President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today called on lawmakers "not to legitimize a criminal act that unfolded before our very eyes," referring to a failed coup staged by rogue soldiers in Makati last week.

The President also asked members of the Senate and House of Representatives not to "try to impede government efforts to get to the root of the plot."

In a statement during the groundbreaking rite for the Camanava (Caloocan-Malabon-Navotas-Valenzuela) area flood control and drainage system improvement project, the President reminded lawmakers of the "overt attempt to overthrow the government by force of arms."

"Once and for all, let us show our people and the world that we condemn all means to gain political power outside the ballot. This is our solemn duty," she said.

She stressed that the indictment of coup participants involved "plain criminal justice, not political persecution or harassment."

The President said all government actions were based on evidence and "not speculation or rumor," noting that "there will be no indictments made on mere suspicion."

The indictment process "will not be a political circus (and) it will be a trial on the merits befitting the high standards of our democratic system."

She also called on everyone to put a stop to military adventurism. "This must be the last time military adventurism is allowed to rear its head in our country."

She said the "formidable challenges we are facing do not allow for these attacks, however weak they may be, upon the heart of our political system."

She enumerated the social menaces that should be given outright and proper focus.

The "enemies we must vanquish without having to contend with traitors within the democratic polity itself" included poverty, terrorism, drugs, ignorance and disease, she added.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo expressed last night willingness to take the "risks necessary for peace so that our nation can once again be united," particularly in Mindanao.

She showed elation over the start of the peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as it signals that "peace is within our grasp."

The President confirmed that the talks would start in a week and "we hope to finish these in a few months."

In her speech and in an open forum during the Manila Overseas Press Club President’s Night, the Chief Executive said the Philippines would be "honored to have (Malaysian) Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad witness the signing of the (GRP-MILF peace) accord."

She thanked Malaysia for having stood up as a partner of the Philippines in the peace process, particularly in offering to continue hosting the GRP-MILF peace negotiations in Kuala Lumpur.

The President emphasized that "any matter about how the ceremonies for the signing of the final peace agreement would have to be discussed in tripartite consultations in the spirit of friendship and goodwill."

"We will also be honored to have (US) President (George W.) Bush witness it – at least on live video," she said.

She thanked the US for supporting peace and socio-economic development efforts in Mindanao, particularly in the rehabilitation of conflict-affected areas.

But the President stressed that while peace is within grasp, "it will not be achieved at any cost."

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said last night the continued enforcement of the state of rebellion is not a stage for martial law or its impressive implications but merely a plain pursuit of criminal justice.

Speaking at the President’s Night of the Manila Overseas Press Club, the President said the state of rebellion will continue to be in force but "this does not mean that we are in a state of siege."

"I am maintaining the state of rebellion as a warning and caution to the enemies of the constitution who are still unaccounted for," she said.

"There are plotters, operators, financiers and backers both in and out of government who are still in the cold. We will expose them and bring them to justice."

She assured the citizenry that our international affairs are on the normal course of business, "protected by an umbrella of sustained vigilance by the state."

She then enumerated several issues that need to be separately addressed.

While she said that she felt compassion for the misguided soldiers and their grievances, she stressed that she will not stand for any mutiny of any kind by soldiers for any reason.

"Democracy in the Philippines will not be held hostage by lawlessness in any form," she emphasized.

Legitimate grievances of the soldiers who staged that Sunday coup if proven true, according to the President, are unconscionable.

"They are being investigated. A report will be made and actions taken," she said.

In this connection, she said she had ordered the release of an initial P100 million for the ground needs of the Armed Forces of the Philippines like boots and field equipment. These will be purchased, according to her, following the civilian rules of bidding.

She expressed the hope that no unscrupulous politicians are involved in the failed mutiny, saying such actions are selfish and the antithesis of patriotism.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today said that Brig. Gen. Victor Corpus, former chief of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), would be harnessed to monitor the approaches undertaken by the government in solving the root causes of the communist insurgency in the country.

At the open forum during the President’s Night of the Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC) held Thursday evening at the Hotel Intercontinental in Makati City, the President said she would like Corpus to monitor the government’s holistic approach in solving the insurgency problem.

She explained that in this approach, the military action or law enforcement is considered as the right hand while the measures in addressing the root causes of the insurgency like poverty, injustice and their exclusion from the mainstream of society are part of the left-hand approach.

The President said that although the "war room" in Malacaņang is tracking both the right and the left approaches, what is happening is that the group is tracking the right side more often.

"And I want to have somebody who can track the left side much more," the President said, adding that since Corpus was the one who put together the entire framework, he might as well be asked to monitor it.

In the same forum, the President said that Director General Hermogenes Ebdane, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), is still the most qualified person to find escaped terrorist Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi.

"I think he is still the best man who can find Fathur al-Ghozi, that’s why he is still there," the President said.

The President said that Ebdane "is a very very good intelligence investigative person and has a very wide network of intelligence assets."

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today led the ground-breaking ceremony of a vital infrastructure project that would resolve the perennial flooding in three cities and a town in northern Metro Manila and improve the economic conditions of the millions of residents there.

"Sa wakas, sinisimulan na itong ating flood control ng CAMANAVA, kaya congratulations sa lahat ng nagtrabaho para dito (The construction of the CAMANAVA flood control project has finally started. Congratulations to all those who worked for this)," the President said. CAMANAVA refers to Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela, low-lying cities and town adjacent to Manila Bay that are flooded during the rainy season and during high tide.

The President was welcomed at Barangay Dampalit in Malabon for the ground rites by Japanese Ambassador Kojiro Takano, Chief Representative Mitsuru Taruki of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando who is also Cabinet Officer for Regional Development for the National Capital Region, and local officials from Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela.

The President led the breaking of the sake barrel, the lowering of the time capsule and the shoveling of soil into the cornerstone, signaling the start of construction of the P5-billion flood control project funded under a loan agreement between the government and JBIC.

In her brief remarks, the President lauded the local officials who worked hard for the implementation of flood-control project that would finally address the perennial floods caused by the overflowing of the Malabon-Tullahan river.

The flood-control project, covering 18.48 square kilometers of flood- prone areas in CAMANAVA, will be implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and MMDA.

Under the project, the DPWH and MMDA will construct dikes, pumping stations, flood control gates, navigation lock, improvement of existing drainage channels and drainage system to prevent the overflowing of Malabon-Tullahan river.

The objective of the flood control project is to improve the living conditions and promote economic activities within the CAMANAVA area.

Project Managers Louie Mamitag, Jr. and Carla Bartolo of the DPWH-CAMANAVA flood control project management office said families in the affected areas will be relocated to three resettlement sites in Bulacan where they will be provided complete basic services and livelihood assistance.

The project is expected to be completed by June 2007.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo would likely give to the commission looking into the al-Ghozi escape the responsibility of going through reforms in the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye today said the President was also keen on expanding the membership of the commission by adding two other members from the police itself.

In his regular media briefing, Bunye said the President would be announcing the names of the police members soon.

The fact-finding commission looking into the escape of the Indonesian terrorist and two Abu Sayyaf members is composed of former Justice Secretary Sedfrey Ordonez, Justice Secretary Simeon Datumanong and Miguel Varela, chairman of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Bunye also disclosed that the President was still "scouting for some possible members" to compose the commission that would look into the Davao bombing incidents.

It would be recalled that last week, the President pushed the creation of three independent commissions to investigate the Davao bombings, the reorganization of the PNP and the Makati mutiny.

It was a knockout of an encounter.

But instead of a roped arena, it was the Music Room of Malacaņang that served as the venue for the champions who ironically did not hide their admiration for each other.

After all, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the country’s lone reigning world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao were not there to mix it up. They are already winners in their own right.

Fact is, they came to the meeting fresh from victories in their respective outings last Sunday that they ended up congratulating each other: Pacquiao from a devastating third round technical knockout win over erstwhile undefeated Mexican challenger Emmanuel Lucero and the President from a misguided mutiny of young military officers which she crushed in less than 22 hours.

"Congratulations, Manny," the President told the International Boxing Federation junior featherweight champion as soon as she entered the room. "You represent the Filipinos abroad who can compete anywhere and win."

Pacquiao for his part, thanked the President for mentioning him and his feat in her State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday wherein she said "the Filipino will work anywhere because he is not afraid, like Manny Pacquiao. Given the chance to compete, he will take it and win."

"Maraming salamat po, mahal na Pangulo, dahil sa pagkakabanggit niyo sa akin sa SONA (Thank you very much, my dear President, for mentioning me in your SONA)," Pacquiao told the Chief Executive. "Inihandog ko po ang laban na iyon sa inyo at sa lahat ng Pilipino (I dedicated that fight to you and to all Filipinos)."

Pacquiao, who came to the Palace with his wife Jinky, Manila Mayor Lito Atienza and his handlers, narrated that he did not know that a mutiny was going on in the country until after the fight held at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles.

"Nabalitaan ko na lang po pagkatapos ng laban. Natutuwa po ako at nagawan naman po kaagad ninyo ng paraan. (I just knew about it after the fight. I’m glad that you were able to solve it)," the boxing champ told the President.

In the midst of the rebellion staged by some 300 young officers and men, Filipinos took a two-hour break Sunday and enjoyed the action as the Filipino champ demolished his opponent menacingly called "The Butcher" with a devastating left cross at 48 seconds of the third round.

Even before the title fight, President Macapagal-Arroyo indicated her desire to have the young champion in Malacaņang upon his return.

Pacquiao in return thanked the President for her support and said in post-fight interviews that he wanted to pay a courtesy call on the President upon his return to the country.

At the end of the courtesy call, Pacquiao exhorted all Filipinos to unite and rally behind the President in her efforts to build a Strong Republic.

Instead of romanticizing and making heroes out of the young military officers who staged a failed mutiny in Makati last Sunday, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo advised media last night to look at things from the holistic approach.

Reacting to a question during the President’s Night of the Manila Overseas Press Club forum last night, the Chief Executive exhorted media representatives to support her in bringing the perpetrators of the rebellion to justice, "no matter how good looking they are," to stop the culture of military adventurism in the country.

"If you support me and make sure that we bring these criminals to justice no matter how good looking they are, then this will be the last coup," she said in answer to a question on when the Philippines will be coup-free.

The holistic approach, which she said she’s using in solving the country’s insurgency problem, dispenses firm justice on the right side and addressing the root causes, the legitimate grievances on the left side.

"Glamorizing them just encourages them to do it some more," she reminded media men during the open forum that followed her speech.

She said she was aware of the soldiers’ grievances from Day One and that she’s been working on that.

"It’s just that they have been instigated apparently by unscrupulous elements. And that’s part of the right side too. If you are going to make this a matter of personalities, well, why not also find out, and which, this is what we are trying to do, find them," she said.

The President said this is the reason why she still has to lift the state of rebellion, which she declared in the aftermath of the failed coup attempt.