President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today said the government would bring development immediately to the Buliok Complex in Pikit, Cotabato so that the evacuees can resume their normal lives.

"What we want to do now, precisely, is when the evacuees go back to Buliok, we want them to go back not again to another no man’s land. We want them to go back to a land of development now," the President told the members of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) during an en banc meeting in Malacaņang.

Responding to a letter from the Sectoral Representatives Council of the NAPC appealing for immediate cessation of hostilities to enable the evacuees to return to their homes and rebuild their lives, the President said that North Cotabato Governor Emmanuel Pinol has already drawn a development program for Pikit, using mainly local government funds.

The President said she has already released P5 million from the national government to assist in the development plan.

According to the President, part of the development fund will be used for planting corn and part of it will be for planting palm oil.

The Chief Executive said that Malaysia, after her talks with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed in her last visit to Kuala Lumpur, will be providing the planting materials for palm oil.

The President said the evacuees, who are abandoning the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), should be given a chance to live peacefully and to prosper.

The President assured the NAPC sectoral representatives that she has ordered a halt to hostilities in the area. The reason why there are still skirmishes there is that soldiers undertaking demining activities in some areas are being attacked by elements of the MILF, the President said.

The President cited several surveys that say they don’t want the Philippines to be involved in the war in Iraq, but they want the government to finish off the Abu Sayyaf and other lawless elements in Mindanao.

"Now, I don’t want to finish the MILF," the President said, stressing that the government has already drafted a peace agreement with the MILF. "I want peace," the President pointed out, saying she has told the MILF that the Philippine government is wiling to back to the negotiating table.

She said the military was forced to engage in combat operations in Buliok because the kidnappers were there. The President recalled that the MILF, in an agreement in Kuala Lumpur, assured the government that it will help catch the kidnappers.

Re MILF

In the past, several calls for so-called "jihad" have been aired but our Muslim brethren have largely ignored these extremist gestures. The majority of Filipino Muslims are already in the mainstream of peace and democracy. Calls for them to engage in war will be futile and will fall on deaf ears.

Four points are important: First, the government shall continue its operations against criminal elements in Mindanao; second, we are calling the MILF back to the negotiating table; third, we are calling on our neighbors to mediate in the peace talks; and fourth, our peace and development programs in the region will be unrelenting.

Re Drug Problem

The administration has already swooped down on a number of drug laboratories in the countries, busted drug syndicates and hauled drug lords into jail, and this administration will continue to address that problem. But there are credible reports that the Philippines continues to be a transit point for drugs being brought to other countries. This is one of the reasons why we need to have more stringent financial controls such as those proposed in the AMLA. We must work with the international community in battling this global menace.

Re Agile

The interest and welfare of the Filipino people, nothing more, nothing less, comes first in every major government decision. AGILE has no power to either influence or subvert this principle. Let us not raise smokescreens to cover up for inaction on the AMLA. The March 15 FATF deadline is ticking like a time bomb threatening our people and our economy.

Re Non-Aligned Movemement

Far from being isolated in the NAM conference, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo became the center of attention. Her speech was warmly applauded especially by the OIC delegates. She was elected vice chair of the conference and she presided over the most of the afternoon session during the opening day. She also stole the show for her fashion statement. The Malay Mail wrote: "Resplendent in her red attire, the Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was a sure fire standout in the crowd of somber-coloured clothes preferred by the other heads of state."

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain for his assurance that Bahrain will help in securing the welfare of some 3,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the kingdom in the event that war erupts in the Persian Gulf.

The President made the remarks during the luncheon she hosted for the visiting dignitary at the Malacanang State Dining Room.

"His Highness assured me of the continued protection and welfare of our countrymen during the current crisis in the region," the President said in her remarks, referring to her bilateral meeting Monday with the Prime Minister in Kuala Lumpur during the 13^th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit.

The Chief Executive and the Prime Minister were among the 63 heads of state and government who attended the summit.

In her remarks before offering a toast, the President also thanked Khalifa for the financial support extended by the Kingdom of Bahrain to finance development projects in Mindanao.

"Your support to finance government projects in Mindanao is highly appreciated by the Philippine government and the Filipino people," the President told Khalifa.

The President recalled that the visit of Khalifa, as well as his previous visit last November 2001, has greatly enhanced the close relations between the Philippines and Bahrain.

She said that these visits, as well as the dialogues between officials of the two countries, have resulted in the signing of agreements that would benefit the people of the Philippines and the Kingdom of Bahrain.

For his part, Khalifa thanked the President for the warm hospitality extended to him and his delegation.

"It’s a great pleasure to thank you for your hospitality. I hope my friends in the Gulf will follow my steps to visit the Philippines," Khalifa said in his response.

Before the luncheon, the President received Khalifa and his delegation at the Palace Music Room for the courtesy call.

KUALA LUMPUR – She stood tall and made a difference.

As fiery as her seven-minute speech urging Iraq and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to help avert a global crisis was President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s resplendent but respectable formal business suit that literally lit the halls of the Putrajaya World Trade Center here last Monday.

As soon as she disembarked from the official car to march into welcoming arms and smiles of Malaysian officials, heads of other delegates to the 13^th Non-Aligned Movement Summit turned to take a long look at the President of the Republic of the Philippines.

The President arrived shortly before 9:00 a.m., an hour early for the summit’s opening ceremonies at 10:00 a.m.

Her outfit: an orange formal business attire designed by Filipino-Japanese Ito Curata.

People at the hall, used to seeing the men in dark suits and the women in formal light-shaded business attires, could not but noticed and expressed awe over the lady wearing the orange suit.

She was the third lady head of state who arrived at the PWTC, coming after Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Many of the mediamen in the spacious and well-equipped International Media Center (IMC) inside the PWTC momentarily stopped badgering on their computer keypads to stare at the numerous television screens spread strategically in the hall.

For some 20 seconds, they watched the President walked towards Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad who stood at the end of the hall to welcome his guests, some 63 heads of state and a big number of other government ministers and representatives of NAM guest-and observer-nations.

A reporter from India remarked that the President was "different," and he surely wanted to see and hear her deliver her short speech during the summit’s plenary session and general debate scheduled in the afternoon.

The President was the fifth speaker in Monday’s afternoon session. At the rostrum, her orange suit flared anew to get the attention of the people inside the plenary hall and the IMC who attentively listened as she spoke of NAM as the "largest international bulwark of peace" next to the United Nations.

The NAM, she said, is a movement that has "chosen to temper conflict … a movement that has offered its influential offices not only to stop the firing of weapons, but also to steward peace towards the welfare and benefit of the poor."

Her speech was well applauded, particularly by members of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), a grouping of Islamic nations that had been helping the Philippines resolve the conflict in Mindanao.

"(The OIC had) emphasized respect on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of the Philippines" in resolutions on the Mindanao problem they approved year after year, Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople earlier said.

Among those who stood up from their seats to congratulate the President after her speech were Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, Libya Foreign Affairs Minister Abdurrahman Mohamed Shalghem and Brunei Darussalam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, according to Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye.

The President’s orange suit stood out again during the official photo session.

Reporters learned that she was initially assigned to the left outermost position in the second row after the seated officials of the NAM headed by Prime Minister Mahathir. But organizers immediately corrected the situation and she was escorted to the middle of her row as her peers gave way for her change of position.

Amid a sea of black and dark blue suits, the President in her orange dress stood out again.

The telltale images in thousands of photographs taken and immediately sent worldwide through the Internet showed the difference she made.

To cap it all, the attention to the head of state in a bright suit practically grew when the President presided for about an hour at the plenary session.

It was about 5:00 p.m. and she took over the chores, as acting chairman, of three-year NAM Chairman Prime Minister Mahathir.

She introduced and thanked speakers, all of whom were heads of state and ranking government ministers in their respective countries.

From the opening ceremonies until the end of the plenary session, the President enjoyed the warmth of fellow-delegates, sharing photo sessions with them and giving an ear to what they have to say while exchanging diplomatic notes on cordial relations between countries.

Lastly, the President’s personality drew raves the next day by Malaysia’s leading newspapers.

Making microfinance a cornerstone in her fight against poverty, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today directed the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) to give priority to remote areas in their innovative microfinance scheme called "credit plus five."

The "credit plus five" refers to credit plus training, product development, market access, new technologies and social insurance.

In the 6^th NAPC en banc meeting in Malacanang, NAPC Lead Convenor Teresita Deles informed the President that as of January 31, 2003, the People’s Credit Finance Corporation (PCFC), through its microfinance institutions, has already served 79 provinces, 113 out of 114 cities (Cotabato City still unserved) and 1,083 out of 1,496 towns, or 72 percent.

In her 2002 State of the Nation Address (SONA), the President made a personal commitment to reach out to one million poor women or 300,000 new borrowers a year from 2002 to 2004.

What has been accomplished so far, Deles said, was a total of 595,899 new borrowers, or an increase of 160 percent from the 372,349 borrowers in 2001.

The President approved the NAPC recommendation to set up a mechanism to serve remote and conflict areas, and basic sectors such as the elderly, disaster victims, and the disabled.

On the issues of sustainability of micro-financing institutions and clients, the President directed the continued rationalization of credit programs in geographic coverage and client targeting.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today made a surprise visit to Police Station 2 in Moriones, Tondo, to personally check on the nationwide campaign against street crimes that she had ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to implement.

The Chief Executive, accompanied by Western Police District director Chief Superintendent Pedro Bulaong, motored to the police station in Tondo, which, she said, is number one in crime incidents in Manila.

Upon her arrival in the area, she immediately conferred with Police Station 2 Commander Superintendent Elmer Jamias on the crime situation in the area and what the police have been doing.

On drug-related problems in the area, Jamias reported that out of the 76 barangays under his jurisdiction, 13 are affected by drugs.

Bulaong also told the President that for 2002, "we made 3,700 arrests on drug-related cases citywide."

Later in a media briefing, the President said that it was her responsibility to see to it that her instructions are followed. "Ultimately, the supervision and controls is mine," she said.

The President said that the next step will be a meeting with the mayors of the National Capital Region and Regions 3 and 4, as part of her plan to personally oversee the fight against street crimes.

She said that the crime rate in Metro Manila is still high and she would like to find out how to bring it down.

Bulaong pledged to reduce criminality in his jurisdiction by 30 percent.

The President also clarified that those who can carry guns are only police officers and soldiers when they are on duty.

"Basically its police officers when they are on duty and the soldiers when they are also on duty," the President said when asked who can carry guns.

She noted that those who are off-duty can not carry guns "unless they are specifically under threat."