The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has established a mechanism to hasten the disposition of labor cases and complaints, while improving services covering the nation's labor and management sectors.

Labor Relations Undersecretary Josephus B. Jimenez said the seven-point thrust, code-named BILISAN, would expedite labor justice, preserve jobs, and bolster the promotion of job-friendly investments in the Philippines.

The acronym BILISAN stands for:

B - Bilisan ang trabaho (speed up the work process);

I - Itaguyod ang ating mga pinagsisilbihan (uphold the needs of clients);

L - Linawin ang mga patakaran (make the rules clear);

I - Isaayos ang sistema (improve the systems);

S - Sikaping lumakas ang regional operations (strengthen regional operations);

A - Alagaan ang mga kawani (take care of employees); and,

N - Ngayon na (have the sense of urgency).

BILISAN supports President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s goal to protect the jobs and livelihood of the people.

Labor and Employment Secretary Patricia A. Sto. Tomas earlier pressed for speedy action on labor relations cases by signing DOLE Administrative Order No. 23, Series of 2003.

"Improved services on all spheres would help eliminate red tape, guard against graft and corruption, and strengthen the confidence of the public in the government's capacity to deliver," Jimenez said.

He had commended the DOLE's Bureau of Labor Relations (BLR) for spearheading efforts to review and determine appropriate amendments to update the implementing rules on labor relations in the Labor Code.

Jimenez also sought for transparent consultations with labor and employers nationwide, as he lauded the DOLE's National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) for fulfilling "a very big role in preserving jobs."

The agency pared down the nationwide strike incidence to only 36 last year, four less than the unprecedented 40 strike level in 2001, and a far cry from the 267 strikes staged in 1988.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said last night that just one month after her announcement that she would not run in the 2004 elections, she had made four important decisions without having to think of their political repercussions.

In an interview with Bishop Eddie Villanueva in his TV program Diyos at Bayan over ZOE TV, the President mentioned the four as the shift back to English as a medium of instruction in schools, the additional funds for the computerization of elections, the gun ban, and the administration’s population policy.

According to the President, she could not have made these four important decisions had she continued to nurture her political ambitions in 2004.

"Nagawa ko yon dahil hindi na ako nag-alaala, baka magalit yong constitutuency, o yong isang sektor. Hindi na kailangan manimbang, basta anong tama (I was able to do that because I don’t have to worry that this constituency or this sector would get hurt. I don’t have to weigh things. I just do what is right)," the President said.

The President said now that she is relieved of the burden of politics, she could concentrate on the three main goals of improving the economy, especially in creating more jobs, in healing the deep division in the country caused by politics, and in ensuring clean, honest and orderly elections in 2004.

On the question of whether she has already anointed somebody as the standard bearer of the ruling party that she heads, the President said there are many who are qualified and these will be known in the next few months.

"Let a thousand flowers bloom," the President said, alluding to the many presidential materials in the Lakas-NUCD, who could be tapped to run for president in the 2004 elections.

Saying that nobody is indispensable, the President explained that before her December 30 announcement, everybody thought that she would be the candidate of Lakas-NUCD in 2004 and that is the reason why most party stalwarts were silent about their plans.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo reiterated last night that the Philippines is not against Iraq or the Iraqi people but only against the Iraqi leadership which refused to dismantle the country’s weapons of mass destruction.

In an interview with Bishop Eddie Villanueva in his television program, Diyos at Bayan over ZOE TV, the President said the people of Iraq, who are peace loving, also do not want these weapons of mass destruction in their country.

The President said that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein should comply with the order of the United Nations for him to disarm and destroy all his arms of mass destruction.

"If not, then he (Saddam) should be blamed if a war erupts in the Middle East," the President said.

The President also debunked criticisms that she is a puppet of the Americans for asking Saddam to disarm, explaining that what she said was not for Iraq to follow the Americans but the United Nations which had expressly ordered him to dismantle all its facilities capable of making lethal weapons.

She explained that siding with the Americans is just a coincidence because the Philippines and the United States are both on the same side in the fight against global terrorism.

The President said that after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US, the Philippines was among the first countries to express support for the global alliance against terrorism.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered Education Secretary Edilberto de Jesus yesterday to conduct a thorough investigation on the alleged "palakasan" or influence peddling in his department in the processing of retirement benefits of government teachers.

The President issued the directive after personally listening to the plight of Traslacion Cruz, a retired teacher from the Ramon Magsaysay High School in Espaņa, Manila, who said she has been waiting for the last six months for the release of her retirement benefits.

The teacher’s case came up during the President visit and dialogue with the officials and residents of Kalayaan Village Neighborhood Association in Barangay 201 in Pasay City.

"Ang sabi po kasi sa akin ng nakausap kong opisyal sa DepEd kailangan maghanap daw ako ng padrino sa loob para mapabilis ang pagproseso sa retirement benefits ko (A DepEd official I approached for help advised me to get somebody with enough influence to help me expedite the processing of my retirement benefits)," Cruz told the President.

Immediately upon hearing the retired teacher’s complaint, the President called De Jesus and instructed him to investigate the alleged influence-peddling in the DepEd.

She also ordered De Jesus to personally supervise the processing of retirement benefits entitled to Cruz and all pending retirement benefits of teachers.

Also during the meeting, the President issued a check for P1 million to the Kalayaan Village Neighborhood Association to finance their livelihood project. The check may be encashed only upon the submission and approval of the livelihood project to the Department of Social Welfare and Development-National Capital Region (DSWD-NCR) office.

The President turned over the check to DSWD-NCR Director Alicia R. Bala in front of the officials of the association during her meeting with them at the barangay hall.

The President advised Romy Gomez, president of the Kalayaan Village Neighborhood Association, to submit detailed feasibility studies and project proposals to Director Bala so that the check will be released to them immediately.

In the meantime, Bala said, the P1 million will be deposited with the National Treasury while awaiting the project proposal of Gomez.

"Once the project proposal for their livelihood program is submitted and approved, the amount will be withdrawn from the National Treasury and we will give it to them," Bala said in an interview.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said last night that for the remainder of her term, she would like to make the Bureau of Customs (BoC) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to be the showcase of her administration stepped-up fight against graft and corruption.

In an interview with Bishop Eddie Villanueva in his TV program Diyos at Bayan over ZOE TV, the President said that although it is not possible to eradicate corruption overnight, there is a need for showcases where the commitment of government in eradicating graft and irregularities can be seen.

The President said the proposed law that would reorganize the BIR is aimed at creating "a lean and mean corruption fighting machine from a populous and ponderous bureaucracy."

She said there is also a need to cut red tape in the bureaucracy if we are to attract more investors to speed up our economic growth.

According to the President, although there has been a drop in the number of unemployed from 4 million to 3 million when she took over the presidency, still this is a big number and the government must create the proper atmosphere for more economic activities.

This is the reason why, the President said, her administration is now concentrating on the domestic economy by enhancing the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The President said government financial institutions (GFIs), notably the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines, have been ordered to step up their loan programs for SMEs.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today signed Republic Act No. 9189, also known as the Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003, to allow Filipinos living and working abroad to vote in the 2004 elections and subsequent polls.

The President signed the historic law that would enfranchise millions of overseas Filipinos in a simple ceremony held this afternoon at the Ceremonial Hall of Malacanang attended by leaders of both houses of Congress.

From the Senate, Sen. Edgardo Angara, chairman of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments, revision of codes and laws, and Sen. Robert Barbers, attended the signing ceremony. Angara was the principal author of the Senate version of the absentee voting bill.

Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. led the contingent from the House of Representatives that attended the signing ceremony. The other House members who witnessed the signing of the new law were Iloilo Congressman Raul Gonzales, Negros Oriental Congressman Apolinario Lozada and Tarlac Congressman Jesli Lapuz, Ilocos Norte Congresswoman Imee Marcos, Iloilo Congressman Arthur Defensor, Iloilo Congressman Narciso Monfort, Aurora Congresswoman Bella Angara Castillo and Iloilo Congressman Augusto Syjuco.

Lozada, chairman of the House committee on foreign affairs, and Lapuz were the principal authors of the House version of the absentee voting bill.

Cabinet members who attended the signing ceremony included Foreign Secretary Blas Ople, Labor and Employment Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye, Presidential Legislative Liaison Office Secretary Gabriel Claudio, and newly designated Presidential Adviser for the Overseas Community Heherzon Alvarez.

The signing ceremony was also attended by Chairman Benjamin Abalos of the Commission on Elections, Chairman Jose Concepcion of the National Movement for Free Elections, and leaders of various organizations of overseas Filipinos.

RA 9189 will allow all citizens of the Philippines abroad, who are not disqualified and at least 18 years old on the date of the elections in the Philippines, to vote for candidates for president, vice president, senators and party-list representatives.

Overseas voters, however, will not be allowed to vote in plebiscites and referendums.

Immigrants and permanent residents who are recognized as such in their host country will have to execute, upon registration, an affidavit prepared for the purpose by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) attesting that he or she will assume actual physical permanent residence in the Philippines not later than three years from approval of his or her registration and that he or she has not applied for citizenship in another country.

Those who have expressly renounced their Philippine citizenship and who have pledged allegiance to a foreign country are disqualified to vote.

Under RA 9189, the registration and actual casting of ballots by the overseas absentee voter will be done at the embassy, consulate or other foreign service establishments or at any polling place designated and accredited by the Comelec.

A basic requirement for registration is a valid Philippine passport or a certification from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that it has reviewed the appropriate documents submitted by the applicant and found them sufficient to warrant the issuance of a passport.

For the May 2004 elections, the Comelec will authorize voting by mail in not more than three countries, subject to the approval of the Congressional Oversight Committee.

Voting by mail may be allowed in countries that would satisfy the following conditions:

• if their mailing system is fairly well-developed and secure to prevent occasion for fraud;

• if there exists in these countries a technically established identification system that would preclude multiple or proxy voting; and

• if the system of reception and custody of mailed ballots in the embassies, consulates and other foreign service establishments concerned are adequate and well secured.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today enjoined foreign Information Technology investors to take advantage of the country’s fast-expanding business process outsourcing sector.

The President, who issued the call during the launching of Philippine electronic service or e-services at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, said the Filipino knowledge workforce are very capable in filling up the sector’s requirements.

She said her administration is working specially hard to develop the information and communications technology (ICT) sector by helping create an environment best suited to meet the needs and requirements for business process outsourcing.

"It costs one-fourth to one-third less to outsource from here. Think of how much that will mean to your bottomline," she said.

She said the sector presents an attractive solution to increasing efficiency, improving productivity and maximizing profits.

"The Philippines is steadily earning recognition in the business processing outsourcing sector in global markets due to the growing reputation of Filipino e-service providers for competence and reliability, providing the highest value for money for local and foreign clients," the President said.

At least 74 percent of the 120 IT and IT-enabled firms put up exhibits in the three-day "e-services Philippines 2003" which includes participants from Subic, Pampanga, Cebu and Davao.

Organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the trade promotion agency of the Department of Trade and Industry, the "e-services" core mission is to establish the Philippines as the premier center of quality IT-enabled services in Asia.

This year’s exposition features exhibits by medical transcription service providers, software developers, animation studios, system integration consulting firms, business process outsourcing service providers, call centers, and wireless application developers.

In her speech, that President said that aside from being strong in hardware manufacturing assembly data collection and processing services, the country’s knowledge workers are globally competitive in software development and possess a great potential in e-commerce.

She noted that call centers are only the tip of the iceberg of information technology-enabled services, which include payment processing, accounting and finance, logistics and customer relations.

"Other things going for us include good infrastructure and competitive rates in telecommunications, availability of real estate, a consultative and customer-service mindset versus a techie-oriented workforce, a strong work ethic and firm government support," she said.

The President said this is why she has ordered the return to English of the medium of instruction in schools since the ability to speak English has always been the Filipino workforce’s strongest selling point.

"Some people may call it unpatriotic, but I think it is more unpatriotic to deprive our citizens of economic opportunities for the sake of linguistic fidelity," she said.

The Chief Executive enumerated the measures her administration has taken to unleash the country’s information technology potential in the global market.

For business development, she said the goal is to generate enterprises that would make the country world-class as an IT-service provider.

For the legal and regulatory framework, the objective for the industry is to fine-tune the environment to make it more conducive for investors.

For human resources development, the aim is to ensure that the country keeps churning out a dynamic and competitive IT workforce,

For the infrastructure, success would be measured by affordable Internet access for all segments of population.

For e-government, as government as potential biggest user of it-enabled services, the goal is to put a substantial portion of government services online.

The President noted the signing into early this year of the Government Procurement Reform Act, which enables bidding for government material and services needs to be done online.

"This kind of transparency lowers the incidence of graft and corruption, improves operation efficiency, fosters transparency in bidding, standardizes bidding procedures, and encourages competition," she said.

The President said the country’s development thrusts promote fast-growing industries where high-value jobs are most plentiful.

"The country today has energetic ICT industries with areas of great potential that are turning into our nation’s niches within the global ICT market," she said.

AMLA

The amendments brought us a step closer to meeting the requirements of the international financial community. However, we are not yet there.

We would like to thank our legislators, especially those who worked very hard to introduce the required amendments that would have provided legal protection for the OFWs and the Filipino banking community.

Expulsion of Iraqi Diplomat

Our foreign relations must be driven by national security. The move of DFA was done in line with its determination of the national interest. The Iraqi government must respect our sovereign prerogative as we respect their own.

Cotabato Situation

The window for a ceasefire dialogue is always open. In the meantime, the imperatives of law and order must be pursued so that the criminal base in the area can be permanently neutralized. This operation is important for the security of communities throughout Mindanao.

At the same time, the government is pouring in all its available resources to alleviate the plight of evacuees.

We regret the suffering of the civilian communities affected by the conflict, but this cannot be avoided if we wish to avert a larger evil in the future.

SSS

This Valentine’s day, I join our countrymen in calling for peace in the world, and in our own country.

War is the scourge of civilization, and I am with all humanity praying for peace. I pray that Saddam Hussein will heed the United Nations’ call for the destruction of weapons of mass destruction in order to prevent war.

In our own part of the world, my heart burns with the victims of the conflict in Mindanao. But we have to strike at the lairs of the most incorrigible criminals holding hostage entire communities. Upholding the rule of law is the only assurance for an enduring peace in Mindanao. I appeal to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to help us achieve such a lasting peace in Mindanao.

Yesterday, I instructed our peace panel to seek out their MILF counterparts in order to forge a final peace agreement in six months. Our efforts will be reinforced by true brotherhood with Islam as a bulwark of peace, harmony and solidarity.

I have also directed an exploratory team to leave for the Netherlands to touch base with the National Democratic Front for purpose of resuming peace negotiations, within the framework of our Constitution. I have asked this team to deliver the Republic’s draft for a final peace agreement to the NDF to jumpstart what I hope will be a speedier peace process.

Peace in the world and in our country -- peace within us. This is our utmost yearning. Love everywhere and in our hearts, for each other. Faith in the Filipino, hope in our future as a nation.