We must take this fight to the terrorists before they undermine our very way of living," the President said.

The President said that recent events proved that terrorists are not guided by moral or religious conviction. "They are nothing more than murderers of innocent people driven by an ideology of mayhem," she said.

According to the President, many of her opponents have criticized her decisions in making an unequivocal stand against terrorism.

"But I have to tell you I make no apologies to aggressively seeking to root out terrorism in the Philippines. And to putting considerable efforts in seeking regional consensus on fighting terrorism," the President said.

The President also extolled the important role being played by the country’s nurses in coping with the effects of terrorism, citing the "modern day heroism" of Ediborah Yap who was executed by the terrorist Abu Sayyaf in Basilan.

"Even in the darkest depths of adversity, Deborah stuck to her professional oath. She is a model of devotion not just of her profession but of humankind," the President said.

She said the heroism of Deborah has become a defining point of what it truly is to be of service to others. "It also defines terrorism as a universal fight and not the challenge of a single profession or a single nation or a single region," the President said.

The story of Ediborah Yap, the President said, illustrates that greatness beckons every hour in the nursing profession.

Local government executives today vowed to take the lead in the fight against terrorism as the League of Cities of the Philippines expressed support for the national ID system as well as the anti-terrorism bill.

The league, an organization of all city mayors in the country, led by its president, Tagaytay City Mayor Francis Tolentino, assured President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in their meeting this afternoon in Malacanang that they would file resolutions in support of the two proposals.

Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye, who attended the meeting, said the city mayors expressed their support for the national ID system and the anti-terrorism bill because they feel that there is an urgent need for everyone to take part in the fight against terrorism.

"The mayors have agreed to take the lead role," Bunye said.

Bunye also said that during the meeting, it was concluded from Commission on Audit (COA) Chairman Guillermo Carague that local executives could now take advantage of the calamity fund in the event that terrorism strikes in their locality.

Meanwhile, the cities of Baguio and Cebu have agreed to undertake pilot implementation of the national ID system.

The local executives would also acquire more equipment that would be utilized against terrorist threats such as metal detectors and bomb-sniffing dogs.

Bunye added that the mayors agreed to hire police auxiliary personnel "as long as they do not carry guns."

Aside from Mayor Tolentino, among the city mayors who attended the meeting in Malacaņang were San Fernando City (La Union) Mayor Mary Jane Ortega, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Trenas, Bacolod City Mayor Luzviminda Valdez and Gen. Santos City Mayor Pedro Acharon.