LOS CABOS, Mexico – (via PLDT) President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today said she is here in Mexico with a mission to create jobs in the Philippines and to build on regional and global cooperation in the war against terrorism.

In remarks during a luncheon conference with the United States Chamber of Commerce at the clubhouse of the Esperanza Hotel here, the President told the US business leaders that "only by working together can we stamp out the evil of terrorism and the scourge of poverty."

The President emphasized that she is focused on what needs to be done to address the war on terrorism and on winning the battle against poverty in the Philippines.

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

The President pointed out that the entire agenda for fighting terrorism by fighting poverty will work only if infused with a real spirit of cooperation.

"We must believe that in freeing the poor from the prison of poverty, all nations will reap the boon of a more tranquil and peaceful world," the President said.

The President stressed that just as terrorism is searched out and destroyed, the terror of poverty must also be searched out and destroyed.

"There is evil in being hungry just as there is evil in being a destructive terrorist. Let us work together as a family of nation to alleviate both," she said, appealing to the US business leaders to "do business with the developing world."

"Do business with the Philippines," she said.

LOS CABOS, Mexico – (via PLDT) President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today extended her sympathies to Australian Prime Minister John Howard for the many Australians who died in the Bali bombing last October 12.

During their bilateral talks at the Hotel Esperanza here, Prime Minister Howard likewise expressed his condolences over the victims of the Zamboanga City bombings.

In light of the tragic experiences of the Philippines and Australia, Prime Minister Howard proposed a bilateral anti-terrorism agreement with the Philippines, which President Macapagal-Arroyo accepted.

The President explained that the Philippines has a trilateral agreement with Malaysia and Indonesia, and said that this new anti-terrorism arrangement with Australia was a welcome development.

In a briefing at the Press Room of the Sheraton Hotel here, Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye said the two leaders also discussed the issue of pineapple and banana exports.

The problem of the pineapple export is nearing solution, Bunye said. The Australians okayed the decrowning of the pineapple for export while the export of banana is temporarily stopped.

"The Australians are, however, apparently closed to idea of accepting banana as exports at this time," Bunye said.

The two leaders also discussed sharing of intelligence information.

"This will be patterned after the anti-terrorism regional agreement with Malaysia and Indonesia," Bunye said.

During their talks, President Macapagal-Arroyo invited Mr. Howard to visit the Philippines. Howard said such a visit would be convenient at the second half of 2003.

LOS CABOS, Mexico (Via PLDT) – President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today called on world leaders in the Asia-Pacific region to extend the coalition against terrorism to a coalition in economic relations, saying that nations must ensure that the fight against terrorism does not make trade less free.

"My concern is how the terrorism shifted our attention away, from how to work to make the global economy strive we have shifted our efforts to how to secure ourselves and our country," the President said during the breakfast plenary session of the 10^th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Meeting here.

"The coalition against terrorism can and must extend to a coalition in economic relations," the President said. "The global economy will be able to pull through if we approach it the way we have been approaching our fight against terrorism."

Citing the Philippine experience, the President said "security impedes development and, conversely, poverty feeds extremists with recruits."

During the plenary breakfast dubbed as "Conversation with Leaders," the President said this coalition building could work equally well to lift the global economy out of its lethargy.

The key step is to build trust and faith once again in the global economy, the President said.

She cited two ways of doing this: first by dealing with terrorism as the most urgent priority and making sure that this is a secure world; and, by restoring faith and trust in the global economy by addressing the perceived inequality in receiving the benefits of integration.

Singling out the Philippines’ participation in the global efforts and work to promote this coalition at the regional level, the President said the Philippines has an anti-terrorism arrangement with Indonesia and Malaysia.

This arrangement, she said includes sharing intelligence, tightening border patrols and, if need be, joint peacekeeping.

"I think we should expand this coalition and take more aggressive action," she said.

On the restoration of trust and faith in the global economy, the President said the World Trade Organization (WTO) should be reengineered to assure a level playing field, ensuring that the rules of trading are not tough in favor of developed countries.

The President proposed that APEC should influence the WTO to come up with early harvest of results that can benefit the most number of people in the world.

The President thus suggested the following:

• elimination of harmful agricultural export subsidies;

• the opening up of markets for tropical agricultural products and products of interest to developing countries, such as tuna and textiles;

• the liberalization of services where developing countries can benefit, including labor mobility in sectors such as information technology, health care, and education; and

• the enhancing of the capacity of developing country-members to negotiate effectively, implement commitments, and improve the competitiveness of products.

The President also underscored the need to pay special attention to the growth of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs), saying that these provide a business approach to the alleviation of poverty.

She said this is being done in the Philippines with her "one town, one product program."

She expressed the hope that chief executive officers of APEC to look at integrating this self-help initiatives in their business plans.

This was how Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) chief executive officers described President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s speech during their breakfast plenary meeting, dubbed "A Conversation with Leaders," at the Cabo Real Hotel here Saturday (Sunday morning in Manila).

The President and two other APEC women-leaders – Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and New Zealand’s Prime Minister Helen Clark – made presentations for their respective countries during the meeting.

The President expounded on the interrelated wars against terrorism and poverty and called for the expansion of the global coalition against terrorism into a coalition for free trade and economic security.

In a briefing here later, Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye told Manila-based reporters the APEC business leaders gave President Macapagal-Arroyo a standing ovation after the event.

Quoting the CEOs, Bunye said the President’s message was powerful both in content and delivery.

He said Mrs Macapagal-Arroyo stood out from among the two other APEC women leaders, whom the President described in her speech as "tough, gifted and thoughtful."

In her speech, the President said "I’m very honored to share this platform with them today," referring to Megawati and Clark. "We come from three different countries with three different cultures and three different sets of challenges. But we share common commitments to prosperity, to democracy and to peace."

The President threw her support behind the international fight against terrorism but said efforts to ease poverty were also crucial to build security.

LOS CABOS, Mexico—Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople said yesterday a special diplomatic mission sent by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to European countries "successfully placed the terrorist character of the CPP-NPA in the agenda of the European Union, which has created a "clearing house" to make a list of foreign terrorist organizations to be submitted to the United Nations.

In a report to the President who was attending the 10^th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting in Los Cabos, Mexico, Ople said the mission he headed was received in Europe "with great warmth and enthusiasm." The other members of the special mission included Presidential Advisers Eduardo Ermita and Norberto Gozales, Undersecretary Abraham Puruganan and Presidential Management Staff chief Silvestre Afable, Jr.

Ople informed the President that most European governments indicated they would support a bid to endorse the New People’s Army as a terrorist organization to the UN under Security Council 373, which mandates all states to commit themselves fully to the global fight against terrorism.

Ople said the mission covered six countries in seven days, namely Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium and Spain. "It was a whirlwind tour but the effort was worth it," he said.

Ople noted, however, the reservation of some governments such as Spain, to include the National Democratic Front under the foreign terrorist tag until they can sift stronger evidence linking the organization to the NPA’s acts of terrorism.

The Secretary said the Department of Justice and Department of Foreign Affairs as well as the National Security Council were collecting evidence of three decades to show the NDF leaders, headed by Prof. Jose Maria Sison and former priest Luis Jalandoni, have directed terrorist attacks from their place of refuge in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

"The time is past when the CPP-NPA can hoodwink the international community about the nature of their organization," Ople said, adding:

"We would like to see the CPP-NPA-NDF go back to the negotiating table to consider a comprehensive peace settlement which would mean an end to the armed insurgency and their full participation in democratic elections under the constitution."