As I said, our foremost thrusts for human development today are peace in Mindanao under the Constitution and dealing with the drug problem comprehensively and with finality.

We are moving forward, slowly but surely, in both fronts. Malaysia has agreed to deploy a ceasefire observer team to help us deescalate violence to pave the way for speedier rehabilitation and development in conflict-affected areas. We are starting to account for the big time drug syndicates that are plaguing our communities. We shall overcome our most formidable challenges.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today ordered concerned officials to negotiate with owners of big parcels of land in Payatas, Quezon City for the acquisition and distribution to Payatas residents, many of them victims of a landslide that hit the area three years ago.

The President attended a morning Mass at the open basketball court of Phase 2, Lupang Pangako in Payatas co-celebrated by Fr. Robert Reyes, Fr. Aldrin Suan and parish priest Fr. Joel Bernardo in commemoration of the anniversary of the July 10, 2000 Payatas tragedy.

Accompanying the President were Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman, National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Chairperson Ging Deles, Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council Chairman Michael Defensor, Environment Secretary Elisea Gozun, Press Secretary Milton Alingod, and former Quezon City Congressman Dante Liban.

"Kami ho ay nagpunta rito para makiisa sa inyong mga kalungkutan. At kaya katulad nung nasabi ni Fr. Joel, itong lupa ay dapat gawing adhikain kaya ito ho ang ating ginagawa ngayon (We went here to condole with you, and as Fr. Joel said, land distribution here is a must and that is what we are working on)," the President told some 1,000 residents after the Mass.

Defensor said the Payatas area was earlier classified as an unclassified forest land. The government fought for its reclassification but lost in its bid to distribute the land when the court ruled that the area has a valid title as a private land.

He said the President has tasked them to start bargaining with the several owners who are quite willing to negotiate with the government.

"Kasi yung mga may-ari po naman puwede naman silang bayaran ng dahan-dahan ng gobyerno. Kami na po ang makikipag-negosasyon para ho maisaayos yung pagbili ng lupa (We will negotiate with the landowners for the trouble-free acquisition and distribution of the lands)," he said.

A report reaching the President showed the closure of the Payatas dump in 2004 under Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Act.

One of its provisions stated that the city government is given another three years to convert the area from an open dump site into a controlled dump site.

Plans of the national and local governments for the Payatas dump include the utilization and conversion of the methane gas coming out from the trash to energy to light some portions in Lupang Pangako, hopefully before the end of October.

Others included the reduction by 35 meters of the height of the open dump site, establishment of a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) for recyclables to reduce the volume of the 7,000 cubic meters of trash coming in daily from the city, identification of another landfill area in Montalban, and the treatment of leachates so as not to contaminate the Marikina River.

After the May 1 siege, three Payatas children sent their wishes to the President through the "bangkang papel." Their wish list was granted as it was reported to the President that there are now 582 elementary and high school scholars under the PGMA Scholarship Program who were given P10,000 each under the President’s Social Fund.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today formally received from United States Ambassador Francis Ricciardoni three UH-1H Huey helicopters worth $2.760 million granted by the United States government to the Philippines under its Excess Defense Articles Program (EDA).

The turnover ceremony was held at the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing hangar at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City after the three helicopters were flown in from Subic Bay yesterday.

The President, together with Defense Undersecretary Feliciano Gacis, Jr., turned over the choppers to the Armed Forces of the Philippines led by Chief of Staff General Narciso Abaya. The AFP chief was joined by Philippine Air Force (PAF) Chief Lt. Gen. Nestor Santillan and Col. Prospero Ocampo, wing commander of the 205^th Tactical Helicopter Wing, the PAF unit that will utilize these Huey helicopters.

The newly delivered aircraft were the second batch of refurbished helicopters from a total of eight that the US government had granted to the Philippines three years ago. The first batch of five was delivered in January last year. These are now being utilized in various air operations in Mindanao.

The three helicopters would bring to 38 the total number of helicopters in the Philippine Air Force.

Last July 2, during the 56^th anniversary of the PAF, the President had directed the PAF to acquire 20 additional helicopters to augment its existing inventory and strengthen its mission of safeguarding and shielding the nation.

She tasked the PAF modernization board to expedite the bidding for the 20 helicopters within one month.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo inducted into office today newly appointed Supreme Court Associate Justice Dante Tinga and four other Associate Justices of the Court of Appeals.

Also sworn in during the mass induction held at the Ceremonial Hall of Malacañang were five newly confirmed Ambassadors led by Antonio Cabangon Chua, the newly-elected officers and board members of the National Press Club and six other private organizations.

The event was highlighted by the turnover to the Department of Health (DOH) of a Certificate of Drug Donation by the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP), the largest business association of pharmaceutical companies in the country.

PHAP’s Drug Donation Program, through its PHAP Cares Foundation, has committed P100 million worth of medicines annually through the DOH for distribution, free of charge, to indigent patients in selected government hospitals.

Sworn in with Tinga were Court of Appeals Associate Justices Arsenio Magpale, Jose Mendoza, Arturo Brion and Jose Reyes, Jr.

Cabangon-Chua, the country’s new Ambassador to Laos, was inducted along with newly-confirmed Philippine Ambassadors Laura Q. del Rosario, India with jurisdiction over Nepal and Bhutan; Antonio Rodriguez, Thailand and permanent representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific; Ramoncito S. Marino, Lebanon with concurrent jurisdiction over Syria; and Amable Aguiluz V, Special envoy to the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Antonio Antonio of the Manila Bulletin led the inductees among the NPC members as newly elected president.

Also sworn in by the Chief Executive were officers of the CMC Foundation International, Inc; Order of the Knights of Rizal; Pan Pacific Club of the Philippines, Speech Communication Organization of the Philippines, Alay Lakad Foundation, Inc. and Philippine Colleges and Universities China Studies Association Inc.

Malacañang today said that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today "strongly condemned" the latest bombing incident in Koronadal City, South Cotabato but at the same time stressed that the incident would not affect the ongoing peace efforts in Mindanao.

In his regular press briefing in Malacañang this afternoon, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said that the bombing incident at the public market in Koronadal City this afternoon has been brought to the attention of the President.

"The President strongly condemned this terroristic act. But we will try to go after the perpetrators of this incident. We will make sure that they are brought to justice," Bunye said.

Bunye added, however, that despite the latest terrorist act, the government is keeping the doors open for "those who genuinely desire peace in Mindanao."

He was referring to the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which is set to resume talks with the government under the auspices of the Malaysian government.

When asked whether the Koronadal bombing would affect the resumption of the talks with the MILF, Bunye said that the government has "already gone this far already" and the two sides have made significant headway.

Malacañang today credited the military for downgrading the effectiveness of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), reducing the strength of the notorious kidnap-for-ransom band to fewer numbers from a previous 800.

But Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said operations against the ASG would continue to be relentless, as ordered by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Bunye factored in the difficulty of going after guerillas. He said the success by which the military has deterred the ASG from undertaking atrocities was "an improvement."

He urged the citizenry to do their part in putting the ASG threat to an end.

"This is a concern of the military. But it should be the joint effort of all the citizenry," he said.

He cited the importance of sharing intelligence information "to close in on these Abu Sayyaf bandits."

Meanwhile, Bunye disclosed that a top man from the United States Department of Defense would soon visit the country to confer with government officials on the conduct of the next RP-US Balikatan training.

Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Avelino Cruz would head the government panel, he said.