CAGAYAN DE ORO – For so long ravaged by conflict, poverty and high illiteracy rate, the people of Mindanao must now be feeling lucky.

From housing, livelihood, irrigation to nautical food highway, airport construction, solar power project, new air destinations, name it, they’ve got it.

Like a Pandora’s box that opened a slew of opportunities, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s eight-day sortie in what many consider the Land of Promise had seemingly wiped out that feeling of alienation that for so long has tied Mindanaoans down from fulfilling that promise.

And no other person can perhaps be more ecstatic in unlocking that potential than President Macapagal-Arroyo.

Monday (June 16), as she prepared to wrap up her Mindanao National Initiative (Mindanao Natin) sojourn, the President expressed her optimism that pretty soon Mindanao can rise up from the conflict and achieve its potential.

"I feel the rising power of Mindanao," she told the people of Iligan during their 53^rd Adlaw sa Iligan celebrations at the city’s public plaza.

"Christians, Muslims, Lumads because of their innate sense of unity, their hardworking spirit and their love for peace, it is the people themselves who would propel the region forward."

On that day, the President was presented by the Technology and Livelihood Resource Center the 10 technovans formally launching the Education and Distance Learning. She also inaugurated the new building housing additional classrooms at the Bayug Elementary School in Bgy. Miraplanon, Iligan before motoring over here bearing more packages for the people of Mindanao.

During lunch with local officials of Region 10, she announced the expansion of the Roll-On, Roll-Off (RO-RO) nautical highway project to include a new route from this city to Batangas, shortening travel time and lowering transport cost of goods coming from Mindanao.

She was briefed on the progress of the new Laguindingan airport by Department of Transportation and Communication Secretary Leandro Mendoza and the Solar Power project for Agrarian Reform Communities by the Department of Agrarian Reform.

The President then inaugurated the 19-seater SEAir (Southeast Asian Airlines) plane that will fly the Cebu-Cagayan de Oro-Davao route, the first triangulated route in the Southern region established by a local airline.

SEAir has invested P70 million in the expansion of its operations in Visayas and Mindanao and will offer once a day flight three times a week.

In Agusan del Sur Tuesday (June 17), as she wrapped up her week-long trip, the President distributed land patents to 1,000 farmer beneficiaries from 14 municipalities, awarded livelihood assistance to 107 recipients under the PRESEED program and appropriated a total of P5 million for cassava and prawn production, among others.

Earlier in her sortie that started last June 10, she inaugurated a community level warehouse and solar dryer projects in Salipada Pendatun and appropriated P40 million for the construction of addition classrooms for 137 schools with 100 or more students per class in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

"The people of Mindanao can now rise from the conflict, feel secure in their communities and achieve their destiny in the realm of justice, the rule of law, solidarity and human development," the President said.

CALBAYOG, Samar—President Gloria Macapaga-Arroyo today expressed frustration that tropical storm "Egay," a relatively weak typhoon, could claim so many lives and wreck havoc on hundreds of residents in the province.

"It was so sad that lives were lost and the saddest thing is that typhoon ‘Egay’ was not that strong," the President remarked during an unscheduled visit here.

The President headed straight to this typhoon-ravaged Northern Samar town from Butuan City where she ended her eight-day sortie to Mindanao.

"The loss of lives could have been avoided," the President said, as she ordered Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, who was in her party, to pursue "more vigorously" the government objective to achieve "zero casualty" in times of calamity.

Reyes is the chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), which is based at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

The President said that this was the first time that a riverbank overflowed and had claimed lives.

She said that the government could now use its police powers to force the evacuation of residents at the riverbanks to prevent casualties during typhoons and heavy downpours.

The President was met at the Calbayog Airport by Renato Dacoma, 29, and his 9-year-old son Marvin, from Barangay Canlapwas, Catbalogan, Samar.

Dacoma lost his wife, Lorna, who was four months pregnant, three-year-old son Mark, and cousin Leo Tapalla, 30, when the Antiao River overflowed at the height of typhoon "Egay" early Sunday morning.

The President handed P50,000 to Dacoma as financial assistance.

In his report to the President, Philippine National Police Region 8 director, Chief Superintendent Dionisio Coloma, said that the heavy rains of typhoon "Egay" hit the province during a high tide.

Coloma reported that so far, the typhoon has claimed nine lives but the damage to properties and infrastructure had been minimal.

Catbalogan Mayor Jesus Redaja told the President that the Antiao River has been "very much silted."

"That is why the river has widened, threatening to wash out houses built along its banks," Redaja said.

Meanwhile, Secretary Reyes informed Samar officials that they could now access 5 percent of their internal revenue allotment (IRA) from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for disaster-related expenses.

PATIN-AY, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today ordered the airlifting to Manila of a two-year-old boy who has been suffering from a congenital liver ailment.

The President visited this capital town as the guest of honor in the Naliyagan Festival, which coincides with the 36^th Foundation Day of Agusan del Sur.

The President gave the order to the provincial chapter of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) after hearing of the ordeal of the boy, Jessie John Eguia.

She instructed the local DSWD official to immediately airlift the boy to Manila where he and his mother will be met by no less than DSWD Secretary Corazon "Dinky" Soliman.

The President said that the DSWD will shoulder all the medical expenses of the boy.

The child’s mother, Eunegene Equia, a single parent, upon learning that the President would be visiting their place, gathered all her courage and exerted all efforts in getting an audience with the President

She first sought the assistance of "Karancho," a non-governmental organization that conducts humanitarian and rescue operations in the CARAGA region.

Eunegene was later referred to Jose Go, a municipal councilor of Rosario town, and a member of "Karancho."