HONOLULU, Hawaii – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo arrived here Thursday (Friday in Manila) to a warm welcome amid a drizzle of morning rain on her way to attend the 10^th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting in Los Cabos, Mexico

The President, who was garbed in a red dress, was welcomed by Hawaiian Governor Benjamin Cayetano, Admiral Thomas Fargo, commander in chief of the United States military forces in the Pacific and their wives, as well as members of the Philippine Consulate in Hawaii.

She was accompanied by First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo, Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople, Trade and Industry Secretary Manuel Roxas II, Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye and Presidential Management Staff Head Silvestre Afable,

After the welcome ceremonies at the Honolulu International Airport shortly after her Philippine Airlines plane touched down at 7:30 a.m., the President was driven in a white Cadillac to the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel where she is going to be billeted overnight.

At the hotel lobby, members of the Hawaii Filipino community welcomed the President with leis.

Among those who welcomed the President at the hotel was former Miss America, Hawaii’s Angela Perez Baraquio, who presented her with a bouquet. Baraquio’s parents are Filipinos.

The President beamed as she personally received the warm greetings of the members of the Filipino community, who represented the United Filipino Council of Hawaii, the Oahu Filipino Community Council, the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, the Pampanga Circle and the Congress of Visayan Organizations.

The President waved to the crowd and shook hands with the hotel’s registration clerks sitting behind a counter before proceeding to her suite.

Later in the morning, she received United States Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, a staunch supporter of Philippine concerns in the US Senate, and Admiral Thomas Fargo, commander in chief of the US military forces in the Pacific.

HONOLULU, Hawaii – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today brought good news to the Filipino community here: the passage of the absentee voting bill in both houses of Congress during the third and final reading.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu, Hawaii, the President said "this is the farthest the bill has gone in all the administrations which attempted to enact it."

The President asked the Filipinos in Hawaii to join her in praying that the differing provisions of the House and the Senate versions will be ironed out soon in the bicameral conference committee so that this can be implemented soon.

The absentee voting bill will allow Filipinos residing or working abroad to exercise their right of suffrage.

She also announced the passing of the dual citizenship bill in the Senate on third and final reading.

The President, in her opening remarks, thanked the Filipino community in Hawaii for helping her in improving and developing the Philippine economy.

The President, upon arrival here at what she described as "fantastic" Filipino Community Center, had a ceremonial planting of a narra tree. She also toured the center, met with Filipino-American veterans and had photo sessions with them.

She also met with "sacadas" or original plantation workers in Hawaii and the Fil-Am students here.

The President’s plane, PR 100, arrived from Manila at around 7:30 a.m. (Hawaii time)

Along with First Gentleman Atty. Jose Miguel Arroyo, and the rest of the presidential party, she proceeded immediately to the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel where she received United States Senator Daniel Inouye, and later Admiral Thomas Fargo, commander in chief of the US Pacific Command (CINCPAC).

Earlier, the President had a luncheon hosted by Hawaii Governor and Mrs. Benjamin Cayetano. Among the other guests were top officials of Hawaii who are of Filipino descent.

Later tonight, the President will have, dinner with the Filipino-American community here at the Tapa Room of the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel where she is billeted.

The President made an overnight visit to this city on her way to attend the 10^th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (PAEC) Leaders Meeting in Los Cabos, Mexico.

According to the President, the history of the Philippines in Hawaii is a mirror of the partnership between the Philippines and the United States of America.

"This partnership is firm. It is molded by history and shared strategic interests," the President said.

HONOLULU, Hawaii – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo met separately Thursday (Friday in Manila) with United States Sen. Daniel K. Inouye and Admiral Thomas Fargo, the commander in chief of the US Pacific Command (Cincpac), on security issues and other matters of special concern to the Philippines and of mutual interest to the Philippines and the US.

The President said during a press conference at the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu that she and Admiral Fargo, the senior commander of American military forces in the Pacific and Indian Ocean areas, discussed security cooperation between the Philippines and the US.

"The forces under Admiral Fargo’s command have been working very closely with their counterpart in the Philippines under training activities covered by our Mutual Defense Treaty and the Visiting Forces Agreement," the President said.

The Pacific Command covers more than 50 percent of the earth's surface from the US West Coast to the east coast of Africa, from the Arctic to Antarctic, and including the states of Alaska and Hawaii. Its area of responsibility constitutes nearly 60 percent of the world's population in 43 countries, 20 territories and possessions, and 10 US territories.

The President said she also met earlier with Senator Inouye, whom she described as a good friend of the Filipino people, and thanked him for his continued support and advocacy of Philippine interests in the American Congress.

"I thanked him because he was one of those who spearheaded the move not to give Philippine canned tuna a disadvantageous position with regard to the tuna imports to the United States from the Andean countries," the President said.

The President said Senator Inouye will also help the Philippines get preferential treatment in the US market because the center of the tuna industry in the Philippines is in Mindanao, an area which is very much threatened by terrorist groups, including the Pentagon kidnap-for-ransom group and the Abu Sayyaf.

The President said she also thanked Inouye for spearheading support for the Filipino veterans’ rights in the US Congress.

The President also expressed the gratitude of the Filipino people to Senator Inouye for spearheading moves to increase appropriations for military assistance to the Philippines.

Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye, in a radio interview after the President’s meetings with Inouye and Fargo, said the Admiral expressed the desire of the US to cooperate in upgrading the intelligence gathering capabilities of the Philippine government.

HONOLULU, Hawaii – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today said the Philippine-American partnership in the fight against global terrorism is anchored on the two countries’ common belief in strong democratic institutions that create peace and freedom for people everywhere.

Speaking at a press conference held at the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu, Hawaii, the President said it is because of common democratic ideals that the Philippines has offered political, security and humanitarian assistance to the United States in the pursuit of her most vital interest against terrorism.

The President also said she will meet with US President George W. Bush in Los Cabos, Mexico on the sidelines of the 10^th Leaders Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Cooperation (APEC) to take up not only security matters but also development initiatives that would strike at the very roots of poverty in terrorism prone areas.

The President said that the Philippines is determined to fight terrorism "to the end."

She said that strategic assessments point to a possible shift in al-Qaeda terrorist operations to Southeast Asia. "America and the Philippines are sharing eyes and ears in this development," the President said.

The Philippines, the President said, is also closely allied with Indonesia and Malaysia under a trilateral agreement to check terrorist movements across their common seas.

But whether terrorists in the Philippines are linked to al-Qaeda or not, they are still terrorists and must be crushed, she said. "Terrorism is a global phenomenon today and, therefore, there must be a global response to terrorism," the President said.

She said that since terrorism is a borderless activity, therefore, the response must be borderless or transnational.

The President said that after the Bali bombing, the Philippines had its small bombings in Zamboanga City and Western Mindanao. She, however, reported that the suspects in these blasts have been arrested.

"We won’t let these incidents just stay for long. Our local communities are enthusiastically helping the national government watch out for terrorist movements," the President said.

According to the President, her administration is focused on what needs to be done to address the war on terrorism and to win the battle against poverty in the Philippines within the decade.

"Terrorism will never completely go away unless we root out the handmaiden of terrorism – poverty," the President said.

The President said that 21^st century war against terrorism is a new kind of war that requires a new kind of peace.

She said that part of this new kind of peace process is reconciling the concerns of developing countries with the prospective of developed economies.

HONOLULU, Hawaii—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today lauded leaders of the Filipino community in the United States for their willingness to extend financial support so that the absentee voting in the US in 2004 would be clean and honest.

In a press briefing at the Filipino Community Center here, the President said that before she left Manila, she got a call from Loida Nicolas, Alex Esclamado and other prominent leaders of the Filipino community in the US who said that they would fund a NAMFREL-type activity in safeguarding the votes in the overseas balloting.

NAMFREL is the acronym of the National Movement for Free Elections, accredited by the Commission on Elections as watchdog in all elections in the country.

"So, therefore, much of the projected expenses, they said, can be borne by the Filipino community here," the President said when asked if the government has enough funds to implement the absentee voting law.

The President also said that she has left it to the bicameral committee of Congress to reconcile the differences in the two bills passed by the House and the Senate on absentee voting.

The important thing, the President said, is that the principle of overseas voting has been adopted by Congress which is fully justified, considering the $6 billion a year in remittances from overseas Filipinos.

She said that for the first six months of this year, some $4 billion have already been remitted to the Philippines by overseas Filipinos.

According to the President, while one-third of all overseas Filipinos are in the US, two-thirds of the overseas remittances come from the US.

HONOLULU, Hawaii—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today said that she remains optimistic about the prospects of the Philippine tourism industry despite recent terrorist attacks in the region.

In a press briefing at the Filipino Community Center here, the President said that, in fact, as of October 2002, the country registered a 40 percent growth in tourism compared to the same period last year.

"So, while our budget is small, apparently it is very well allocated," the President said, referring to the minuscule budget of the Department of Tourism (DOT) for promoting the Philippines in the international market.

The President said that when the bombings in Bali, Indonesia and in Mindanao occurred, Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon just came from a meeting of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) in Tokyo and the WTO is proceeding with its Visit the Philippines Year in 2003 as earlier scheduled.

While the President admitted that Thailand is number one in tourism in Asia, she said "we are not going to lose tourists to Thailand because they are already there."

The Philippines and Thailand, the President said, have a twinning arrangement where long-haul tourists can visit and enjoy their holidays in both countries.

"It is not for us to compare ourselves with others. We have to find our own niche, our own market segment," the President said.

According to the President, the Philippines’ number one market segment is beach tourism, followed by domestic tourism, shopping and sightseeing tourism, eco-tourism, Balikbayan tourism, and the backpackers’ tourism.

HONOLULU, Hawaii (via PLDT) – For some of the remaining early Filipino sacadas or plantation workers and their children here, meeting President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a privilege and rare opportunity.

"This is my first time to meet a president, a Philippine President. My first time to shake a president’s hand. It was a privilege," said Livia Valido, 68 years old, whose parents were among the sacadas who arrived here in 1930.

Pedro Subia, who turned 82 today, considered his meeting with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as a "great gift."

"I’m thankful to see President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Today is specially lucky for me. This is an opportunity, a great (birthday) gift," Subia said in his native Ilocano dialect.

Ninety-three-year-old Damaso Gamundoy, the oldest living sacada here, is grateful and thankful to see the President. Gamundoy’s parents arrived and worked here in 1928.

These sentiments were also shared by representatives of the World War II veterans, sacadas’ children as well as Filipino-American students from various colleges and universities here.

The President met them informally at the grand ballroom of the $18-million Filipino Community Center in Waipahu after touring the three-story facility.

The President received cheers and applause as she entered the ballroom. The Fil-Ams here, who eagerly awaited her arrival, warmly and excitedly welcomed the Chief Executive, waving small Philippine flags.

In a brief message, the President thanked the Filipino-American community here for their support in helping improve and develop the Philippine economy.

The President also lauded the sacadas for their very important role in the history of Hawaii, citing the hardships they suffered like the parents of Hawaii Fil-Am Gov. Benjamin Cayetano.

Addressing the veterans, who submitted a resolution asking the President to intercede on their behalf with the US for the provision of their full benefits, the President said there is an appropriation measure that has already been passed in the US House of Representatives granting $65,000 for five years for the Filipino veterans’ health benefits in the US.

The President said this is now in the Senate, sponsored by Senator Daniel Inouye, a Japanese-American also from Hawaii.

She also informed them of the $500-million a year health benefits for veterans in the Philippines which has already been approved in the US Congress.

An impressed President described the Filipino Community Center here as fantastic and fabulous.

The construction of the Center started in 2000. It was formally opened in June 2002.

The FilCom Center serves as a gathering place for promoting activities that will help strengthen, perpetuate and promote the rich Filipino cultural heritage and values.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has declared the period from October 28, 2002 to November 3, 2002 as International Agricultural Research Week.

In Proclamation No. 279 which she signed Thursday (October 24), the President said there is a need to focus more attention on the important role played by agricultural research in national progress, development and poverty alleviation.

The Consultative Group on the International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) will be holding its annual general meeting in the Philippines for the first time from October 28 to November 1, 2002. The meeting will bring together more than 500 local and foreign scientist-delegates.

The CGIAR is a global alliance of investors, 16 international research institutes known as Future Harvest Centers, 58 member-countries from both developing and industrialized countries and other partner organizations which mobilize science to benefit the poor.

The Philippine Medical Team sent by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to Indonesia returned yesterday after completing their one-week humanitarian mission.

The team, composed of two burn specialists and two nurses, was sent to Bali upon the specific instructions of the President to provide medical assistance to the victims of the terrorist bombings that rocked the island earlier this month.

Soon after bombs went off, the President telephoned Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri to condole with the Indonesian people and to offer assistance.

This gesture is quite common between these two countries and is reminiscent of past instances where Indonesia similarly extended its assistance to the Philippines, especially during times of natural calamities.

Indonesian Minister of Health Achmad Sujudi called Philippine Ambassador Rafael Seguis to express gratitude for the dispatch of the Filipino medical team. 

HONOLULU, Hawaii – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today called on the more than 200,000 Filipinos in Hawaii to help her two-year-old administration build a strong Republic in order to achieve its goal of economic prosperity and stability.

In her speech during a dinner meeting with the Filipino community at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel here, the President said her role is to serve as "chief architect and to see to it that our plans and blueprints are carried on time and correctly."

However, the President said she can do this well "only if I can count on the support of more than 2-million Filipino-Americans, including the 200,000 Filipinos who are living in Hawaii."

"As you got together to build the Philippine Community Center, as you got together to put this lovely (gathering) tonight, let us get together, bayanihan style, each contributing a meaningful embellishment to the plan of national greatness and prosperity," the President said.

The President said the Filipino-Americans constitute one-third of overseas Filipinos, but they contribute two-thirds of the foreign exchange remittances to the Philippines.

"The Filipino-Americans represent the best in the Filipino. Thus, you are the most effective ambassadors of your mother country," she stressed.

The President said she’s proud of all Filipino-Americans, whether well-known or anonymous.

"I am proud of Ben Cayetanos, Jorge Garcias, the Loida Nicolases. But also equally proud of every Fil-Am who has made an investment in this nation and who seeks closer relations between the Philippines and the United States," she added.

The President also said the Filipino worker has become a presence around the world because of talent and industry.

She cited as examples Filipinos who are known to be musicians of Asia. "In fact, Hawaii Governor Ben Cayetano told me earlier that the first Filipinos in Hawaii, they were not the Sacadas of 1906. They were preceded by some Filipino musicians who played here in Hawaii," she said, adding that today international stars like Lea Salonga and a cast of Filipino talents are impressing audiences for their superb performances in Broadway.

She also paid tribute not only to the great, outstanding, world famous Filipinos like Hawaiian Governor Benjamin Cayetano but also to the thousands of nameless but unforgotten Filipinos who first landed on the Aloha State nearly a century ago.

"Their story is one of hard work and perseverance," the President said.

The President also lauded the Filipino-Americans present during the dinner for their continued efforts to practice many of the Filipino customs and traditions that have found acceptance in Hawaii.

"These have been passed from one generation to the next, spreading to neighborhoods and communities, and reinforced by the succeeding wave of Filipino migration," she said.

She likewise noted with gladness that the House of Representatives of the state approved the creation of the Filipino Centennial Celebration Commission, which she said, "is an acknowledgement of the greatness of the Filipino community in Hawaii."

After her speech, the President was presented the symbolic key to Honolulu which is a tradition given to a visiting head of state.