The US government decision to pull out its troops in Baghdad shows the world that the war is not about occupation but liberation. The war is won in the armored front, but the larger struggle for political restoration and social healing has only just begun. We are committed to support this struggle of the Iraqi people to regain their democratic traditions and govern themselves in line with their own national vision and interest.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, along with the immediate members of her family and other relatives, today commemorated the sixth death anniversary of her father, former President Diosdado Macapagal, with a Holy Mass held at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Fort Bonifacio, Makati City.

The President arrived around 9:40 this morning on board the presidential helicopter from Baguio City and was driven to Libingan ng mga Bayani for the Mass.

First Gentleman Atty. Jose Miguel Arroyo, daughter Evangeline Lourdes, and sons Juan Miguel and Diosdado, accompanied the President in honoring the memory her late father.

Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo, former Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Heherson Alvarez and other relatives welcomed the First Family at the Libingan.

In his homily, officiating priest Fr. Bernardo Perez said the Filipino nation should be reminded of the simple but dignified lifestyle of the late President.

Fr. Perez also noted that the country should thank the Lord because the Philippines has not been directly affected by the recent war in Iraq and the global problem of the mysterious killer disease, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

After the Mass, the President joined her relatives and close associates in a late breakfast. After that, she proceeded to the Manila Hotel to attend the command conference of the League of Cities.

There will be no combat troops on the ground among American forces participating in this year’s Balikatan exercises.

This, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo emphasized today as he directed Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes to keep in mind the role of the US forces in the war exercises when he meets with American defense and military officials on the terms of reference of Balikatan 03-1 which will be held this year in Sulu and other parts of the country.

In her speech before delegates to the International Conference on Safer Cities: Responding to Urban Insecurity, Crime and Violence held at the Centennial Hall of the Manila Hotel, the President said American forces on the ground will be limited to civic, humanitarian and intelligence work.

"Sulu is important to our national security. Ipagpapatuloy natin ang ating kampanya laban sa (We will continue our campaign against the) Abu Sayyaf but I’d like our Filipino soldiers to do the fighting," the President said.

Reyes, for his part, said Balikatan 03-1 will practically have the same terms of reference as Balikatan 02-1 in Basilan but added this year’s war exercises will not be confined in Sulu alone.

Commenting on the President’s directive, Reyes said the Chief Executive only wanted to allay fears that American forces will do the actual fighting against the terrorist groups in Sulu and other parts of Mindanao.

"Right now, consultations are being done with officials of the Sulu government and ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) on how best to carry out Balikatan in the area," Reyes said.

The Defense Secretary, however, said no date has been set yet for the start of the war games.

The two-day international conference on security and terrorism, attended by the chiefs of police from all over the country, together with their municipal and city mayors, aims to be the stepping stone to formulate a national strategic action plan on how to make cities safe by focusing on the root causes of crimes and violence such as poverty, rapid urbanization and social inequities.

It was jointly sponsored by the World Bank Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based organization and the league of city mayors.

Also in attendance were mayors and officials of various cities throughout the world, including Nairobi, Kenya; Cali, Colombia; Vienna, Austria; and Sao Paolo, Brazil. The Minister of Social Welfare of Papua, New Guinea also shared her insights on port protection and street crimes.

In her speech, the President lauded the military, the police and the local government units for their concerted efforts in fighting terrorism.

Malacaņang today announced that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo would be attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit on the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) crisis scheduled for April 29 in Bangkok.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye, in his regular press briefing, said the President would be in the Thai capital for an overnight stay along with the other leaders of the 10-member Asean.

Thailand has announced Thursday the hosting of the Asean summit to discuss the SARS crisis and its effect on the region’s economy.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said the summit would determine an Asean position on SARS, which would in turn help the region’s tourism, investment and trade.

Officials of the World Health Organization (WHO) would also attend the summit.

Asean countries reporting SARS deaths include Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia.

The regional grouping also includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, and the Philippines.

Although the Philippines is still SARS-free, the President has called on Filipinos to be calm yet alert and prepared against the SARS scare.

She said the government has not lessened or relaxed its vigilance in all ports of entry. She noted the importance of extending this vigilance to all coastal communities and that illegal entrants must be reported immediately to the authorities.

"We cannot seal off this threat completely, but we must deal with it transparently, systematically and in an unified way so that we can detect it, contain it and heal its victims," she said.

The President earlier created the country’s SARS crisis management committee, headed by Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit, to implement measures that would prevent the SARS threat from entering the country.

The President likewise made available a total of P1.5 billion to mitigate the impact of SARS in the country, with half a billion pesos to be released for the upgrading of the infrastructure, equipment and supplies of hospitals that would respond to SARS cases.

Other measures undertaken by the government through the Department of Health as part of its SARS prevention program are:

• Beefing up hospital system capability, with the setting up of some 30 isolation rooms for SARS victims, to be increased to 300 nationwide if an outbreak occurs;

• Stricter quarantine measures for incoming airline passengers from SARS-affected countries;

• Keeping track of all suspect and probable cases of SARS in the country conducted by the National Epidemiology Center and other government and private hospitals; and

The government has not lessened or relaxed its vigilance in the fight against the triple threats of terrorism, street crimes and the dreaded Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome more popularly known as SARS.

Instead, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the government is inclined to extend its vigilance from all ports of entry to the coastal communities, cities and barangays.

In her speech before the International Conference on Safer Cities: Responding to Urban Insecurity, Crime and Violence held at the Centennial Hall of the Manila Hotel today, the President lauded the local government units for their concerted efforts at alerting the people as anti-crime czars and information managers as well as the police and the military for helping curb the terrorist threats.

"Through all these times, you have kept in step to secure and alert the citizenry as crisis managers and information czars," she told the delegates to the two-day conference aimed at formulating a national strategic action plan on how to make the cities safe.

She also lauded the SARS crisis team for doing its best to keep the country SARS-free and the National Capitol Region police for getting out of their headquarters and going back to the beat to help curb street crimes.

"We must call on the people to stay calm, informed and avoid panic reactions," the President said. "Huwag tayong padadala sa tsismis (Don’t be carried away by gossips). Let us be alert, prepared, but calm."

On SARS, she said: "We cannot seal off this threat completely but we must deal with it transparently, systematically and in a unified way so that we can detect it, contain it and heal its victims."

Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, who was among those who attended the conference, said the city government is all out in the fight against the triple threat of terrorism, street crimes and SARS.

"I’d like our people to know that their city is safe. The continued vigilance of the people and the police has helped a lot in containing these threats," he said. "Pero kailangan tulung-tulong pa rin ang lahat – ang LGUs, pulis at iba’t ibang sector para mapanatili ang peace and order."

He then batted for the transfer of the control of the police to the mayors, including their hiring and firing, for the campaign against street crimes and terrorism to be effective.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today thanked the more than 1.2 million overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the Middle East, particularly those working in Kuwait, for their courage and unity at the height of the US-led war in Iraq.

The President thanked the OFWs during the "Pasasalamat sa OFWs," a two-hour teleconference held at the Philippine Trade and Training Center (PTTC) in Pasay City participated in by leaders of the Filipino community in Kuwait, along with Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Bayani Mangibin and Overseas Workers and Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Virgilio Angelo.

The President said the OFWs have greatly and continuously contributed to the country’s economy "with or without war."

The two-hour live television broadcast served as the President’s way of reaching out and communicating to migrant workers in Kuwait and other parts of the Middle East.

During the 30-minute video conference, five Filipino community leaders in Kuwait – Zenaida Matillano, Carlito Ragos, Efren Rivera, Faisal Abusaman and Florence de los Santos -- thanked the President for the government’s support before and during the US-Iraq war which they said had helped assuage the feeling of their families back home.

The President also thanked the Middle East Preparedness Team headed by Ambassador Roy Cimatu for ensuring the safety of the OFWs, adding that because of the MEPT’s contingency plan, not a single Filipino was hurt during the war.

She said she was also very happy with the cooperation shown between the MEPT, the Philippine embassy in Kuwait and the OFWs.

The President also announced that she would retain Ambassador Mangibin in his post and would head the reconstruction task force in Kuwait.

With the coalition forces likely to announce victory within the week, the President said the country is ready to extend humanitarian assistance to war-torn Iraq as a sign of goodwill and diplomacy.

She also called on the OFWs and their families to always pray, saying that after all the difficulties, peace and stability would prevail.

The President particularly cited the OFWs in Kuwait for not leaving their jobs despite their proximity to the war zone. She said this has reinforced the highly admired quality and sense of loyalty among the OFWs.

She said the decision of the US-led coalition to pull out of Iraq shows that war is not about occupation but liberation. "The war is won in the armed front but the larger front or political restoration and local healing have only just begun," the President said.