Our world must be free from tyranny, so that Filipinos, Arabs and people of all races and religions can live a life of political choice and economic opportunity. We owe it to our Philippine brethren abroad and to the global community a more stable, humane world in which to live and work. And to you the future generations we must leave a legacy of a nation free from poverty and a world free from terror.

Watching the televised proceedings of the United Nation last night, we saw evidence that challenges our role as a responsible member of the world community.

We have seen the danger of having weapons of mass destruction in the hands of those who have joined cause with terrorists.

* * *

Our stand against nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction is not new. Our Constitution proscribes nuclear weapons within our territory. We are signatories to long-standing international conventions against chemical and biological weapons. We must stand with the civilized world against the uncivilized conduct of war.

* * *

I am also alarmed at the information of the link between the Iraqi leadership and terrorist organizations. Terrorism, as we have seen, knows no boundaries. It strikes even those countries who have chosen to remain neutral, kagaya ng Indonesia at ang nangyari sa Bali. As long as there is terrorism, the lives of Filipinos, whether they are working in the Middle East, living in the United States as immigrants, or here at home, will always be at risk.

We are not fighting the Iraqis for America, but we remain an active member of the global coalition against terrorism. The Iraqis are peace-loving people. What we are doing is calling on Saddam Hussein to put his people and the citizens of the world on notice that he aspires not for conflict and suffering but rather for a legacy of compassion and humanity. I hope Saddam will heed the call of his people and do what is right.

We will not send combat troops to Iraq. If, God forbid, there is armed conflict, our response will always be, as it has always been, in the context of the capabilities of a developing nation and consistent with our Constitution. Our foreign and economic policy are not predicated on appeasement. But as we are bound by a global economy, we must be bound by common humanity. We must know right from wrong, what is just from the unjust.

* * *

The world has never been more connected; evidenced by the millions of Filipinos who are thousands of miles from home.

Our utmost responsibility is the safety and well-being of Filipinos in the Middle East. Government has prepared and is ready to implement a plan that will take Filipinos out of harm’s way.

At home, the police and military will check any extremist plots to violate law and order. We will work with vigilant communities, both Christian and Muslim, to fight terrorism. Now is the time for deep inter-faith solidarity.

We are not discounting the possibility of extremist-led terrorist attacks not only in the US but in other countries as well. In the Philippines, the military and our law enforcement agencies have also been bracing for this by beefing up intelligence and police presence as well as community vigilance in the urban areas. There are two important things to remember: one, everyone must be involved in this stepped-up effort against terrorism: the alertness of the public is important; and two, let us not aggravate terrorism by engaging in hate campaigns against our Muslim brethren, the great majority of whom are our allies against terrorism. This is a campaign against Saddam Hussein, not against the Iraqi people or Islam.

* * *

The Philippines has an obligation to support world peace and the fight versus international terrorism. We cannot be fence sitters because we are also victims of the Al Qaeda which is linked to the Abu Sayyaf locally, and to Saddam Hussein international. We must act now to support the coalition to disarm or suffer greater danger in the future.

* * *

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today assured Filipinos that the government would not send combat troops to Iraq as she stressed that the country’s response to a possible war in the Middle East would be consistent with our Constitution and our capability as a developing nation.

In her remarks during the GenXchange open forum, entitled "A Strong Republic for the Filipinos," held at De La Salle University along Taft Avenue in Manila, the President said that "if, God forbid, there is armed conflict, our response will be, as it as always been, in the context of the capabilities of a developing nation and consistent with our Constitution."

The President said that the country’s foreign and economic policy is not predicated on appeasement but added that since "we are bound by a global economy, we must be bound by a common humanity."

"We must know right from wrong, what is just from unjust," the President said.

In a separate forum, National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said that the sending of combat troops to the Middle East is not being considered at the policy level.

In clarifying the statement attributed to AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Dionisio Santiago, Golez said that the former was just trying to say that the AFP would be ready to send troops if it would be ordered by higher authorities.

"And in our view, there would be no order for the AFP to send troops," said Golez, who has been appointed as crisis manager in the US-Iraq conflict.

According to the President, the world today has never been more connected, as evidenced by the millions of Filipinos who are thousands of miles from home.

The President, who just arrived from a two-day whirlwind visit to Kuwait to personally look into the situation of some 60,000 overseas Filipino workers in that country, said that the government’s utmost responsibility is to ensure the safety and well-being of Filipinos in the Middle East.

"The government is prepared and ready to implement a plan that would take Filipinos out of harm’s way," the President said.

The President also allayed fears that terrorist groups would attack installations in the Philippines if the United States pursues its plan to attack Iraq.

She said that the police and the military will check any plots by extremist groups to violate law and order.

"We will work with vigilant communities, both Christian and Muslim, to fight terrorism. Now is the time for inter-faith solidarity," the President said.

In the days ahead, the President said, the Filipino people must seek the guidance of God "and the call of our conscience."

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today renewed her call for the Iraqi leadership "to do what is right" by working for peace and not for conflict and suffering in the Middle East.

In her remarks during the GenExchange Forum held this morning at the De la Salle University along Taft Avenue in Manila, the President said the Philippines is not fighting the Iraqis for America

But she added that the Philippines has to make a stand because it remains an active member of the global coalition against terrorism.

"The Iraqis are peace-loving people. What we are doing is calling on Saddam Hussein to put his people and the citizens of the world on notice that he aspires not for conflict and suffering but rather for a legacy of compassion and humanity," the President said.

The President said she hopes Saddam "will heed the call of his people and do what is right."

She said that while watching the televised proceedings of the United Nations Security Council Wednesday night, she saw evidence "that challenges the role of the country as a responsible member of the world community."

"We have seen the danger of having weapons of mass destruction in the hands of those who have joined cause with terrorists," the President said, referring to the pieces of evidence presented by US Secretary of State Colin Powell to the Security Council showing that Iraq has continued to conceal weapons of mass destruction contrary to what it told the UN.

The President said that she was alarmed at the information of the link between the Iraqi leadership and terrorist organizations.

"Terrorism, as we have seen, knows no boundaries. It strikes even those countries who have chosen to remain neutral," the President said, citing as example the recent terrorist attack in Bali, Indonesia.

As long as there is terrorism, the President said, the lives of Filipinos, whether they are working in the Middle East, living in the US as immigrants, or just inside the country, will always be at risk.

The President said that the stand of the government against nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction is based on the Constitutional ban on nuclear weapons within our territory.

She said that the Philippines is also a signatory to the long-standing international convention against chemical and biological weapons.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today said that she is confident that the Filipino people can build a strong Republic within our generation, as she cited the examples of the United States in the l930s and Italy in the l920s.

In her speech at the GenXchange (Generation X) forum held this morning at the De la Salle University along Taft Avenue in Manila, the President said the US and Italy were able to build strong nation-states within a generation.

"We can, too. But we must work together. We must think as a nation rather than (focus) on our sectoral interest or our geographical interest," the President said.

The President told her audience, composed of students and faculty members of the De la Salle University, that to build a nation, it is the obligation of government to ensure that the lives of our citizens and of the future generations are free from the threat of weapons of mass destruction.

She said she is also mindful of the danger of such weapons falling into the hands of terrorists, adding that information presented to the United Nations showed a link between the Iraqi leadership and terrorist organizations.

The President said that the world must, over and above everything, work to fight poverty and free mankind from tyranny, so that Filipinos, Arabs and peoples of all races and religions can live a life of political choice and economic opportunity.

"Because that is what building a strong nation is all about," the President said, adding that we owe it to our Filipino brethren abroad and to the global community to promote a more stable, human world in which to live and work.

"And to you, the future generations, we are obliged to leave a legacy of a nation free from poverty and a world free from terror," the President said.

In her speech, the President also said that despite the harsh domestic and global conditions brought about the September 11 attacks on the US, the country has moved forward during the past year.

She said that in Asia, the Philippines’ gross national product growth of 5.2 percent is surpassed only by China and Vietnam.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today said that she is not pushing for any constitutional change, steering clear of the debates on the issues surrounding plans to amend the charter and the mode of rewriting the basic law.

For the rest of her tenure, the President told students of De La Salle University during the GenXchange Forum this morning, she will focus on three key areas: strengthening the domestic economy and creating new jobs; healing the deep divisions in society; and working for clean and honest elections in 2004.

The forum, held at the university’s auditorium on Taft Avenue, had for its theme "A Strong Republic for the Filipinos."

"I have less than 18 months left, but with your help and cooperation, I will be able to make the necessary reforms that will pave the way for a strong Republic," the President said.

"By strong Republic, I mean, a clear set of reforms and a hard plan of action that will address the main problems that retard sustainable economic growth," she said.

The GenXchange Forum was conceptualized both as an educational and marketing tool to put DLSU students in dialogue with significant personalities in the government.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today was conferred the title of "Honorary Nurse" and membership to the National League of Government Nurses (NLGN), Inc. on the occasion of the NLGN 42^nd anniversary and Year 2003 Biennial Convention.

In a resolution, the officers and board members of NLGN acknowledged the government’s commitment to promote the health of Filipinos and the role of the nurses in the undertaking, specifically in the recent signing into law of Republic Act 9173, an act providing for a more responsive nursing profession, repealing R.A. 7164, otherwise known as the Philippine Nursing Act of 1991.

The government nurses likewise expressed the belief that the President will continue to champion the cause of Filipino nurses wherever they may be.

The President, during today’s program commemorating with NLGN 42^nd anniversary, led in presenting the Annie Sand Recognition Award to Gloria Brondial Arcos, chief nurse of the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital in Legazpi City, Albay.

A recipient of various academic awards and government civic recognition and citations, Dr. Arcos was awarded for her excellent performance in the Legazpi City government hospital and for having carved a niche in the nursing profession in the areas of education and research.

NLGN, Inc. has re-launched this year’s recognition award with the end-goal of furthering the cause of government nurses and the nursing profession by promoting and protecting them so they are able to effectively contribute to quality health care for the Filipinos towards nation building.

Annie Sand was the founder of the NLGN, Inc. a SEC-registered, non-stock, non-profit professional organization representing almost 15,000 government nurses nationwide.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today formed an investigative unit within the Office of the President to help the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) in its fight against graft and corruption in government agencies.

The President informed the students and faculty members of the De la Salle University in Manila that an investigative unit is now working to conduct a lifestyle check on all corrupt officials at the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Bureau of Customs.

"While corruption is difficult to correct overnight, we should make the BIR and Customs a showcase in our fight against graft and corruption. That must include a lifestyle check which the anti-graft commission is not equipped to do," the President said.

"The PGAC traditionally is like a court. It hears evidence, it listens to complaints and makes the respondent answer them. But it is not an investigative body itself. And it is not equipped for investigation," the President said.

The President explained that the fight against corruption is related to the fight of creating more jobs for Filipinos because investors would not come into the country if there is too much red tape and corruption in the processing of their documentary requirements.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has issued Administrative Order No. 56 creating the Philippine Seafarers’ One-Stop Processing Center.

In signing A.O. No. 56, the President said it is the policy of the state to provide full protection to Filipino seafarers and their families, promote their interests, and safeguard their well-being.

"The Philippines is a party to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Convention on the Standards for Training, Certification and Waterkeeping (STCW ’95), which prescribes minimum parameters for the training and certification of seafarers," the President said.

The President pointed out that a number of government agencies are mandated to address the needs and requirements of the seafarers to the end that more integrated and harmonized set of systems and procedures for implementation by these agencies would ensure a more timely and efficient delivery of services.

She also said that Filipino seafarers have a right to quality and affordable education and training to prepare them for new and emerging challenges in the practice of their profession and skills.

The President said the center shall be under the supervision of the Department of Labor and Employment, where relevant government agencies engaged in the promotion of the interests and well-being of Filipino seafarers shall be represented to efficiently respond to the needs of Filipino seafarers.

She said the center will adopt and utilize appropriate mechanisms, facilities, equipment and information technology to enable and allow it to respond to Filipino seafarers’ concerns and demands.

The agencies mandated by the President to provide services in the center are as follows: DOLE, Department of Foreign Affairs, Commission on Higher Education, Professional Regulation Commission, National Telecommunications Commission, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Maritime Industry Authority, National Bureau of Investigation, Social Security System, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, National Statistics Office, and other government agencies that the DOLE Secretary may deem necessary.

The center will be physically located in one site to reduce the time required on the part of the seafarers and the general public for official transactions.

The center’s functions include the following:

• Provide rationalized and streamlined systems and procedures governing the application for and acquisition of documents required by seafarers for their deployment overseas;

• Implement pertinent government rules and regulations relative to the mandates of the agencies constituting the center; and

• Develop appropriate guidelines for the delivery of services.

The President also directed the center, through the DOLE, to submit a report to the Office of the Vice President, within six months upon the effectivity of A.O. No. 56 on the extent and status of streamlining processes pertinent to the operations of the center and the specific mandates of its member agencies relevant to the promotion of Filipino seafarers’ interests.

She allocated a funding of not less than P25 million which shall be provided to DOLE by the Office of the President and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation during the initial year of operation of the center.

Malacaņang announced today the postponement of the National Security Council (NSC) meeting originally scheduled for tomorrow (Feb. 7) and decided to await the February 14 meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the Iraq situation.

National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said in a press briefing at Malacanang that the NSC will be convened after UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix submits his report to the world body.

"We should await the February 14 meeting of the UN Security Council where Hans Blix is going to submit his report so that we will have a more complete view of the situation," Golez said.

Golez said the Department of Foreign Affairs recommended the postponement of the NSC meeting after a review of US Secretary of State Colin Powell’s presentation of evidence against Iraq before the UN Security Council last night.

"So that is the decision. Meantime, we will continue making a fuller assessment of Secretary Powell’s meeting with the UN Security Council in today’s meeting of the Cabinet Oversight Committee," Golez said.

As to the possible start of war in the Middle East, Golez said the assessment and advice "given to us is that it is not going to be within days. It would be within the next several weeks but not months."

He also confirmed that the Philippines is not sending combat troops to Iraq, saying that this has always been the position of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the Cabinet Oversight Committee.

"We never considered that (sending combat troops to Iraq) as an option," Golez stressed.

Golez also branded as highly improbable the warning given by the military about possible terrorist attacks in the country as a repercussion on the Middle East conflict.

"But we still have contingency plans because we do not take anything for granted," he said.

"It’s like fastening your seat belt when the plane takes off. And ideally, throughout the flight, it doesn’t mean that there’s going to be an accident but it only means that we have to be very prudent and be very conscious about security," he added.

In a statement he issued earlier in the day, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye said the government is not discounting the possibility of extremist-led terrorist attacks not only in the United States but in other countries as well.

"In the Philippines, the military and our law enforcement agencies have also been bracing for this by beefing up intelligence and police presence as well as community vigilance in the urban areas," Bunye said.

In this regard, Bunye cited two important things to remember, namely, everyone must be involved in this stepped-up effort against terrorism where the alertness of the public is important; and not to aggravate terrorism by engaging in hate campaigns against our Muslim brethren, the great majority of whom are our allies against terrorism.

"This is a campaign against Saddam Hussein, not against the Iraqi people or Islam," he stressed.

He also said that the Philippines has an obligation to support world peace and the fight versus international terrorism.

KUWAIT— Overseas Filipino workers and their families located at the possible flashpoints in the Middle East are doing fine and are in fact relaxed despite the threat of war, according to Philippine diplomatic officials here.

Ambassador to Kuwait and Charge d'Affaires Bayani Mangibin said Filipinos in Kuwait are not at all worried about the possible escalation of conflict.

"They are wary but they are llikewise prepared for any eventuality," Mangibin said.

The President, who was here for a brief overnight visit last Sunday, has noted that OFWs in Kuwait are not alarmed.

There are at least 60, 000 Filipinos in Kuwait, mostly engaged in skilled work and domestic tasks.

Meanwhile, the Charge d'Affaires of the Philippine Embassy in the Iraqui capital of Baghdad, Grace Escalante, said it's business as usual for Filipinos in Iraq.

"People in Iraq are wary, of course, and who wouldn't be under such circumstances. But this doesn't mean everyone should sit and wait for the invetable to happen. They have to get on with their lives but with a wary eye trained on the horizon," she said.

She said her two children are still attending school in Baghdad if only to show that things are normal despite the ongoing tension.

There are roughly 100 Filipinos in Iraq. But in the event of war, only about 20 people will have to be moved out and this will be mostly embassy personnel and their dependents. The rest are either working with the United Nations or its attached agencies and Filipinas married to Iraqi nationals.

Filipinos in Israel, meanwhile, are prepared and have been briefed on contingency measures drawn up by the Philippine Embassy in that country in coordination with Israeli Civil Defense authorities.

Ambassador to Israel Belen Anota, who was in Kuwait for the visit of President Macapagal-Arroyo, said a good number of the 30,000 Filipinos in Israel have been around since the 1991 Gulf War.

"And as such, they more or less already know what to expect in the event of a US-led strike in Iraq," she said.

The President Monday gathered in Kuwait what she called the "stewards" of the overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East.

The gathering at the Bayan Palace here is a command conference of all Philippine ambassadors, charge d' affaires, labor attaches and social worker officers in the Middle East.

The topic is the preparedness plan undertaken by the Presidential Middle East Preparedness Committee, headed by Ambassador Roy Cimatu.

The President said that she called for the gathering of the "full force of all our agencies and posts" to make sure of the safety and job security of the OFWs.

"You, the diplomats and labor officials all over the Middle East, must try to do your share in guarding against terrorism just like our home-based officials are doing their share in the Philippines," she said.

Among those in attendance were Mangibin, Escalante, Anota, Charge d'Affaires to United Arab Emirates Jose Ampeso, Ambassador to Egypt Shulan Primavera, Ambassador to Oman Akmad Sakkam, Ambassad to to Qatar Wencelslao Quirolico, CDA to Bahrain Candidato Gutoc, CDA to Llibya Benito Valeriano, Ambassador to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Bahnarim

During the same meeting, Ambassador Cimatu discussed what he called "mother contingency plan" for all the OFWs in the region.

He presented likely scenarios in the event of heightened conflict in the region and what it would do to OFWs.