Impartial justice, due process and good governance are taking their course. There is no reason for anybody to cry out persecution or witch hunting.

Those who have nothing to hide should not play hide and seek with the authorities.

The investigation is now in an advanced stage and will soon account for all those involved. The evidence is mounting and is substantial and solid.

The normalization process will speed up as the wheels of criminals justice turn.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today said she may lift the State of Rebellion earlier than expected as the ongoing investigation on the Makati mutiny last week progresses on its advance stage.

"I expect that we can lift the State of Rebellion earlier than expected… as soon as we mop up the fringes of the conspiracy," she said during the 42^nd General Assembly and 2^nd Best Practices awarding rites of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Pasay City.

The President’s announcement drew applause from the more than 100 city mayors present at the Harana function room of the hotel. The League of Cities is composed of 115 mayors from cities all over the country and promotes effectiveness and innovation in local governance.

She said the investigation of the Sunday (July 27) rebellion is now on an advanced stage and all those involved would soon be accounted for.

"The evidence is mounting, and is substantial and solid," she said.

The League of Cities, through Calapan City (Oriental Mindoro) Mayor Arnan Panaligan and San Fernando City (La Union) Mayor Mary Jane Ortega, presented to the President a plaque of appreciation for the quick resolution of the rebellion staged by several junior officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines last week.

"I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize your support and appreciation, and to let you and your constituents know that impartial justice, due process and good governance, as you have shown, are taking their course," she said.

She said the normalization process would speed up as the wheels of the criminal justice turn.

"We will not relent in the pursuit of vital reforms in the Armed Forces even as we now turn our sights on the essential task of nation building," she said.

The President said the essential tasks of nation building would be easier "because we have local governments and cities that do these best practices."

The President also awarded a plaque to the top 10 cities with the Best Practices.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today challenged persons suspected for involvement in the failed Oakwood mutiny to come out in the open and face the proper forum.

"Those who have nothing to hide should not play hide and seek with the authorities," the President said.

She stressed there was no reason for any one to cry out persecution or witch hunting.

The investigation on the failed mutiny -- staged by junior officers of the Armed Forces in Makati City last week -- is in its advanced stage and any judicial action will be based on substantial and solid evidences.

"The evidence is mounting, and is substantial and solid," the President said in a speech before the 42^nd General Assembly of the League of Cities of the Philippines at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Pasay City.

She said those who have no involvement in the failed mutiny staged by the junior officers of the Armed Forces should come out in the open and face the authorities.

She announced that the mutiny’s prime suspects are being safely detained with full access to lawyers and legislative inquiries.

"The normalization process will speed up as the wheels of the criminal justice turn," she said.

She added that her administration would pursue vital reforms in the Armed Forces "even as we now turn our sights on the essential tasks of nation building."

The President has created an independent seven-man fact-finding committee to conduct an impartial investigation on the Makati incident.

The Association of Chiefs of Police of the Philippines, Inc. (ACPPI) has called on the Filipino people to unite behind the Constitution and the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The call, made by ACPPI Chairman Guillermo Domondon, came on the heels of the failed mutiny staged by junior officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, mostly from PMA Class l995.

"The end, even when hatched in heaven, cannot justify any method brokered in hell," Damondon said in a press statement, referring to the grievances aired by the rebellious officers.

Domondon said that he was "relieved" to learn that no PNP officer had joined the mutiny.

He said that the military organization, especially during this "distressing" time of our history, should go all out for stability, continuity and regularity under its chain of command.

The ACPPI head also said that grievances that are not being adequately met do not mean the end of the world and should not be used as an excuse to break the chain of command.

The members of the association are all the nation’s chiefs of police from the regional and station level. It has 18 fully organized chapters from Region 1 to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The ACPPI was founded in l999 by now Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza and now PNP chief, Director General Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today awarded to Calbayog City the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) Top Best Practices Award for effectively delineating its coastal and marine resource area for commercial and marginal fishermen.

The President handed the plaque of recognition to Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento for the city’s Coastal Zoning: Delineating Coastal Waters for Commercial and Marginal Fishermen during the last day of the 42^nd General Assembly of the LCP at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Pasay City.

"Let me say that the essential tasks of nation building are made easier because we have local governments and cities that do these best practices," she said.

Calbayog City’s program effectively divided its coastal fishing area into several clustered zones the fishing activities of the commercial and marginal fishermen in each cluster area are guarded and monitored.

The city also pledged to shoulder half the cost of the handheld radios for the different clusters, with the other half financed by barangay funds.

Second place was Urdaneta City’s Tulungan sa Purok, Tangub City’s Christmas Village (3^rd place), Marikina City’s Citizens First Privilege Card (4^th), and Tuguegarao City’s Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization Program.

Rounding up the sixth to tenth Best Practices awardees were the OSCA Geriacare Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center (Butuan City), Barangay Integrated Services Delivery Program (Sorsogon City), Bangus Festival (Dagupan City), Coastal and Water Zone Planning (Island Garden City of Samal), and the 5-Minute Response Services of Balanga City.

The Top Ten Best Practices each received a plaque of recognition and a police motorcycle immediately available outside the hotel.

The mayors of the top five Best Practices were also entitled to a free trip to Kuala Lumpur for an exchange study on Malaysia’s System of Higher Education on August 27-30 this year.

Five members of the Ateneo School of Government and the LCP Best Practices field validating teams judged the entries based on efficiency, transparency, effectiveness of the program, safety and security, transferability and sustainability, ability to significantly reduce poverty, and innovativeness.

A total of 85 best city programs from 38 cities nationwide participated in this year’s Best Practices tilt.

Canadian-based SNC-Lavalin will invest more than $1 billion in the Philippines to help the government finance the expansion of the Light Railway Transit (LRT) system in Metro Manila.

This was revealed today by Filipino-born Canadian Secretary of State Dr. Rey Pagtakhan during a press briefing in Malacanang following his courtesy call on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Pagtakhan said that the project, which was approved in principle by the President a year ago, would give a strong signal to the world that the Philippines is a safe country to invest.

"We are pursuing this project because it will send a clear message to the world that when a highly regarded Canadian company is able to have its business in the Philippines, then I am sure other investors in the world would also like to see that for themselves," Pagtakhan said.

He said that Canada has a highly sophisticated knowledge-based economy and is on the world’s top four in aerospace industry, automobile export industry and in transport industry.

"So, we would like to offer this expertise to the Philippines, in partnership with the Filipino businessmen and the Philippine government as the situation dictates," Pagtakhan said.

SNC-Lavalin has been in discussion with the government for several years about the LRT Line 1 Expansion Project.

Canadian Ambassador to Manila Robert Colet, who accompanied Pagtakhan during the courtesy call, said that discussions on the project are going on well, and that they are hoping that a final decision would be reached soon.

"SNC-Lavalin will be able to invest over $1 billion for the LRT Line 1 expansion project. This is not a new project. This is a project that we’ve been in discussion with the Philippine government for some time now," Colet said.

He said that his government is hoping that discussions will be conclusive soon so that the last elements that are to be resolved are resolved and the project can be implemented.

The LRT Line 1 Capacity Expansion Project Phase 2 has already started and is targeted for completion in December 2005.

This project seeks to increase LRT Line 1 ridership by acquiring 12 new air-conditioned 4-car trains, and installing air conditioning units in the old 63-car fleet. This will effectively increase line capacity from 27,000 passengers per hour per direction to 40,000.

The project costs P11 billion and is 85 percent financed by the Japan Bank of International Cooperation.

The government is also planning to expand the LRT Line 1 southward to the cities of Paranaque and Las Pinas, and to Bacoor in Cavite, raising ridership to 40,000 persons per day. The southward expansion of the LRT Line 1 will cost around US$842 million.

The government pledged to build new mass transit lines and finish at least three by June 2004 to benefit millions of passengers.

Born in the Philippines, Pagtakhan finished his medicine from the University of the Philippines and holds the degree of Master in Science in Peri-Natal Physiology from the University of Manitoba.

Pagtakhan was granted Canadian citizenship in 1974 and was first elected to the House of Commons in 1988. He was reelected for a fourth term in 2002.

He was appointed Minister of Veterans Affairs on Jan. 15, 2002 and as Secretary of State for Science, Research and Development on May 26, 2002.