President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Thursday directed Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo to put the finishing touches to another logistics highway that would connect Cagayan de Oro to Batangas City as part of government efforts to bring down prices of agricultural products in the country.

Taking a cue from pleas of farmers from Davao City when she visited the area in the aftermath of the Sasa wharf bombing, the President said there were many requests for her to open up a Davao to Batangas nautical highway via Cagayan de Oro.

In her regular daily teleconference, she said this would bring better quality agricultural products at cheaper prices and change the landscape of product movement.

"This will really connect Mindanao and Luzon further," said the President who only recently inaugurated the Strong Republic Nautical Highway linking Batangas City, the islands of Mindoro, Panay and Negros to Dapitan and Dipolog in Mindanao via the Western seaboard. "And this is one legacy I’d really like to leave behind."

On Saturday, April 12, Lorenzo said they would do a reverse trip of the route the President took in inaugurating the nautical highway.

Produce from Western Mindanao will be brought to Batangas City from Dapitan in Mindanao via Dumaguete, Caticlan, Bacolod, Iloilo, Roxas and Calapan, Oriental Mindoro.

Lorenzo lauded the President, saying no other government in the past has attempted this roll-on roll off (Ro-Ro) system of ferry boats and terminals to bring produce from Mindanao to Luzon and Visayas and vice versa.

"Never has any government done this linkage which cuts travel time and farm produce prices into half," he said.

He added that the biggest beneficiary of the linkages are Mindanao farmers, citing in particular that northern Mindanao produces 60 percent of corn.

We have to take the blows for standing on principle. I have taken the blows often enough on many vital issues and I have no regret about my decisions.

The Iraq war was tied up with many sensitive issues—the exchange rate, the price of oil and its attendant effects at the street level, the safety of our nationals in Kuwait and in the Middle East, the threat of terrorism. All these went into the cauldron of anxieties and concerns that seemed to be aggravated when we announced our support for the coalition of the willing.

But all these have passed. Iraq is free. Short- term economic concerns have ebbed. We are making gains against terrorism. The doomsday scenarios have not dawned upon us. I am certain our people will be enlightened by their own power of hindsight and understanding of our decisions.

We shall continue to take defensive moves in the national interest, but we should avoid stigmatizing any nations or peoples, for no nation or people is at fault for this dreaded disease. We should deal with the problem with method and prudence; and minimize our irrational fears. Transnational cooperation, not division, is the key to the containment of this threat. Meanwhile, we shall maintain tight vigilance at home and prepare for the worst.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today lauded the country’s Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) for their outstanding contribution to community building and development.

In ceremonies held at the Ceremonial Hall of Malacaņang this morning, the President, assisted by Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo, National Youth Council (NYC) chairman Paolo Benigno IV, and Senator Pangilinan, awarded trophies to representative of TAYO.

The search for the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations is a project of the NYC, Senator Francisco "Kiko" Pangilinan, the Philippine Jaycees and the Mirant Philippines.

The project aims to recognize and reward youth groups for their goal-driven teamwork and accomplishments which are essential to building communities and a country.

The awardees as a follows:

1. Hundred Islands Cycling, from Alaminos, Pangasinan.
2. Rotaract Club – Peacemaker Youth, from Putatan, Muntinglupa;
3. Kapansanan at Akibat sa Kaunlaran ng Bayan (KAAKBAY) from Davao City.
4. My Zoo Volunteer Group, from Makati City.
5. UP Industrial Engineering Club, from Diliman, Quezon City.
6. Kabataang Gabay sa Positibong Pamumuhay (PYAP), from Iloilo City.
7. Rodeo Club of the Philippines – Baguio State University in La Trinidad, Benguet.
8. BPI-Save Mother Earth Club in Cagayan de Oro City.
9. Ateneo de Manila Debate Society from Ateneo de Manila, Quezon City.
10. Students’ Actions Vital to the Environment and Mother Earth Movement (SAVE ME), from San Mateo, Rizal.

The TAYO awardees were chosen based on a recent project undertaken by the selected youth organizations that left a positive impact on its community.

A distinguished panel of screeners conducted the judging which was held last April 9 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

The judges include Benigno Aquino IV, Senator Pangilinan, Emily Abrera of the McCann Erickson, columnists Rina David and Jarius Bondoc, Reginald Yu of the Philippine Jaycees, Roberto Calingo of Mirant Philippines, Celine Madamba of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, journalist Bernadette Sembrano, Education Undersecretary Jose Luis Gascon, NYC Commissioner Araceli Aves, Estela dela Paz of the First Gas Power, and Marian Catedral of Caltex Philippines.

The nationwide search was open to in-school, out-of-school, and working youth aged 15 to 30 yearrs.

You can now bring your car and vans to Boracay, IloIlo, or even down to Dakak, Zamboanga del Norte through the Strong Republic Nautical Highway (SRNH) starting Saturday, April 12.

And with no hassle at all for as long as you pay the terminal fee of P200 at each port of entry.

Malacanang said that the same route will provide businessmen a cheaper way to transport their cargoes from Luzon to the Visayas, and all the way to Mindanao.

The transport of produce from Mindanao and from the islands of Panay, Negros and Mindoro for Manila and other parts of Luzon can now be done through the roll-on, roll-of (RO-RO) facilities and without having to unload them from cargo trucks, Malacanang said.

The nautical highway offers an efficient and shorter way to travel to the Visayas and Mindanao through the western seaboard.

For vacationers, the route allows them to hop from one island to another and enjoy the scenery in the comfort of their cars, Malacanang said.

Here is the recommended route:

From Manila, drive to Batangas port, board the RO-RO to Calapan City. From Calapan City, drive south to Roxas, Oriental Mindoro and catch the daily RO-RO trip to Caticlan, Aklan. A RO-RO vessel leaves Roxas, Oriental Mindoro at 8:30 a.m. and will dock at Caticlan port at around 1:00 p.m. The same RO-RO boat leaves Caticlan at 3:00 p.m. back to Roxas.

Iloilo City via Ivisan is about 4-hour drive from Caticlan. One may drop by Roxas City (about 10 minutes drive from Ivisan) to buy some fresh seafoods. Roxas City is the seafood capital of the Philippines. One can go further east and have a side trip to Gigantes island and the magical caves of Sicogon and its sand bar.

When in Iloilo City, one can drop by Guimaras Island to have a taste of Philippines’ finest mangoes or before going further south to Bacolod City. You can also go dolphin and whale watching at Bais City, then to Dumaguete City, then finally board the RO-RO to Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte. When in Dumaguete City, you may want to have a side trip too, to the enchanted island of Siquijor.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today assured the country’s new graduates that the government is continuously looking for jobs for Filipinos who enter the work force every year.

In her keynote speech at the commencement exercises of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), the President noted that when she first became president, the unemployed reached 4 million.

But due to the efforts of her administration, the figure remains at such level, if not reduced, from time to time.

"We have to keep running just to stay in place just like in a treadmill," the President said. "Just to keep on top of the 4 million jobs, our economy has had to keep growing and it has kept growing during these past two years."

The President, who was welcomed by PLM President Dr. Benjamin Tayabas and Manila Mayor Lito Atienza at the PLM commencement exercises, noted that her administration’s national agenda, that would provide jobs to Filipinos, revolves on four fronts.

These are: an economic philosophy of free enterprise appropriate to the 21^st century, a modernized agriculture founded on social equity, social bias towards the disadvantaged to balance the economic development plan, and to raise the moral standards of government and society.

The President noted that last April 5, on the occasion of her birthday, she launched Kabuhayan 2003 which provides summer job programs and job fairs to some 100,000 applicants.

To this day, the Chief Executive said, there are only 7,000 applicants. Thus, she enjoined the new graduates to immediately apply for positions.

The President noted that her administration would continue to look for jobs for Filipinos in the country or even in post-war Iraq, where abundant jobs could be available for Filipinos.

In his brief remarks before the President’s speech, Dr. Tayabas noted that its was the late President Diosdado Macapagal, the President’s father, who signed into law Republic Act 4196 creating the Pamantasan ng Lunsod ng Maynila.

The creation, Tayabas noted, was spurred by the late President Macapagal’s vision of a university in the heart of Manila that would provide education to the capital’s economically-disadvantaged but intellectually deserving students.

In her speech, the President noted that one of her trusted police aides, Western Police District Director Senior Supt. Pedro Bulaong, is a product of PLM.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today announced the rescue and recovery of another hostage of the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf in Mindanao.

The President, who made the announcement during her keynote speech before the graduates of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City, said new Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Narcisco Abaya called earlier on the phone to inform her of the good news.

"Naka-rescue na naman tayo ng isang hostage ng (we were able to rescue another hostage of the) Abu Sayyaf," the President said to the applause of the audience.

Last month, the Armed Forces rescued Julkipli, an Indonesian seaman, who was held hostage by the terrorist group since last year.

Reports said Julkipli’s colleague, Peter Learich, was recovered by the Armed Forces today in Sulu.

Learich, one of four Indonesian sailors abducted by the Abu Sayyaf in June 2002, is undergoing medical examination by military doctors but appeared to be in good health.

Reports said Philippine Marines raided a hideout of the Muslim guerrilla group near the Jolo town of Patikul around noon following a civilian tip-off.

The President said her administration is making gains against terrorism. She noted that she has taken blows often enough on many vital issues, "and I have no regret about my decisions."

She noted that the Iraq war was tied up with many sensitive issues such as the exchange rate, the price of oil and its attendant effects at the street level, the safety of Filipinos in Kuwait and in the Middle East and the threat of terrorism.

She further noted that many predicted the peso would reach P60, even P100, to the US dollar, that the price of oil would reach P60 to P80 per liter, but these did not happen at all.

"All these have passed…the doomsday scenarios have not dawned upon us. I am certain our people will be enlightened by their own power of hindsight and understanding of our decisions," she said.

She said she is certain that the students and parents, as well as the rest of the populace, will be enlightened by their own power of hindsight and understanding of her decisions.

"I stand by all my actions for the interest of our country and the welfare of our people. Sometimes my actions will be misunderstood, but a leader must never hesitate to make a decision simply for fear of being misunderstood," the President said.

The Oplan Kalinga Kamustahan call centers closed Thursday night after logging over 10,000 free calls to the Middle East and providing "peace of mind to thousands of restless Filipinos during the Iraq conflict."

At simple rites at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium (NAS), Iraq conflict crisis manager National Security Adviser Roilo Golez formally received the final report of calls made during the 21-day, 24-hour-a day operations from Press Undersecretary Rocky Nazareno.

"The mere thought that you were all able to provide peace of mind to more than 10,000 families and their counterpart overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) is more than enough reward for all those sleepless nights you went through," Golez told Oplan Kalinga volunteers.

Golez underscored that it was the "vision for preparation" of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in ordering contingency measures, such as Oplan Kalinga, to be put in place when the Iraq conflict erupted.

"A strong government takes care of its own. And throughout the Iraq conflict, President Macapagal-Arroyo clearly showed her resolve to see to it that each and every OFW is accounted for and taken care of," Golez said.

In all, the Oplan Kalinga call centers at the NAS, Tahanan ng Masa at the Singian Center in Malacanang and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) building in Pasay were able to process more than 10,000 calls to four countries in the Middle East.

The bulk of the calls were made to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia where most of the 1.4 million OFWs in the Middle East are based.

Oplan Kalinga was spearheaded by the Office of the Press Secretary, Presidential Action Center (PACE) and OWWA, with valuable assistance from private telecommunications companies, notably the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., Globe Telecom, Smart Communications, Sun Cellular, Destiny Cable, Sky Cable and Home Cable.

Also providing assistance were the Overseas Placement Association of the Philippines (OPAP), the Episcopal Pastoral Care for Migrant and Itinerant People, Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines and United Filipino Seafarers.

Volunteers from these private groups provided counseling and other forms of assistance to the families of the OFWs apart from the free calls and other assistance that the OWWA gave.

Golez likewise cited the support of the Philippine Sports Commission, particularly PSC chairman Eric Buhain, in allowing the use by Oplan Kalinga of the NAS.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today ordered officials of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to require airlines coming from Hong Kong, China and Singapore to "institute strict pre-departure medical screening of passengers going to the Philippines."

The President, during her regular daily teleconference, said "airlines should be cooperative of this approach as it protects not just the country of destination but also the passengers and crew," she said, adding that registered physicians should carry out the passengers’ medical screening.

She also asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to make sure that "such strict screening is undertaken" to prevent passengers with symptoms of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) from boarding planes.

She called on Philippine consulates abroad to report daily on any SARS case that has been discovered or reported within the past ten days.

The President said persons with SARS should be advised to seek immediate medical attention.

Further, the President directed the SARS management team headed by Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit "to cover arrivals from countries with a history of SARS outbreak by strict quarantine procedures."

She likewise ordered airport authorities in Manila, Cebu and Laoag to "adopt stricter screening of arrivals from cities said to have been afflicted with SARS.

Screening of passengers is imperative from the point of origin and then at the point of destination, the President said.

During the same teleconference, the President said the first probable SARS case in the country "has been cured."

The case is a 64-year old foreigner who regularly spends time between Manila and Hong Kong.

He was diagnosed as a probable SARS case after seeking treatment when symptoms started. He was quarantined and his history traced. But he was treated, had recovered and fully cured, she noted.

The World Health Organization stipulates that a person who may have probable SARS is no longer a carrier 48 hours after his fever subsides.