The place is strategically important, the local governments want it, and this is important to our national security. Anti-terrorism exercises will improve the capability of our soldiers to gain ground.

We are determined to cut down the entire body of terrorism in the country, and the Sulu connection is vital to this objective. There is a nexus in Central Mindanao connected with another hub in Sulu, both interlinked with militant cells in several urban centers. We have to take down all nodes and cells to contain the threat. We must not take this effort in isolation.

CAPAS, TARLAC— President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today paid tribute to the thousands of Filipino soldiers who perished during World War II as she unveiled the Wall of Heroes at the Capas National Shrine here this morning.

In her remarks at the unveiling of the Wall of Heroes, the President said that all the 32,285 names inscribed on the wall are heroes. The unveiling of the wall was part of today’s commemoration of the Fall of Bataan.

"The soldiers who fought in World War II, most of whom are no longer around, are pillars of courage and heroism. We’re forever indebted to them. This memorial that we unveil today is a tribute to them," the President said.

On the wall, the President said, are the names of the 32,285 gallant Filipino soldiers who took part in the Bataan and Corregidor campaign and the infamous Death March from Bataan to Capas, Tarlac.

The President said that the heroism shown by the Filipino soldiers during World War II should set an example for the nation that is today faced with mortal crisis since "they embraced a collective destiny and gave their all for the flag."

According to the President, seven of her uncles, who died during the Death March, have their names inscribed in the wall.

"I am proud that my family, the Macapagal family, is part of the Death March, and part of Capas, and part of Bataan," the President said.

The President recounted that another uncle, Angel Macapagal, was not on the list because when the soldiers in the Death March passed through Lubao, Pampanga (the Macapagals’ hometown) on their way to Capas, he went to a well to drink water and since nobody noticed him, he escaped.

"So, he didn’t go back to the Death March and he survived," the President said.

The President also mentioned the father of columnist Max Soliven, Major Benito Soliven, whose name was inscribed on the wall. Soliven, she said, commanded some 1,000 men in the battle of Bataan and Corregidor.

Citing the quest for freedom as the crux of the US-led war in Iraq, the President said this is the same stuff that our heroes of Bataan and Capas were made of when they fought for freedom.

"Many fought shoulder to shoulder until death. Others perished out of hunger and disease," the President said.

Knowledge and strategy are important. Keep yourselves informed of latest developments, do not believe in rumors and contact our SARS hotlines if you need help. We will deal with all facets of this threat, all possible ways it can get to our country. And we will not hesitate to take extraordinary measures to protect our people.

Home along da riles no more.

Settlers along railroad tracks who will be affected by the rehabilitation and modernization of the Philippine National Railways can look forward to a smooth, peaceful and humane relocation and will not be left to their own devices as what some quarters would like the residents to believe.

This, the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council headed by Chairman Michael Defensor assured settlers today as he clarified the issues and some conflicting details that have come out in various reports.

In a letter to Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye, Defensor said that despite initial setbacks, clearing operations for the occupied PNR properties will continue as planned until they are completed.

"The facts of the matter are clear," Defensor said. "The settlers are staying in a dangerous area, on a property that cannot be awarded to them and that property now needs to be cleared in preparation for a major development project that will have long-term benefits for the country."

Defensor said his office has designed a resettlement plan to minimize disruption and inconvenience while giving the settlers sufficient options.

The National Housing Authority, he said, has three resettlement sites for the settlers that on the average are only 25 kilometers away from the Northrail site.

They are the Towerville Homes in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, the Tala Medium Rise Housing in Caloocan and the Philippine Veterans Bank property also in Caloocan.

The sites, Defensor said offer all the basic facilities and amenities for decent and comfortable living.

"The relocatees will have access to water, electricity, and adequate transportation," he said. "They will have nearby churches, schools, markets and hospitals. They can go to Robinsons Novaliches or SM Fairview, which are also near."

These resettlement sites, Defensor stressed, are not far-flung empty grasslands as portrayed by some quarters.

Both Towerville and the Philippine Veterans Bank property, he said, offer home lots ready for the construction of housing units. This gives relocatees, he added, a chance to build their own homes.

"We are giving them a loan for housing materials in the amount of P50,000," Defensor revealed." Amortization to these loans are well within their means."

Defensor said that Towerville relocatees will only have to pay P250 a month for the first year and increasing to P500 on the fifth year, the maximum amortization.

Aside from the resettlement sites, the HUDCC chairman said the settlers have the option of finding a suitable site for themselves and the NHA will help them with the relocation. There is also, he added, a Balik-Probinsiya option which offers settlers a financial assistance of P10,000.

The relocatees are entitled to a livelihood assistance loan of P25,000 which is part of the standard entitlements package prepared for them, Defensor said. They can also avail themselves of the livelihood programs which include skills training ‘to help them lead more productive lives in their communities.’

"It is clear from the details of the resettlement plan that the relocatees will not be left to their own devices," Defensor said. "We have taken every measure to ensure a smooth, peaceful and humane relocation."

He scored the outside parties who have been urging residents to oppose or delay the clearing and relocation process for not offering any concrete alternative.

"I would ask them, if they are truly concerned about the welfare of the railway settlers to put their efforts and commitment behind a long term and real solution that will benefit the people they are supposedly fighting for." he said. "Of course it is easier to set up barricades,but in the end that doesn’t really solve anything."

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today called on the country’s youth to help the government in facing today’s problems and challenges as our heroes in the past have shaped our destiny as a nation when they were all young.

In her remarks at the opening of the First National Eco-Youth Camp and National Convention here, the President said the country’s foremost heroes, like Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Aguinaldo, were all in their late twenties when they fought for freedom and independence.

The President, who proceeded here after unveiling the Wall of Heroes in Capas, Tarlac, said the Filipino soldiers who died during the Death March in Bataan were all young and idealistic.

"Sa mga panahong ito, talagang maraming hamon na dapat harapin ng ating kabataan kagaya ng hinarap ng kabataan ng himagsikan ng World War II, ng Battle for Independence, ng EDSA I at EDSA II (During these times, there are many challenges that our youth must face in the same manner that young Filipinos have struggled during World War II, in the Battle for Independence and in EDSA I and II)," the President said.

Because of the many challenges that she has to face not only from within but also from outside of the country, the President said she would need the help and support of the youth.

"Ako, bilang inyong Pangulo, kailangan ko ang suporta ng ating kabataan sa dami ng hamon sa mundo at sa bansa (As your President, I need your support because of the many challenges that we are facing here and abroad)," the President said.

The President said that everybody must participate in the continuing fight against such menace as poverty, terrorism, drug abuse, infighting, and lately the threat of the dreaded severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

"So, I ask you, young people, for your continued cooperation, support and mature sobriety in the fight against SARS because together, in heart and mind, we can beat this menace," the President said.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today urged the youth to take advantage of the summer jobs program of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and apply for the more than 60,000 openings being offered by DOLE at the Kabuhayan 2003 Action Center at the SM Megamall in Mandaluyong.

Speaking before 3,000 delegates of the Sangguniang Kabataan from all over the country during the opening ceremony of the First National Eco-Youth Camp and National Convention here, the President said the government has initiated a number of programs designed to empower the youth and offer them the opportunity to earn a decent living.

She recalled that during her birthday last April 5, the summer jobs program was launched, offering 100,000 job opportunities for the people.

The President added that 60,000 of these jobs were opened to the youth, but, according to Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas, only 5,000 young men and women applied.

The President thus prodded the SK leaders to encourage their constituents to take advantage of the job openings to enable them to earn some income this summer for their own use when schools reopen next June.

She stressed that the government is focused on the creation of more jobs for the people, noting that even the Philippine National Police has its own emergency employment program for the youth in the different police districts.

"Magtulungan tayo at magka-isa tungo sa isang maganda at maliwanag na kinabukasan sa ilalim ng isang maunlad at matatag na Republika," the President told the youth delegates.

The SK National Convention, which is being held from April 9-11 at the George Dewey Convention Center, will have as its highlight the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement by Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes and SK National Federation president Ariel Joseph Arcillas of Sta. Rosa, Batangas.

The MOA will formally establish the collaboration of 336,00 SK members nationwide.

During the program, the President was conferred the highest title as National Adviser Emeritus of the SK leaders who represent every barangay, municipality, city and province in the country.

The convention, being held under the theme "Youth Moves the Nation: Building a New Culture for Sustainable Development," will concentrate on the youth’s action plan to protect, preserve and manage the environment for a sustainable future. It will also outline the youth’s active involvement in the President’s move to attract investments and create more jobs.

CAPAS, Tarlac -- Now that the war in Iraq is virtually over, the Philippines is much safer from terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today said.

In her speech marking Araw ng Kagitingan at Camp O'Donnell where she inaugurated the Wall of Heroes' Shrine, the President noted that the coalition is now crossing the bridge between mopping up operations and the beginnings of restoration.

"We must remember that we have also benefited in a significant way from this victory. We are now safer from weapons of mass destruction.

We are now more secure from the tentacles of worldwide terrorism abetted by rogue states," she said.

The President further noted that with the victory, "we have won freedom as much as the Iraqi people have won their freedom."

"Thus, today, Heroes' Day becomes even more meaningful as a time to reminisce the sacrifices of our own soldiery and people during the past war," she said.

Celebrating the nobility of soldiers, the President said, gives us the opportunity to pay homage to the coalition forces as well as to the Iraqi soldiers who died in the conflict.

CAPAS, Tarlac -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today announced that the Balikatan exercises will be held this year in several parts of the country, including Sulu.

In her keynote speech during the Araw ng Kagitingan ceremonies at Camp O'Donnell here, the President noted that Sulu is strategically important to the national security, thus the need for Balikatan exercises there.

The President further noted that the local government wants the Balikatan exercises to be held there.

"Anti-terrorism exercises will improve the capability of our soldiers to gain ground," she said.

The President also said the Philippine government is determined to cut down the entire body of terrorism in the country, "and the Sulu connection is vital to this objective." The President said there is a nexus in Central Mindanao connected with another hub in Sulu, both interlinked with militant cells in several urban centers.

"We have to take down all nodes and cells to contain the threat and we must not take this effort in isolation," the President said.

The Chief Executive acknowledged the opposition to the exercise and said "we will take that into consideration in the constitutionally adherent terms of reference."

She explained that the Balikatan exercises is one way of reinforcing the Filipino soldiers' strength.

CAPAS, Tarlac. -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today celebrated Araw ng Kagitingan by leading the inauguration of the Wall of Heroes shrine, a testament to the sacrifices of Philippine, American as well as Japanese soldiers during World War II.

The President, who arrived here around 10 a.m., paid homage to the war heroes by leading the wreath-laying ceremonies at the shrine.

United States Ambassador Francis Ricciardone and Japanese Consul General Akio Egawa also laid wreaths for the fallen soldiers.

The Wall of Heroes' Shrine surrounds the Memorial Obelisk, a structural monument made of three columns representing the Filipino, American and Japanese soldiers.

The wreath-laying ceremonies were held while the National Anthems of the three countries were played. Afterwards, one-gun salute for each country was let off.

After the brief ceremony, the President toured the expansive black granite wall. She looked for those under the name of Macapagal who died in the Bataan-Corregidor campaign and the Death March of 1942. The wall bears the names of all the veterans, numbering 32,285, who participated in the campaign.

The President, in her remarks later, said seven of her uncles died during the Death March and their names are inscribed on the wall. She noted that another uncle, Angel Macapagal, was not on the list because when the soldiers in the Death March passed through Lubao, Pampanga on their way to Capas, he went to a well to drink water and since nobody noticed him, he escaped.

In his message, Commander Rafael Estrada of the Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor said he, along with the other veterans and their families, are very much gratified that the leaders of the nation today gave importance to Araw ng Kagitingan.

"Thank you for remembering," he said.

CAPAS, Tarlac -- United States Ambassador to the Philippines Francis Ricciardone today thanked the Philippines and Japan for standing with the US in the issue of disarmament and liberation of Iraq.

"On behalf of the United States, let me take this very fitting occasion to thank our two fellow members of the coalition for the disarmament and liberation of Iraq, the Philippines and Japan for standing with us in this high purpose," Ricciardone said in his remarks during the Araw ng Kagitingan ceremonies in Camp O'Donnell here.

Ricciardone said he specially salutes President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes for their "unflinching support in this noble endeavor."

"Particularly now, as we turn all the more urgently to the task of humanitarian relief and recovery in that land wracked by generations of tyranny and war," he said.

The President has earlier ordered the setting up of a 500-member humanitarian task force to assist in the reconstruction of post-war Iraq.

The US envoy noted that on the same spot in Capas, where the men of the three countries once fought to the death, "representatives of our three great democracies stand together as closest of allies and friends, our three peoples enjoy and share freedoms, prosperity, national strength and human potential that those who fell here could not even imagined."

He said as combat continues half of the globe away from us, "we salute the forces of the coalition who are fighting to liberate Iraq from the dictatorship and to make our world safer from most Satanic weapons of terror and tyranny."

Ricciardone said he looks forward to the day when free Iraqis and representatives of the countries who did not shrink from this cause can stand together "just as Filipinos, Japanese and Americans do here today to celebrate the victory of freedom over tyranny, of humanity over cruelty and of peace over war."

The envoy noted that 62 years ago, thousands of courageous men fought unceasingly for three months, suffering the ravages of malaria, dysentery and malnutrition, where many were severely wounded and barely able to walk.

"Today, however, the most meaningful lesson of Bataan Day must be that despite the unspeakable cruelty and the horrors of war, there is something even stronger in the spirit of humankind that enables us to overcome to heal and even to transform and advance our human condition," he said.

Meanwhile, Japanese Consul General Akio Egawa, in his brief remarks, paid tribute to those who perished and made sacrifice during World War II.

Egawa said he hopes that the Wall of Heroes Shrine symbolizes the spirit of heroism of those who bravely fought for their motherland during the war.

He said the Second World War is a shared experience we will never forget "as it taught us lessons that would continue to echo through generations."

"Today is an opportune occasion for the people of the Philippines, United States and Japan to remember the lessons of that war -- not to set us apart as in the past but to move closer and forward as in the present and to strengthen our ties," he said.