President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is adopting "both administrative and legislative initiatives" to rid the bureaucracy of corruption.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye stressed this as he cited the President for focusing on reducing, it not eliminating, the incidence of graft and corruption in government.

Bunye said the problem "has been there for some time" and would take time, not overnight, for reforms to really take effect.

"From day one of her administration, the President has come out strongly against corruption in government," he said.

He noted that the recent cleansing of allegedly corrupt personnel in the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and other offices "is just a continuation of what (the President) started."

Bunye said officials "should really go after those who are remiss in their duties and those engaged in nefarious activities.

He said that when the evidence against erring personnel is so strong and if there could be no impartial investigation without having to suspend them, their suspension would be in order.

"We have to serve as an example of good governance of efficiency in government," he said.

Bunye also disclosed that the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) is continuing its lifestyle check on government personnel.

The Philippine Government Employees Association (PGEA) has expressed full support to the vigorous campaign of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo against dangerous drugs.

In a letter to Malacaņang, the PGEA, headed by Esperanza S. Ocampo, said the President’s declaration of war against drugs "is a wake-up call for all concerned to recognize and fight this menace of society that greatly contributes to crime all over the country."

Heeding the President’s call for all sectors to be involved in the war against drugs, the PGEA revealed that it has sent recommendations on the preparation of guidelines on the random drug-testing of government employees to the Civil Service Commission (CSC), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB).

The PGEA also revealed plans to conduct a public sector consultation on drug testing on Thursday (July 3) at the Bayview Hotel from 8 a.m. to 12 noon.

Expected to take part in the consultation are representatives from the CSC, DDB, DILG and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, which is the lead agency in the administration’s war against illegal drugs.

The President earlier said the war against drugs must be waged in the streets and the communities, stressing that the drug menace is all pervading and cuts across all classes of society.

MATI, Davao Oriental—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today ordered a review of the deployment of military, police and civilian defense forces to meet the many-sided threat to peace in Mindanao, including the terrorism and brutality perpetrated by the New People’s Army.

The President expressed concern over the spate of terrorist incidents carried out by the NPA which, she said, "are obviously meant to exploit the fact that our troops are spread over several fronts, especially in the anti-terrorism campaign in Mindanao."

"These evil deeds have no place in our search for peace and progress in the Philippines, in Mindanao and in Davao Oriental," the President said in Cebuano in her brief remarks at the 36^th founding anniversary of Davao Oriental.

The President arrived here this morning on the first leg of her latest swing to Mindanao that would bring her to Tagum City in Davao del Norte, Pikit, North Cotabato, and Bubong, Marawi City.

"We will deal with this resurgent NPA threat comprehensively," the President said.

She directed the Cabinet Oversight Committee on Internal Security to determine the optimum deployment of military and civilian resources to meet the many-sided threat to peace in Mindanao.

The President said she will also ask the COCIS to submit recommendations on effective politico-diplomatic measures that will expose the tie-up of the NPA and the forces of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

"We will hold the CPP-NDP leadership accountable for the terrorist acts of the NPA, including a review of the GRP-NDF joint agreement on security and immunity guarantees," the President said.

She also called on the people of this province to be more vigilant and to condemn terrorism and brutality perpetrated by the NPA and other lawless forces.

This means, the President said, that in some places, the police, the local government units (LGUs), and the communities themselves must engage in a larger task of vigilance and alertness.

The President said that peace and development in the Davao region could not be realized unless terrorism and criminality are stopped.

The President also extended her condolences to the family of Mayor Joel Brillantes of Monkayo, Compostela Valley, who was gunned down by a lone gunman inside a cockpit in Davao City over the weekend.

She said she wished Mayor Brillantes had been more vigilant over his personal security, adding that she has instructed police authorities to conduct an in-depth probe and account for all the suspects, including the mastermind, in the incident.

Partisan politics has no place in the anti-drug campaign.

This President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo emphasized today, saying there is no room for squabbling and grandstanding in the fight against illegal drugs.

In a speech during the celebration of the 36^th Founding Anniversary of Davao Oriental in Tagum, the President asked the opposition to submit to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) any evidence or actionable intelligent information on drug lords that they may have and help move the campaign forward.

"We’ll accommodate the counsel and assistance of those that can move the campaign forward on the basis of teamwork, integrity, experience and results," she said.

At the same time, the President said the government will accord immediate professional recognition and prestige to police officers who demonstrate courage, honesty and devotion to duty in the fight against drugs.

"I know that there are many of those who truly deserve to be commended," she said. "There are many of those quiet performers in the communities. And I would like the PDEA to keep a scorecard so an effective merit system can be enforced."

The President had earlier appointed the PDEA as the lead agency in the campaign, saying there must only be one point of operational authority and accountability.

She instructed the PDEA to enforce disciplinary policies strictly and evenly, without fear or favor.

She also asked the agency to stop the notorious practice of turning arrested drug pushers into milking cows and the reselling of seized drugs.

The government condemned in strongest terms today the slay attempt on Chinese businessman and sportsman Go Teng Kok.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered the Philippine National Police to immediately investigate and solve the "dastardly act" and bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible.

Go, president of the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (PATAFA), sustained bullet wounds in the face but was declared in stable condition after undergoing emergency surgery at the Ospital ng Maynila Tuesday morning.

The controversial athletics chief was ambushed outside the PATAFA office at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex by still unidentified men aboard a motorcycle at around 8 a.m.

Police have yet to establish the motive behind the attempt to kill Go who was once linked to the drug world after he reportedly interceded for the release of suspected drug queen Yu Yok Lai.

The suspicions, however, were never substantiated.

Go, scion of a wealthy Chinese businessman, turned to sports in the early nineties.

TAGUM CITY – Davao Oriental, one of Mindanao’s most vibrant economies and the first to undertake hybrid rice farming, scored another first today.

And no less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo acknowledged the province’s feat when she unveiled here a giant mosaic map, the first in the country, highlighting the 36^th Araw ng Davao del Norte.

"Ang ekonomiya sa Davao Oriental adunay ma-ayong ka-ugmaon. Kamo ang naga-una sa hybrid rice dito sa banaybanay (Davao Oriental’s economy is very good. You are the first in hybrid rice here in the countryside)," the President said in the native dialect.

The 18 feet by 13 feet mosaic map, a pilot project of the Department of Agriculture through the Bureau of Soils and Water Management, is aimed at answering the need for real-time information through aerial photographs, which will be used as basis for development projects to be undertaken by local government units.

The Davao del Norte provincial government, together with the three cities and seven municipal governments allocated almost 75 per cent of the total project cost which is P2.4 million.

Davao del Norte Governor Rodolfo del Rosario said aerial photographs are essential entities in the establishment of ground information needed for identifying crops and areas that are critical and valuable to El Nino and La Nina phenomena.