The President wants our government’s role to be principally peacekeeping and humanitarian. Job placements can and should be handled by the private sector.

Peacekeepers will play a key role in restoring order and normalcy. The present chaos in the streets is a normal byproduct of a sudden power vacuum which our peacekeepers, together with those from other nations, can help fill. Our doctors and nurses can help both in medical treatment and in promoting public health. These roles are well within our capabilities.

SARS

The President wants active contact with officials from Singapore, Japan and other countries and find out what measures they have taken to prevent the spread of the virus. The information that they can share with us will boost our own capability to cope with any possible outbreak.

ASG

The Iraqi people are in dire need of help for the rehabilitation of their war-torn country and this is the main reason why they are opening their gates for skilled workers of the world, including our OFWs. They are our hosts and we will help them if they want us to.

The idea that the 100 thousand jobs for OFWs is a sort of reward for our support of the Iraq war is unfair to us, the Iraqi people and the coalition of the willing. Our support for democracy is based on principle, it is not based on anticipation of any material reward.

SILANG, Cavite—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today said the government would give priority to Muslim Filipinos in construction jobs that would be made available to Filipino workers in post-war Iraq.

In her speech at the commencement exercises of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA), Class 2003, at Camp General Mariano N. Castaneda here, the President said the Philippines is ready to send Filipino workers to help in the reconstruction of war-torn Iraq.

"Higit na makabuluhan ang pagpapadala natin ng mga manggagawa mula sa Mindanao (It would be more meaningful for us to send workers from Mindanao)," the President said

The President said that the Muslim Filipinos, especially those in the former conflict areas in Mindanao, would be in a better position to understand the suffering and deprivation of the Iraqi people.

We are doing this as we continue our frenzied efforts in rehabilitating areas in Mindanao that have experienced the same kind of deprivation and violence, the President said.

"Sa ganitong paraan, matutukoy natin ang sarili nating problema habang nakakatulong din sa iba (This way, we can understand our own problems while we try to help others)," the President said.

SILANG, Cavite—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo announced today that the government will begin sending a humanitarian and peacekeeping contingent to Iraq starting next week as part of the country’s global engagement and commitment to the international community.

In this regard, the President also announced the creation of two task forces to coordinate government efforts and appointed Jose Ibazeta as Philippine ambassador to Iraq to provide ground support for the rehabilitation of the Iraqi people.

In her keynote speech at the 24^th commencement exercises of the Philippine National Police (PNPA) Sambigkis Class 2003, the President said most of the members of the humanitarian and peacekeeping contingent to Iraq would come from the PNP.

"Now that the Iraqi people have been freed from the yoke of tyranny and oppression, the world must come together and help them enjoy the fruits of freedom and democracy," the President said.

The first task force she created is an inter-agency one that would coordinate Philippine humanitarian assistance to Iraq. The second is composed of the public and private sector and will coordinate and support Philippine participation in the massivelong-term efforts to build the shattered infrastructure and institutions of Iraq.

The second task force, according to the President, is aimed at helping the Iraqi people "on their way to unlocking their country’s great potential."

The Chief Executive said the humanitarian assistance task force would be comprised of the secretary of foreign affairs as chairman, secretary of defense as co-chairman, special envoy of the Middle East Preparedness Team as executive director, and the following as members: the secretaries of the interior and local government, health, social welfare and development, the Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Philippine National Police Director General, the executive director of the Office of Muslim Affairs, the Philippine ambassadors to Iraq and Kuwait and other officials the President may designate.

The President noted that the international assistance to Iraq would be done in an environment which would undergo three stages, namely: the first action led by the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA), the establishment of the interim authority in Iraq and the establishment or reestablishment of UN assistance and related programs in Iraq.

The President noted that the task force would immediate formulate a consolidated plan of proposed Philippine assistance for the immediate needs of Iraq. Such assistance would include participation in the ORHA and other humanitarian, medical and related activities for Iraq.

The task force, the President added, shall also conclude arrangements with receiving and host government so that members of Philippine personnel contingent in Iraq are not put at personal risk from application of local laws.

The task force would likewise conduct public information, education and communication campaign on the hazards and risks, if any, in the sending of peacekeeping and humanitarian mission.

A technical working group would also be established to discuss in detail guidelines, programs and projects to accomplish the specified areas of Philippine participation in humanitarian assistance to post-war Iraq.

"Our total participation in Iraq's reconstruction signals the global outlook that must always infuse our strategic actions," the President said.

In noting the contribution of the Philippine to earlier United Nations efforts aimed in providing assistance to Iraq, the President said the nation has participated in the Oil-for-Food program for Iraq.

MUNTINLUPA CITY -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today branded as "unfair putdown" said criticisms against government preparedness against the deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

"I would like to tell the world again that we're doing our best to keep the Philippines SARS-free," she said during a meeting with the doctors and staff of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine here. The President dropped by after gracing the commencement exercises of the Sambigkis Class 2003 of the Philippine National Police Academy.

The government earlier reported the first probable SARS case in the country, that of a 64-year-old foreign national who has been going to and from Hong Kong.

"We don't even know if that first case was conclusively of SARS. Even that is an important fact," the President said.

The President said the government is not complacent in arresting the deadly virus.

Reports said a survey of the Singapore-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy claimed that the Philippines is scarcely prepared to deal SARS once the deadly virus finally sweeps into the country.

The same survey said Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong are the best prepared countries and territory in Asia to deal with the mystery virus.

This, despite SARS deaths, not in the Philippines, but in China (60) and Hong Kong (36), Canada (13) Singapore (8), Vietnam (5), Thailand (2), Malaysia (1). No death caused by SARS has been reported in the Philippines.

As such, the President said she is instructing the government SARS management team, led by Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit, to coordinate with officials of Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong and find out the measures they have taken "since they're supposed to be so good" in dealing with SARS.

During her visit to the RITM, the President lauded the doctors and staff of the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine, as well as government medical practitioners from the San Lazaro Hospital, for being vigilant against the spread of SARS.

The President issued the commendation while noting that the Philippines is still SARS-free, unlike other developed countries.

"We have some sectors who are mocking us because we're not world class, (but) how come we're SARS-free?" the President said.

The President congratulated the medical staff of RITM, whom she enjoined not to be discouraged by "these people who are mocking us."

"What you're doing is no less than heroic and I salute you for that," she said.

In the same briefing at the RITM, the President noted that the lone "probable" SARS case in the country has been cured.

This is a testimonial that these so-called experts are wrong in saying that you're not good enough, the President said.

The President noted that she has allocated more than a billion pesos prevent the entry and spread of SARS in the country.

The President further cited the OFWs for supporting the government efforts to prevent SARS in entering the country.

"They don’t come unless they have to and then, (if) they do, they undergo all of the requirements in the airports, airplanes, arrival areas," she said.

SILANG, Cavite—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today announced the appointment of businessman Jose Chacarrategui Ibazeta as the country’s next ambassador to Iraq.

In her speech at the commencement exercises of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) at Camp General Mariano N. Castaneda here, the President said Ibazeta will provide the ground support to the country’s efforts in helping rebuild post-war Iraq.

The President has also announced the creation of a public-private sector task force that would coordinate and support the participation of the Philippines in massive reconstruction of shattered infrastructure and institutions in Iraq.

She said now that the war is over, the Philippines should help the Iraqi people "on their way to unlocking their country’s great potentials."

Ibazeta, who is fondly called "Nono" by his business associates, is currently chairman of the Atlas Mining and Development Corp., and is a consultant of A. Soriano Corp. (Anscor).

He is a member of the board of directors of AB Capital and Investment Corp., PET Plans, and the International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI).

Ibazeta was president and chief operating officer of Anscor from l990 to l998. Before this, he held various positions in Anscor starting in l980.

For two years (l975-1976), Ibazeta was managing director of Davis Palmer & Biggs in New York. From l971 to l975, he also worked as investment manager for Peat Marwicj & Mitchell in New York.

Ibazeta holds a masters degree in Business Administration from the University of San Francisco in California and another masters degree in Banking and Finance from the New York University. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Ateneo de Manila University.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s decision to support the United States-led war on Iraq may have lessened her popularity, but still most Filipinos like the way she runs the government. And there are more people who trust her.

This was stressed in today’s editorial of the Manila Standard, which commissioned a Social Weather Station (SWS) survey conducted from March 10 to 20, "about the same time the SWS was assessing the President’s popularity rating."

The editorial noted SWS survey results that showed "most Filipinos expressed satisfaction with the administration’s handling of national security amid threats of terror attacks."

This garnered a net satisfaction rating of 15 percent, about three notches higher than that in the SWS survey of November-December.

"On helping the poor, the administration rated positive 15 percent," the editorial said, adding that it was a marked improvement from positive 12 percent in the 2002 year-end survey.

Most of the respondents expressed "much trust" in public institutions led by the Supreme Court (37 percent), Senate (32 percent), House of Representatives and Sandiganbayan (30 percent), and the Commission on Elections (28 percent), among others.

The same editorial cited the President’s decision to back the US war on Iraq that tilted public opinion during that time.

"Justifying her position on Iraq, the President said: We have to take the blows for standing on principles," the editorial noted.

"Sometimes my decisions will be misunderstood," said the President when she announced she would not run in the 2004 presidential elections.