President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today inducted into office former Press Secretary Adolfo A. Azcuna as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

The oath-taking ceremony at Malacaņang’s Ceremonial Hall was witnessed by Azcuna’s wife, Maria Asuncion, and two of his four children, Beatriz and Miguel, as well as other relatives and other members of the Supreme Court.

Prior to his appointment, Azcuna, 62, was senior partner of the Azcuna, Sarmiento, Chua and Caedo Law Office.

A lawyer by profession, Azcuna finished his Bachelor of Laws degree, Cum Laude, at the Ateneo de Manila University in 1962 and passed the Bar Examinations in the same year, placing fourth among the top examinees.

He obtained his post-graduate studies in International Law and Jurisprudence at the Salzburg University in Austria in 1982.

From 1962 to 1987, Azcuna went into private practice, specializing in international business and corporate law. He also taught International Law at the Ateneo Law de Manila.

Before his appointment as Press Secretary to former President Corazon C. Aquino, Azcuna was the Mrs. Aquino’s legal counsel. He also served as acting chairman of the Presidential Commission on Good Government when its chairman resigned in 1988.

Apart from his functions as Press Secretary, Azcuna also served as President Aquino’s spokesman.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo left this afternoon for Honolulu en route to Los Cabos, Mexico, where she will attend the 10^th Leaders’ Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

The President and her official delegation boarded a regular Philippine Airlines flight for Honolulu at about 3:30 p.m. at the Centennial Terminal II of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Before boarding her plane, the President was accorded the usual military honors. She did not have any departure statement.

The send-off party included Vice President Teofisto Guingona, Jr., Senate President Franklin Drilon, Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, Justice Secretary Hernando Perez, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina, Jr., Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Dante Canlas, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Heherson Alvarez, National Security Adviser J. Roilo Golez, AFP Chief of Staff, Gen. Benjamin Defensor and Philippine National Police chief, Director General Hermogenes Ebdane.

Among the Cabinet secretaries who accompanied the President on her trip were Foreign Secretary Blas F. Ople, Trade and Industry Secretary Manuel Roxas II, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye and Silvestre Afable, head of the Presidential Management Staff.

Earlier, the President designated Vice President Guingona to act for and on her behalf while she is on her official trip to the United States and Mexico.

In a directive, the President said that all acts of the Vice President for and on her behalf during her absence shall be approved directly by her or through Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo.

Although the President will be in Honolulu for less than 24 hours, she will have a hectic official schedule that includes meeting with Hawaii officials and Admiral Thomas Fargo, commander in chief of the Pacific Command (CINCPAC) of the United States.

While in Honolulu, the President will also meet with members of a very large Filipino community in Hawaii at the Filipino Community Center in the city.

In Los Cabos, Mexico, the President will be among the 21 leaders of the Pacific Rim who will discuss current developments, including terrorist attacks that occurred in the region.

This will be the second time that the President attends an APEC summit, the first was during the 9^th APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Shanghai in October last year. The 10^th APEC Leaders’ Meeting will be from October 26 to 27.

While the APEC member-economies always consider economics at the top of the agenda, terrorism’s threat to trade, especially after the deadly bombing this month in Bali, Indonesia, could also be included in the list of topics to be discussed.

Aside from Indonesia, other APEC members, including the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore, have been identified as possible havens for extremists linked to al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network.

APEC was established in l989 to promote open trade and economic cooperation among the 21 member economies around the Pacific Rim.

The APEC members are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, US and Vietnam.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will update the Filipino community in Hawaii on the developments in the Philippines, particularly of her two-year-old administration, when she personally meets with them shortly after her arrival today in the Aloha State.

The President, accompanied by First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo and a few members of the Cabinet, flew to Hawaii at 3:30 p.m. on board a chartered Philippine Airlines flight en route to attend the 10^th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting in Los Cabos, Mexico.

Upon her arrival at the Honolulu International Airport, the President will be officially welcomed by Philippine Ambassador Albert del Rosario, Consul General and Mrs. Rolando Gregorio, Hawaii Governor and Mrs. Benjamin Cayetano and Admiral Thomas Fargo, Commander in Chief of the United States Pacific Command (CINCPAC).

After the welcome ceremonies, the President and her official delegation will be immediately whisked to their hotel, where Senator Inouye, supporter of Filipino causes in the US Senate, and Admiral Fargo are scheduled to make courtesy calls.

She will then attend a luncheon to be hosted by Governor Cayetano, a Filipino, at the Governor’s official residence – the Washington Palace.

Immediately after her luncheon meeting with Governor Cayetano, the President will meet the Filipino community at the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu, Hawaii.

Based on the 2000 US census, there are 275,728 Filipinos in Hawaii. They constitute a hefty 22.18 percent of the 1.2-million population of the 50^th US state.

While in Hawaii, the President will conduct a press conference to be attended by Hawaii-based print and broadcast media representatives as well as the Filipino journalists covering her official engagements.

HONOLULU, Hawaii – President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will be a proud visitor of Hawaii on October 24-25 (October 25-26 in Manila). For aside from the governor of Hawaii, the president of the state Senate of Hawaii is also a Filipino.

And there are three other state senators who are Filipinos or of Filipino descent.

In the other chamber of the state legislature, the House of Representatives, there are six members who are Filipinos or of Filipino descent.

The 10 constitute the biggest number of Filipino state legislators in Hawaii at any one time.

"This, in itself, is a big accomplishment for Filipinos here who first came to Hawaii in 1906 as mere sacadas or workers in the Hawaii sugar plantations," according to Assemblyman Felipe Abinsay Jr., a Democrat who represents District 29 here consisting of Moanalua, Fort Shafter, Kalihi, Waena and Kapalama in the state House of Representatives.

Assemblyman Abinsay said the Hawaii Senate President is Robert Bunda (Democrat) who, like himself, was born in the Philippines – he in Ilocos Sur and Senator Bunda in Quezon City.

The three other Filipinos in the 27-member state Senate are Ron Menor (Democrat), also a son of a former sacada like Governor Benjamin J. Cayetano who almost became the first Filipino to be elected in the US House of Representatives earlier; Donna Mercado Kim (Democrat), a Filipino-Korean; and Lorraine Inouye (Democrat), a Filipino-Japanese.

Senate President Bunda represents District 29 composed of Wahiawa, Haleiwa and North Shore; Menor, District 18 composed of Waipahu, Crestview and Mililani; Kim, District 15 composed of Moanalua Valley, Alea, Pearlridge and Kalihi Valley while Inouye, District 1, composed of North Hilo, Hamakua and South Kohala.

Menor, following the footsteps of Governor Cayetano, is running this year for lieutenant governor of Hawaii. If he wins, he will be the hope of Filipinos to be the next Filipino governor of the Aloha State.

Aside from Abinsay, the five other members of the state House of Representatives who are Filipinos or of Filipino descent are Assemblymen Ben Cabreros (Democrat) of District 30 who, like Abinsay, is also originally from Ilocos Sur; Nestor Garcia (Democrat) of District 37; Willie Espero (Democrat) of District 41; Michael Magaoay (Democrat) of District 45; and David Pendleton (Republican) of District 50.

Filipinos have also their imprints in the Hawaii judiciary. Several Filipino lawyers have served or are still serving as judges in the lower, appellate and Supreme Courts of Hawaii.

At present, two of the five members of the state Supreme Court are Filipinos. They are Associate Justices Mario Ramil who was born in Quezon City and Simeon Acoba Jr. who is Hawaii-born.

Many Filipinos have also served as mayors or councilmen of the different cities of Hawaii.

Another son of a sacada from Negros, Virgilio de la Paz, born in Hawaii, served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy in the ‘70s, the highest position held by a Filipino-American in the US military service.

Many other Filipinos and Fil-Americans have brought pride to the Philippines through their accomplishments in various fields in Hawaii and the United States.

Among them are Miss America 2001 Angela Perez Baraquio, a teacher in Hawaii before she won the pageant, whose parents are originally from Mabini, Pangasinan and Manila; Olympic boxer Brian Viloria; baseball player Benny Agbayani; and Dr. Jorge Camara, the first to conduct eye surgery through telemedicine.

In the field of construction, Lito Alcantara, a native of Ilocos Sur who served as president of the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii and had led several trade missions to the Philippines, stands out. His company built several hotels, homes and landmark buildings throughout Hawaii, earning for him the award as one of the Most Outstanding Minority Businessmen in Hawaii.

Filipinos in Hawaii believe it will not be long when they will be able to send a Filipino to the US Congress, either as congressman or senator.

"This is not far-fetched. This is very possible. In a few more years, we, in Hawaii, may be able to send the first Filipino member of the US Congress," said Assemblyman Abinsay.

Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao is back and, in a briefing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport today, announced he will take his oath as Chief of Staff of the Office of the President as soon as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo returns from Mexico.

Tiglao was among the members of the Cabinet and other government officials who saw the President off for the United States and Mexico, where she is attending the 10^th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting.

"I’ve never left that job (of Presidential Spokesman). On leave lang (I just went on leave)," Tiglao said in his first press briefing since he went on leave on April 15 to assume a Visiting Professor Fellowship at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies of Kyoto University in Japan.

"I haven’t been sworn in as Chief of Staff," Tiglao said, "but the President has already given me broad guidelines for the work."

Tiglao also announced that the President has designated Vice President Teofisto Guingona, Jr. to act for and on her behalf during her visit to the US and Mexico.

He also said Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo will be in charge of the day-to-day requirements of the government.