The process for determining the reasonability of power rate adjustments is lodged in the ERC.

We are urging the body to reconsider its decision based on the welfare of the public balanced against the legitimate claims of MERALCO, and to explain its position clearly before the public so that the fairness of the process can be appreciated by the consumers.

The government has released the identities and photos of the most notorious kidnappers and they may be considered enemies of the people.

We shall stamp out kidnapping and I seek the people’s continuing trust and confidence.

There is no need for foreign assistance because we are not dealing with transnational crime syndicates.

The NAKTAF and other law enforcement agencies can deal with this problem and what we need is cooperation from various sectors for effective prevention, the safe rescue of victims, and the swift interdiction of suspects.

I have the deepest sympathy to the family of Nelson Nadura.

These attacks against members of the press shall not go unpunished and the PNP is already on top of the case.

The survey was conducted during a most controversial period that dragged down the ratings of almost all institutions in our democratic system.

One reason for the drop in ratings is that the President took a principled but unpopular stand during the impeachment controversy.

She wanted to resolve the problem in a consensual way while many people thought she should have unequivocally sided with Chief Justice Davide against Congress.

But instead she sought a covenant based on principled reconciliation, because she said "the people must sense a unifying force in their institutions of governance or they themselves will be divided and weakened in facing the formidable challenges of waging the peace and fighting poverty".

Sometimes people read weakness into statesmanship and the President has to pay the price in terms of a drop in survey ratings.

Black propaganda is something that has been done against the administration and the First Family.

This administration has enough decency and self respect not to respond in kind, which we have never done.

Improved economy spurs business activity. Heightened business activities boost the economy. It’s like the chicken and egg situation. But neither of the two will materialize without infrastructure development.

An economist by heart, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is fast-tracking a number of infrastructure projects designed to create a viable business climate imperative to attract more investments, either in new ventures or expansion plans for those already in place.

One of these projects is the expansion of the North and South Luzon Expressways, as well as the construction of the Clark-Subic Highway to further speed up mobility of men and commerce in these areas, with Metro Manila still serving as the nucleus of business growth for the whole of Luzon.

To enhance commuter traffic in Metro Manila and immediate environs, the Macapagal-Arroyo administration vigorously pursued the North and South Luzon Rail projects and the Light Rail Transit-Metro Rail Transit loop.

Not losing sight of the fact that the country is an archipelago, the President initiated her Strong Republic Nautical Highway linking Luzon to major cities in the Visayas and Mindanao through an efficient nationwide network of roll-on, roll-off (Ro-Ro) ports and vessels. Result: travel time by sea has since been dramatically reduced by as much as 50 percent. Transport costs were also cut down by 37 to 43 percent for passengers and 25 percent for cargo.

The President has redeemed a large part of the remote areas from the Dark Ages by providing power to more than 3,800 barangays under her two-year-old-and-a-half watch. This achievement surpassed the combined efforts of her three predecessors insofar as energizing the countryside is concerned. Nine out of ten barangays nationwide now have electricity.

Giving added momentum to the government’s program to attain a stable and sustainable power supply, Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo enacted the Electric Power Industry Reform Act which calls for a retooling of the country’s power sector.

To appease public outrage over the controversial purchased power adjustment (PPA), Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo ordered the renegotiation of at least 32 contracts with private power producers with a view of cutting down future PPA payments by more than P56 billion. She also condoned debts of electric cooperatives, enabling them to cut their charges by some P900 million.

The fact that the government has whittled down the number of kidnapping syndicates during the past two years from 21 to only five this year indicated that police operations have succeeded in its anti-kidnapping operations, Malacanang said today as it appealed to the citizenry not to lose hope but instead support the government in this fight.

"We shall stamp out kidnapping and I seek the people’s continuing trust and confidence," the President said in a statement.

The President said there is no need for foreign assistance because what we are fighting here are not transnational crime syndicates, adding that the National Anti-Kidnapping Task Force (NAKTAF), headed by Secretary Angelo Reyes, and the other law enforcement agencies can effectively deal with this problem.

"What we need is cooperation from the various sectors for effective prevention, the safe rescue of victims, and the swift interdiction of suspects," the President said.

Earlier, there were suggestions from anti-crime groups that the government seek the help of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other foreign law enforcement agencies to stamp out kidnapping.

Deputy Presidential Spokesman and Cabinet Secretary Ricardo Saludo, in a radio interview this morning, said Malacaņang, just the same, would consult with police authorities, particularly Secretary Angelo Reyes, if help is really warranted.

Saludo said he cannot blame the anti-crime groups for making such suggestions considering that most of kidnapping cases are now being given prominence by the media.

However, he said, he sees that victory against these syndicates is at hand considering that in 2001, when kidnap for ransom gangs enjoyed good business, the government was able to trim them down to only five in just a year.

Teresita Ang-See, spokesperson of the Citizens Action Against Crime (CAAC) herself, according to Saludo, last year even congratulated PNP Chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane for a job well done.

"Pero ngayon na lumalala uli, siguro kailangang mag-checkpoint uli tayo at siyempre nandyan na naman ang mga pagbatikos sa gobyerno (But now that kidnapping is on the rise again, maybe we should put up checkpoints anew but its only natural that the government would again take the blame for this)," Saludo said.

Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) Chairman Mike Defensor today challenged the opposition to come up with its own program of government so that the people would have a clearer guide on who to support in next year’s elections.

Defensor, the spokesman of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for campaign issues, called on the opposition parties to come out "with a clear program of government" and a clear response on issues that could match the present administration’s push for social, economic and political reforms.

"We would like to know if indeed they have a platform to present and they have a fresh solution to the problems confronting our country," Defensor said during a media briefing in Malacanang.

Instead of engaging in personalities, he urged the opposition to clearly present their platform of government "so we can engage in a democratic debate so our people would be enlightened with our respective programs."

In the coming elections, Defensor said, it would be bared who among the candidates has a good program of government and track record.

Defensor said the President is the most qualified being a workaholic with a good vision and program on how to run the government.

Defensor also branded the recent Social Weather Station (SWS) survey as "unfair" because its just the President there, without any alternative and without any choice. "Statistically it’s a tie given the margin of error," he added.

Defensor said the rest of the candidates for President have yet to experience the kind of lambasting and criticism President Macapagal-Arroyo has experienced not only in the past months but for the past two years.

He said there is no one issue or one situation such as those conducted by surveys that would make a voter decide on who to vote or not.

In the end, he said, the voters would have a "holistic perception of each candidate" and vote whoever they feel would be the best to govern the country.

"Time will come when all the candidates will be probed, scrutinized and criticized and we hope this will give the people the total picture and make them choose who they think would be the best," he said.

Defensor said the earlier Pulse Asia survey showed a much clearer picture because the people surveyed were asked to choose as to who among the candidates do they want as their President in the coming elections.

The nationwide survey conducted November 4-17 by Pulse Asia, Inc. showed that the President would handily win over her opponents.

Definitely, Defensor said, the supporters of the President in the Cabinet, the political leaders and allies, including the civil society, "feel that she is still the best President to govern beyond 2004 to 2010."

Defensor added there is a big chance that the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) "could coalesce with the ruling Lakas party "because individually, people from the NPC have been casting their support to the President."

Technically, as of now, he said the NPC is coalesced with the administration in the sense that in the legislative agenda in Congress, the NPC "are helping us."

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today witnessed in Malacanang the forging of a tactical alliance between the ruling Lakas-Christian and Muslim Democrat (Lakas-CMD) and Padayon Pilipino, one of the largest political parties in the country.

Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. and Padayon founder Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Vicente Emano signed the coalition covenant, along with Cagayan de Oro Rep. Constantino Jaraula.

"At a time of great peril where survival of the Republic is threatened and moral values are assailed in and outside of government, it is imperative that leaders of government and of society rise to the highest level of nationalism and patriotism demanded of the times," the covenant stated.

The parties agreed to jointly pursue and support the policies and programs of President Macapagal-Arroyo, especially those concerning the fight against illegal drugs, criminality, corruption, and attempts to dismember the country.

The parties also agreed to strongly support the acceleration of government infrastructure projects such as ports, airports, railway systems, and highways throughout the country.

They also agreed to fully support and promote the advocacy for basic constitutional changes, principally the shift to a unicameral parliamentary system of government and, within a reasonable time, towards a federal form of government.

Padayon Pilipino rallied behind candidacy of President Macapagal-Arroyo for in next year’s elections, with Lakas reciprocating by adopting the candidates of Padayon.

The two parties vowed to spare no efforts to ensure victory in the May 2004 elections.

In an interview, Emano, who is the president of Padayon Pilipino, said he is still in the opposition, but he joined the coalition supporting the candidacy of the President in 2004 "largely because I have seen her many good programs in Mindanao."

Emano said the Macapagal-Arroyo administration has extended so much assistance to Cagayan de Oro City. "Besides I haven’t seen anything wrong with the way she has been handling the Office of the President," he added.

For his part, Jaraula, who is chairman of Padayon, described the agreement as "a covenant on objectives and purposes."

National Security Adviser Roilo Golez today issued the following statement:

A survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) among those satisfied with the performance of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo showed that the President was on top with 32 percent of the respondents, followed by Sen. Noli de Castro with 23 percent, Fernando Poe, Jr, with 18 percent, Raul Roco with 17 percent and Sen. Panfilo Lacson with 5 percent.

The SWS survey, which was commissioned by Polistrat International, a Filipino consulting firm, used face-to-face interviews of a national sample of 1,200 statistically representative adult respondents, with 300 per geographical areas, which include Metro Manila, and the rest of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

The survey was conducted from November 8 to 24, 2003.

The survey also showed that if elections were held today, Poe, Jr. and de Castro would lead with 25 percent and 24 percent respectively, with Roco and the President almost tied for the third place, with 18 percent and 17 percent respectively.

Lacson emerged as fifth place with 10 percent.

Secretary Michael Defensor, spokesman of the President on campaign issues, said that the SWS survey was conducted at the height of the impeachment charges against Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr., which invariably affected the President’s rating.

He said in the next few months, when the people would be fully informed of the issues and the respective platforms of the different presidential candidates, the President is expected to surpass her opponents.

In the end, Defensor said, the voters would have a "holistic perception" of each candidate and would vote for the President, who had solid accomplishments to back up her candidacy.

Defensor said that another survey conducted by Pulse Asia, Inc., from November 4-17 showed that the President would handily win over the six opponents if elections were held today.

The government is poised to intensify further its anti-crime drive with the implementation of a three-point strategy designed to stamp out high-profile crimes, former Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes announced today at Malacaņang.

Reyes, head of the National Anti-Kidnapping Task Force (NAKTAF), said President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo has discussed with representatives of the Filipino-Chinese community the government’s three crucial measures to fight criminality in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

The new game plan against criminals would harness the military to beef up the police in crime-prone areas.

The other measures involve the setting up of additional checkpoints to curb the movement of criminals, and the deployment of more policemen and other security forces on beat assignments.

"President Macapagal-Arroyo met with the Filipino Chinese community led by the Robin Sy, President of the Federation of the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Francis Chua and Teresita Ang-See, together with Gen. Ebdane, the Director General of the Philippine National Police, to discuss new measures to be implemented against kidnapping and other crimes being committed in Metro Manila" Secretary Reyes told reporters at the Palace.

Reyes said the President updated the Filipino-Chinese community regarding the recent initiatives of the government on how to combat crime, particularly kidnapping.

He said that the government intends to solve the kidnapping problem through an integrated, comprehensive and long-term approach.

"We would also meet with the city and municipal mayors to discuss the implementing plan of our three security measures that has been drafted for Metro Manila to precisely address criminality," he said.

Reyes said as ordered by the President, location of checkpoints should be selected properly while people manning them should know the guidelines governing their task and should behave in a "very stern but courteous manner."

"We want policemen augmented by military men, especially in crime-prone areas. We want the people to see and the criminals to see that we are determined on this," Reyes said.

Reyes added that mobile police outposts would also be set up to help thwart criminal activities in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

"These three measures are going to be integrated; it is going to form a system, and we are doing this together with the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Metro Manila Development Authority, the National Bureau of Investigation, and other agencies of the government," Reyes said.

He also hinted that if warranted, the government may tap the expertise of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the all-out war against criminality.

Despite feeling under the weather, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo went out of her way today to congratulate police elements who intercepted a group of armed men believed to be members of a big syndicate out to destabilize the government.

The President congratulated newly-installed National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Ricardo de Leon right at the scene of the shootout between police and six men aboard two vehicles at the South Super highway in San Andres near the corner of Quirino Ave. where the group tried to overrun a mobile police checkpoint.

Two of the criminal elements were killed on the spot while four others were rushed to the hospital after the shootout.

Recovered from the bullet-riddled vehicles—an FX van with plate number PVF 777 and a Hyundai van without any plate – were three 45 caliber 9 mm pistols, an armalite, a hand grenade, bank sketches, a campaign organizational chart and IDs of suspects believed to be out to undermine the peace and order efforts of the government.

"Magandang Buena mano ito kay Gen. de Leon," the President said. "Biro niyo kauupo lang niya as NCRPO chief may nahuli agad na mga kriminal.. Ito ay babala sa mga kriminal na mahuhuli sila at mahuhuli. Tingnan niyo ang kuneksiyon nila. Ang mga ID na dala nila patunay na may nagsasadyang manira sa kapayapaan at magpabagsak sa ating pamahaalan."

The Chief Executive, cheered on by kibitzers with chants of GMA! GMA! upon her arrival, said she will not allow lawlessness to prevail in society, saying this underscores the need for the citizenry to be more vigilant.

"Ito’y senyales ng pagbagsak ng masasamanag elemento sa ating lipunan. Talgang nakikita natin na ang mga pagbabagong ginagawa ay nagiging mabisa," she said.

" Biro mo may mga maskara, bonet, malalaking armas, sasakyan na walang plate, mga plano kung ano ang hoholdapin nila. Mga kuneksiyong malalaking tao at organisasyon. Hindi lang nasugpo nito ang isang malaking grupo , ang mga ebidensyang nakuha ay magagandang lead din para masawata natin ang paglaganap pa ng mga masasamang elemento at gawain sa ating lipunan," she said.

Also present at the crime scene was Manila City Mayor Lito Atienza.