Anti-Terrorism Measures

The President wants all local government officials, the AFP and the PNP, to maintain high levels of security all over the country and not give any terrorists the opportunity to capitalize on lax security.

Intelligence services should step up operations against foreign terrorists and their links within the country, but she cautions against high profile arrests or deportations without credible proof.

Operations against MILF

We will continue to enforce our laws and ensure that respect for duly constituted authorities prevails. If MILF fighting forces are neutralized in the field, the peace process would be accelerated and rebuilding Mindanao could begin sooner.

SARS Threat

The President has asked Secretary Dayrit and Immigration Commissioner Domingo to take a closer look at Laoag International Airport and make sure that there are no gaps in our SARS preventive measures.

PEA

Pan de sal, the popular Filipino breakfast paired with hot coffee, will remain at P1 per piece of standard 25-gram weight despite the volatile price of imported flour in the local market due to the peso depreciation.

This was the good news announced this morning by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during the launching of the "Pinoy Pan de Sal" project at the Insular Bakery on P. Burgos St. in Makati City.

"Pinoy Pan de Sal" is a joint project of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Philippine Federation of Bakers Association, Inc. (PFBAI) which uses a re-formulated "Harina de Pan de Sal" flour mix developed by San Miguel Inc., which is cheaper than the flour currently available in the local market.

The project was conceived in a meeting early this year of the National Price Coordinating Council to shield the Filipino consumer from the fluctuations in the world price of flour used in making pan de sal.

Trade and Industry Secretary Manuel A. Roxas II, in a brief message during the launching, said that in their dialogues with the officers and members of the PFBAI, they came up a good project that will standardize the weight or size of pan de sal by using a re-formulated flour mix.

"This project is a good example of how the government and the private sector, as well as big business and the countless small and medium enterprises (SMEs) all over the country, can join hands and work for the benefit of the Filipino consumers and, at the same time, enhance their own viability," Roxas said.

Roxas explained that the flour used in the Philippines is spring wheat, which is 100 per cent imported flour from the United States, Australia, Canada and China.

Because of the peso depreciation and seasonality of production and harvest of imported spring wheat, the price of flour in the local market is heavily affected and becomes volatile.

Based on the DTI’s price monitoring data, the price of flour in the local market as of press time was P470 per 40-kilogram bag in the National Capital Region.

Secretary Roxas emphasized that quality is not sacrificed as Pinoy Pan de Sal is also fortified with Vitamin A, bromate free, and uses iodized salt.

Roxas also informed the President that so far, over 50 Metro Manila bakeries are already participated in the Pinoy Pan de Sal project and the DTI is now facilitating the applications of bakers cooperatives and associations who want to join and avail themselves of loans under the SULONG program, the government’s P10-billion financing program specifically designed to support the expansion of SME’s.

The DTI Secretary added that the Bureau of Food and Drug (BFAD) is handling the certification of Harina de Pan de Sal’s vitamin formulation while PFBAI will accredit bakery stores and bakeshops that operate within the specified quality standards.

The government has already put in place all measures and strategies to prevent the spread of the infection.

Let us be calm but prepare for the worst. This was our policy for the Iraq war and we are reaping the dividends of our collective efforts. Education, information, alertness, sobriety and a sense of public responsibility among all Filipinos – these are what we need today.

In line with her priority strategy of helping the small Filipino entrepreneurs, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today awarded loan certificates to 12 qualified beneficiaries of the SULONG (SME Unified Lending Opportunities for National Growth) program to support the expansion of small and medium enterprises in the country.

Under the P10-billion financing program, the beneficiaries are entitled to borrow money at only nine percent interest from participating government financial institutions such as the Development Bank of the Philippines, Land Bank of the Philippines, Small Business Guarantee and Finance Corporation (SBGFC), Social Security System, and National Livelihood Support Fund (NLSF).

In a ceremony held at Malacaņang’s Heroes Hall, the President distributed the loan certificates to ATM Ber Aqua, Parotas, Inc., First Snowden Systems and Industrial Corp., GLG Marine Products, Dogui-is Coffee Trading, Romero Seaweeds and Sea Shells, Ronald F.Mandac of Laoag City, Rural Bank of Isulan (Sultan Kudarat), Co-op Bank of Agusan del Sur, Euro Credit Cooperative, Maranao Rural Bank and the Office of the City Mayor of Munoz, Nueva Ecija.

The President has been pushing for the expansion of small and medium enterprises through her national SME Development Agenda, believing that they are a vital engine of the Philippine economy.

She said the SMEs contribute to a more equitable distribution of income, disperse economic activities to the countryside and serve as a potent force in the war against poverty.

ATM Ber-Aqua refers to an Automated Tubig Machine firm owned by Teodulo and Jovita Bergado of Taguig which builds self-service, coin-operated water stations in Taguig dedicated for Class B and C consumers for only P5 per gallon. ATM Ber Aqua received P1, 450,00 loan from Small Business Guarantee and Finance Corporation (SBGFC) for the construction of two additional water stations in addition to the five stations it has established.

Parotas, Inc., which sets up cell sites for Globe, Smart and Islacom and is owned by the Vicente family of Marikina, was given a P3 million one-year credit line facility by SBGFC as additional working capital for their communication tower construction business.

First Snowden Systems & Industrial Corporation was granted a P2-million loan as additional capital for its air filtration and clean room construction. First Snowden has been in the business for ten years, and has expanded its client base to more than a hundred valued customers in electronics, ceramics, glass, automotive and power industries; as well as hotels, hospitals, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage companies and building contractors.

G.L.G. Marine Products owned by Gemma Geograpo of Bulan, Sorsogon was given a P1-million loan as working capital to meet the rising market demand for semi-processed marine products for its client s in various hotels and restaurants in Cebu City, Lucena City, Naga City and in Metro Manila.

Dogui-is Coffee Trading, a coffee, vegetable and fruit trading firm owned by Amy Dogui-is of Benguet, has been granted a P500, 000 loan under the SULONG program to increase the company’s capital volume.

Romero Seaweeds and Seashells owned by Rosa T. Romero of San Fernando, La Union, has been engaged in trading seaweeds, seashells, and other marine products. It received a check amounting to P150, 000 from Quedancor, a private financial company involved in the SULONG program.

Ronald F. Mandac of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte also received a check for P300,000 from Quedancor to develop his family-owned fishponds to breed and produce high quality tilapia and at the same time help in generating employment for those living in the area.

Rural Bank of Isulan (Sultan Kudarat), Inc. has been accredited by NLSF as a participating financial institution in the SULONG program with a P2-million line for SULONG in addition to the existing P4.4 million line for micro-finance.

The Co-op Bank of Agusan Del Sur, with membership of 83 primary cooperatives and POs operating in Caraga region, has been made program partner/conduit by NLSF with a P2-million line for the One Town, One Product, One Million program, in addition to the existing P1 million for micro finance.

The EuroCredit Cooperative, which caters to informal sectors and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), is another NLSF partner in the SULONG program, with a P2-million line for SULONG in addition to the existing P1-million line for micro finance.

The Maranao Rural Bank’s capability as partner in alleviating poverty in Mindanao shall be strengthened with a P2-million line for SULONG, over and above the existing P3.1-million line for micro finance.

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of the Philippines and the United Mexican States, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has issued Proclamation No. 344, declaring April 20-26, 2003 as Philippines-Mexico Friendship Week.

The close ties between the peoples of the Philippines and Mexico hark back to the historic Miguel Lopez de Legazpi expedition, which sailed for the Philippines from Mexico in 1565.  The founding by Legazpi of the City of Manila led to the famous Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade of the Spanish colonial period.

Nearly two centuries after the last Galleon sailed from Manila to Acapulco, Mexico remains the Philippines’ leading trading partner in Latin America, and both countries continue to enjoy close cooperation in multilateral forums such as the United Nations and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

Formal diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Mexico were established on April 14, 1953, and the first Philippine Diplomatic Legation in Mexico City was established on April 23, 1953.

The President made her second visit to Mexico to attend the 10^th Economic Leaders Meeting of the APEC held in Los Cabos, Mexico from October 26-27, 2002.

She had also visited Mexico City in late 2001 where she made an overnight stopover on her way to Los Angeles, California from her working visit to Washington, D.C.

A commemorative stamp will be issued by the Philippine Postal Corporation to highlight the 50th anniversary of this milestone in our diplomatic relations.   The stamps will feature the Virgin of Guadalupe, Patroness of Mexico and secondary Patroness of the Philippines (by papal bull), and the Cristo Nazareno of Quiapo, whose image came from Mexico.

The commemorative stamp will be launched at the lobby of the Philippine Post Office’s Main Branch in Liwasang Bonifacio, Manila, on Wednesday, April 23, 2003, 50 years after the first Philippine diplomatic mission was established in Mexico.

A Mexican philatelic exhibit will also be inaugurated on the same evening.  The Mexican Postal Services will be sending 167 stamps from the period 1986-2000 for this exhibit while the Philippine Postal Corporation will display another 167 from its own collection.  

Ambassador Roy A. Cimatu, head of the Presidential Middle East Preparedness Committee (PMEPC) has said that the situation in Kuwait is returning to normal despite the continuing war in neighboring Iraq.

"There are several indicators that point to the fact that Kuwait is returning to its normal condition prior to the Iraq war," said Cimatu in the advisory, copy of which has been furnished Malacanang and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

The advisory was issued to apprise Filipinos in Kuwait of the current situation and clarify issues that may have a bearing on their security and general well-being.

Cimatu said the indicators include the resumption of round-the-clock operation of the Kuwait International Airport on March 23, with most foreign airlines and national flag-carrier Kuwait Airways flying regularly to and from Kuwait; the re-opening of one of the country's northern oil fields and the resumption of production of 17 of the 39 oil wells in the Riqqa oil fields; resumption of trading on the Kuwait Stock Exchange on March 29; and the re-opening of classes and offices, also on the same date.

Cimatu, who is now based in Kuwait City, also noted as an indication the number and frequency of missile attacks directed against Kuwait, which he said had slowed down.

"From nine on the first day of the war, no more missile attacks were made on the 11th and 12th day. The last missile attack directed to Kuwait was on April 1 but it was not even able to reach Kuwaiti airspace before it was intercepted," Cimatu said.

As to the feared attack of weapons of mass destruction, the former AFP chief of staff assured Filipinos that Kuwait's defense has been bolstered by a battalion-sized nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) team of highly-trained experts from Ukraine, Czechoslovakia, Germany and the US that could respond quickly to any NBC attack, by way of decontamination and rescue.

"The preparations laid by the Kuwait government, the employers and the Philippine government through the Embassy with the assistance of the Middle East Preparedness Team, played an important role in allaying the fears of Filipino nationals in Kuwait," Cimatu said.

Cimatu also gave credit to the volunteers from the Filipino community for their "selfless and tireless efforts" in assuaging the fears of our countrymen in Kuwait.

"They truly exemplify the Filipino Bayanihan spirit. While other embassies were still starting to formulate contingency plans, the Filipinos are already benefiting from timely and correct information," Cimatu said in his advisory.

Cimatu said that in the highly unlikely event that the government of Kuwait declares that it can no longer ensure the safety of its nationals and expatriates, the worst case scenario of mass evacuation will commence.

Issuance of block visas to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was already assured by the KSA Embassy should this be necessary, Cimatu said.

Special envoy Roy Cimatu, head of the Middle East Preparedness Team (MEPT), informed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today that some Kuwaiti employers engaged in catering and food service businesses have expressed their preference to employ Filipinos as soon as the situation normalizes in Iraq.

During his daily teleconference with the President and members of the Malacaņang Press Corps, Cimatu also relayed the good news that the operators of duty-free shops in Kuwait informed him that they also want to hire more Filipino workers.

In his report, Cimatu said he met recently with some Kuwaiti employers who informed him of their desire to hire Filipino workers.

"I have taken the opportunity, in cooperation with the embassy and labor office, to meet some labor employers in Kuwait who have invited me and expressed their interest to employ Filipino workers," Cimatu told the President.