It is the duty of any President to serve the national interest and to sacrifice self-interest in doing so.

But President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has not made any statement on this matter and refuses to be distracted by partisan politics in her day to day task of tackling vital national concerns.

Meeting with Mr. Danding Cojuangco

The President met Mr. Cojuangco very briefly at Villamor Air Base yesterday while she was her way to attend the 56^th anniversary celebration of the Philippine Air Force.

The President had just arrived from Marawi City where she presided over a command conference on the anti-drug campaign.

Death Penalty for Drug Traffickers

The President has expressed support for the idea of executing convicted big-time drug traffickers, but she has exercised due deference to the position of the church as well as to other well-meaning sectors on this issue.

She wants the nation to be united, not divided, on all issues relating to the anti-drug campaign.

Anti-Drug War

MILF

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has found another ally In her efforts to end the decades-long secessionist movement in Mindanao.

The British Business Council, signifying its continued trust and confidence in the Arroyo government, expressed support for her peace efforts by way of promoting the inter-faith dialogue and encouraging British investors to put up their business in the Philippines.

During a courtesy call on the President at Malacaņang’s Music Room this morning, BBC officials headed by Geoffrey Short, chairman and president of Wealth Creation, Inc., reiterated their support for the inter-faith dialogue, one of the 16-point agenda of the administration to fight local terrorism and ending the secessionist movement in Mindanao.

The President thanked the BBC for promoting and teaching the English language to the Muslims, saying this "will promote the inter-faith dialogue to our Muslim brothers in Mindanao, especially the young ones."

During the same meeting, BBC officials informed the President that the British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines is planning to expand their business in Mindanao, particularly in Davao.

Short revealed that one of the investments the BBC plans to put up in the conflict-torn island is in the field of information and communication, technology, saying it is the fastest growing business not only in the country but also in the whole world.

Paul Hubbard, BBC director and country head of Total Solution Software, Inc., testified that information technology is one of the booming businesses in the country.

He revealed that his company is now teaming up with Smart Communications to expand their operations.

Short said he is impressed by the government program on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), saying this has helped improve the lives of the small business entrepreneurs.

In response to the positive observation of the BBC to the business climate in the country, the President informed them that aside from ICT, the insurance industry is also one of those that have contributed to the growth of the Gross National Product.

The government today said the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) should come up with an official statement, signed by MILF chairman Hashim Salamat himself, on the permanent cessation of hostilities, the renunciation of links with terrorism and terrorist groups, both local and foreign, and the active participation of the MILF leader in the peace talks so that the formal negotiations could start soon.

"We would wish that they come up with a written statement signed by Salamat himself. And I repeat not necessarily by their spokesman (Eid Kabalu), because they can always turn back on their word and then we will be left hanging," Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Eduardo Ermita said in a media briefing in Malacaņang.

Ermita pointed to the flip-flopping announcements of the MILF on the participation of Salamat in the peace talks. Last week, Ermita said, Kabalu issued a statement to the media that Salamat was ready to hold talks with the government not as a "full-blown participant" but only during the opening of the resumption of the talks and during the signing of a final agreement.

Ermita added that he was surprised that he had been asked questions again this morning to comment on reports that Kabalu said that Salamat will not again participate.

"Now, it only shows that there is wisdom in the government position of getting information from the MILF leadership, from Salamat himself, and not through the statements of their spokesman," he said.

At present, Ermita said the government is still evaluating the genuineness and sincerity of the MILF in their declared cessation of hostilities.

"And we are awaiting a (written) declaration of a permanent ceasefire or whatever they may call it… an indefinite ceasefire. Now, the negotiations proper will be somewhere after the declaration of cessation of hostilities are concerned," he said.

As part of confidence-building measures, Ermita said the MILF could also initiate a petition for the lifting of the warrants of arrest on the MILF members implicated in terrorist activities, particularly the bombing of the Sasa Wharf in Davao City that killed scores of innocent civilians.

"Now even those persons who are supposed to be involved in the talks and even in the ceasefire mechanism, such as the coordinating committee for the cessation of hostilities and local monitoring team, we will ask the MILF leadership to submit the names, validate them, so these are the people that we can monitor whether they are the ones upon whom the suspension of the warrant of arrest will be done," he said.

Negotiators of the government and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) have a mutual understanding to formally resume the peace negotiations by the end of July, Silvestre H. Bello, chairman of the GRP panel for peace talks, said today

In a press briefing in Malacaņang, Bello said that a meeting took place at The Hague, the Netherlands on June 26 to 29 between his panel and the leaders of the NDF that include Jose Maria Sison, Luis Jalandoni, Fidel Agcaoili and the widow of Antonio Zumel.

Bello said that after the meeting, there was a mutual understanding to meet again or to resume formally the talks by the end of July. "It’s just a mutual understanding," Bello said.

Bello said that even before they could meet at the end of July there are some very contentious issues that both panels have to resolve.

"As a matter of fact there was a colatilla that even before we could meet we have to resolve some contentious issues," Bello said.

Bello, however, refused to divulge all the conditions, saying that he was not at liberty to discuss it.

But he mentioned one important condition and that is the NDF must accept the new framework of the peace process as proposed by the GRP panel.

Bello explained that under the old peace process framework, both panels were supposed to discuss three substantive issues and as soon as they both agreed on these substantive issues they will have to enter into separate agreements.

"So under the old process we have four separate agreements covering the four substantive issues while under the new peace process framework there will be one final peace agreement," Bello said.

"We are suggesting we would only have one agreement, one final peace agreement instead of four piecemeal agreements. Yun ang pagkaiba ng old process and the new process," Bello said.

He added that during the meeting, the NDF leaders brought up some issues and one of them is the delisting of the NPA as a terrorist organization and the other one is the difficulties of Jose Maria Sison after he was listed as a terrorist.