President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Sunday graced Game 3 of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Finals between the Coca Cola Tigers and Talk and Text Phone Pals at the Araneta Coliseum.

The President arrived at about 5:40 p.m. while the Sta. Lucia Realtors and Barangay Ginebra were playing, 80-65 and around 9:45 to go in the game, for the PBA Mabuhay Cup.

The First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and First Daughter Luli Macapagal-Arroyo accompanied the President, who was met by PBA Commissioner Noli Eala and other PBA officials.

In an interview, First Gentleman "Mike" Arroyo said the First Family was there to launch the FG Foundation search for the basketball sportsman, in partnership with the PBA.

Arroyo said the search called for basketball players who would be a role model as a sportsman and as a citizen.

During the search, at least five PBA players would be accorded the title of sportsmen and model Filipinos.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard said that today he will be discussing cooperation between the Philippines and Australia on how to combat terrorism and other bilateral issues affecting the two countries.

In a statement released by the Australian Embassy in Manila, Howard said that he is looking forward to meeting with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during his official visit to Manila July 14-15.

"A major focus of our discussion will be on practical cooperation to combat terrorism," Howard said.

The Philippines and Australia signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation to combat international terrorism on March 4, 2003 in Canberra.

Howard said that while in Manila, he will also address the Asia Society and meet with Australian and Philippine business leaders.

From Manila, Howard will proceed to Seoul and Tokyo.

He said his visit to the Philippines, Japan and the Republic of Korea would also give him the opportunity to promote commercial links with each of these three countries.

Ensure a final and binding peace pact.

This is why government urges the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to field chairman Hashim Salamat as head of its peace panel.

"MILF Chair Salamat’s active participation and presence in the peace negotiation is demanded by government to ensure that the final peace agreement be binding on the whole organization of the MILF," said the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).

In a statement, it said this would follow the "example of the GRP-MNLF (Government of the Republic of the Philippines-Moro National Liberation Front) Peace Accord of 1996 which was directly handled by MNLF Chairman (Nur) Misuari."

The OPAPP said "the government negotiating panel talking with the MILF is fully clothed with authority by (President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) in entering into agreements."

It added that the President "has given her policy guidance at the start of the negotiations under her administration."

The President also "continues to personally assess and define the directions of the government panel as the peace process develops," it stressed.

The OPAPP also clarified that the government understood the "difficulty and complication posed by the warrants of arrest against MILF leaders involved in the peace talks."

It said the "Justice Department is attending to this concern."

Earlier, Acting Presiding Judge Andrew Banayo of the 4^th Municipal Circuit Trial Court of Maigo-Bacolod-Munai in Lanao del Norte issued a warrant of arrest on about 400 MILF officials and men headed by Salamat.

The cases included multiple frustrated murder, theft of large cattle, malicious mischief, serious illegal detention, multiple murder and brigandage.

The OPAPP stressed that the executive department could not impose on the Judiciary and the "courts have to determine the legal and reasonable action on a petition for the suspension of the application of the warrants of arrest."

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines to continue implementing her four-point policy to protect civilians from communist depredations and keep the door open to all communist rebels who wish to return to the fold of the law.

The President issued the instruction during the meeting of the Cabinet Oversight Committee on Internal Security (COCIS) right after she received from top military officials intelligence and operations update on the campaign against the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye said the President also instructed the Armed Forces officials to continue punitive action against NPA members who are involved in a series of attacks against civilian communities.

During the meeting, Bunye said the President reiterated her earlier four-point policy to:

- Optimize deployment of military and civilian resources;

- Initiate politico-legal-diplomatic moves to put an end to the reported tie-up of NPA and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF);

- Document link between the so-called front organizations and the terrorist organizations; and

- Implement a comprehensive package of socio-economic program in so-called "influenced" barangays.

Bunye said the President wants the military to provide alternative socio-economic projects to those barangays that are influenced by the communist rebels.

Bunye admitted that although the possible resumption of the peace talks between the government and the CPP-NPA-NDF was not discussed during the meeting, the President reiterated her earlier position to accept members of the NPA who are willing to renounce violence.

Earlier, Secretary Silvestre Bello III, head of the government panel negotiating peace with the rebels, reported to the President that both the GRP and CPP-NDF-NPA agreed to resume negotiations before the end of this month.

Bunye said, however, that in the COCIS meeting this morning, the comments of Secretary Bello were not specifically discussed.

"But the President has a separate statement which indicates that she’s open to receiving into the fold of the law those who are willing to renounce violence," Bunye said.