President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah today agreed to further deepen and expand relations between the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam by assisting each other in their respective national development efforts as well as in addressing regional and international challenges of mutual concern.

The President officially welcomed the Sultan, who is in the country for a four-day state visit, this morning in ceremonies held at Malacanang.

The theme of the Sultan’s visit -- "The Philippines and Brunei Darussalam: Steering the Centuries-old Partnership to Meet Challenges and Opportunities of the 21^st Century" – underscores the close historical, political, economic, cultural and kinship ties that have underpinned their stable and strong bilateral relations.

His Majesty arrived at the Palace at around 9:20 a.m. and was accorded arrival honors at the Kalayaan grounds. Afterwards, the Sultan signed the presidential guest book at the Reception Hall in the Palace before proceeding to the Music Room for a meeting with the President.

In a joint press statement issued after their talks, the two leaders reiterated their commitment to facilitate the revitalization of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).

The Philippines and Brunei are members of Asean, or Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which also includes Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

The two leaders welcomed the active involvement of the Asian Development Bank in the revitalization efforts, particularly in the development of small and medium enterprises in BIMP-EAGA. (BIMP-EAGA is a sub-regional economic growth area that covers Brunei Darussalam; the Indonesia provinces of Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, and Irian Jaya; Sabah, Sarawak and the Federal Territory Labuan in Malaysia; and Mindanao and Palawan in the Philippines. With the exception of Brunei these areas have traditionally lagged in economic development when compared to their respective capital regions, despite being rich in natural resources.)

The President and the Sultan likewise welcomed the active participation of the private sector in these efforts, citing the importance of ensuring that the momentum of cooperation activities in EAGA is sustained.

The two leaders also welcomed the signing of the Agreement on Merchant Shipping and Related Matters, underscoring the importance of the agreement in promoting and strengthening their bilateral economic relations as it sought to improve the efficiency of maritime transport.

As close regional partners, the two sides reiterated their commitment to building a stronger and more united Asean and seeing to it that the decisions made during the Eighth Asean Tourism Agreement in Phnom Penh in November 2002, including the implementation of the Asean Tourism Agreement and the various initiatives on combating terrorism, would be fully implemented.

The two sides reiterated the need to convene the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation to plan, monitor and implement the wide range of areas of cooperation between both countries. They welcomed the recent agreement between their respective foreign ministers to convene the inaugural meeting of the JCBC as soon as possible, to be preceded by a senior officials’ meeting by the first half of this year.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam today emphasized the importance of bilateral, regional and international cooperation in combatting terrorism.

In a joint press statement issued after their meeting in Malacanang, the President welcomed the interest of Brunei Darussalam to accede to the Agreement on Information Exchange and Establishment of Communication Procedures as a significant step in forging a more determined and committed regional response to terrorism in the Southeast Asian region.

The President and the Sultan agreed that the Memorandum of Understanding on Defense Cooperation signed in Brunei in August 2001 outlines a number of activities to enhance bilateral defense activities between their two countries.

The two leaders also said they were looking forward to the convening of the First Joint Working Committee, which will be held either in Brunei or the Philippines. Naval exercises between the two countries are scheduled to take place in Brunei in April this year.

Meanwhile, the President expressed appreciation for the unwavering support and invaluable assistance of Brunei as a valued member of the Organization of Islamic Conference Committee of Eight tasked to monitor peace and development efforts in Mindanao.

In a joint press statement issued after their talks in Malacaņang, the President and the Sultan said they agreed to further expand ties between their countries by assisting each other in their national development efforts and in addressing regional and international challenges of mutual concern.

The President officially welcomed the Sultan, who is in the country for a four-day state visit, in Malacaņang during fitting ceremonies today. The Philippines and Brunei are members of Asean which also includes Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

They also reiterated their interest in pursuing collaboration on information and communication technology (ICT), in view of significant developments in Brunei’s ICT sector. They also agreed to explore ways in which Filipino expertise may be tapped in this area.

He will also have separate audiences with Senate President Franklin Drilon and Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City.

In the evening, His Majesty will return to Malacaņang Palace for the traditional state dinner.

On Tuesday, the Brunei Sultan will proceed to Baguio City for a visit to the Philippine Military Academy.

He will depart for Bandar Seri Begawan on Wednesday.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today approved the 29-page draft of the Final Peace Accord between the government and the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front (CPP-NDF) that would pave the way for the solution of the problem of insurgency in the country.

The President’s move, according to Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye, expressed her sincerity in looking for means to end hostilities with communist rebels while searching for ways to push national peace and development.

Bunye, during his regular press briefing in Malacaņang, said the approved draft of the final peace pact would soon be presented to the CPP-NDF panel.

He said the President wanted to inform leaders of the CPP-NDF that the government, particularly the administration of President Macapagal-Arroyo, adheres to the peaceful settlement of the problem.

"So whatever the outcome, we just would like to restate that the government of the Philippines is very sincere in looking for peace, in wanting peace and seeking a lasting solution to our internal conflict," Bunye said

He said the peace pact would be something that the government peace panel led by Secretary Silvestre Bello III had worked on and completed for a long time.

Malacanang has given Secretary Bello enough time to come up with the comprehensive peace package of mutual interest to all parties concerned, particularly the Filipino people, he added.

Bunye noted that the Filipino people have always hoped that peace would rule so that they could focus on more productive endeavors that would uplift their socio-economic conditions.