President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today conferred National Artist Awards, based on Proclamation Nos. 383 to 387, to five Filipino artists in recognition of their contributions to Philippine literature, theater design, visual arts, film and broadcast arts.

The President honored the five artists and presented to each of them a medallion and citation in conferment rites held at Malacanang’s Ceremonial Hall this morning.

The newly proclaimed National Artists are Virgilio S. Almario for his exemplary and outstanding contribution to Filipino literature; Salvador F. Bernal for his contribution to Philippine theater design; the late Jose T. Joya for his artistic excellence and outstanding contribution to Philippine visual arts; Alejandro R. Roces for his major contributions to Philippine literature as a short story writer and essayist, and of his vigorous promotion and uncompromising defense of Filipino culture; and Edgar S. Romero for his contribution to Philippine cinema.

Almario, 59, a poet, literary historian and critic, exemplifies the artist whose refinement of voice and reach of vision in his use of the national language in his writings and for making Filipino a shining vessel for creative, literary and intellectual discourse equal to any language.

In a span of 34 years, Almario has published 12 books of poetry which include the landmark trilogy of "Doktrinang Anakpawis"; ten books of criticisms and anthologies that include "Ang Makata sa Panahon ng Makina" and "Balagtasismo versus Modernismo."

The 58-year-old theater designer Salvador F. Bernal has produced a brilliant body of works which has visualized and enriched Filipino original works in theater, dance and music to an eminent degree and raised Philippine theater design to the highest level of professionalism. He has designed more than 300 productions which have been distinguished for their originality.

The late Jose T. Joya, painter and multimedia artist, has distinguished himself by creating an authentic Filipino abstract idiom that transcended foreign influences.

Joya’s paintings of harmonious colors were inspired by Philippine landscapes. He has introduced the value of kinetic energy and spontaneity in painting which became significant artistic values in Philippine art.

Roces, 78, is a well-known columnist of prestigious newspapers such as the Philippine Star and Manila Bulletin. He is also a short story writer and essayist and is the country’s best writer of comic short stories.

From the widely anthologized "My Brother’s Peculiar Chicken" to the more extended narratives in his books of short stories, Roces has found a novel way to approach the Filipino character. Roces brought to public attention the aesthetics of the country’s fiestas, notably the Moriones and Ati-Atihan.

"This award will be part of the Philippine heritage and I accept this award very, very humbly," Roces said in his acceptance speech.

Roces vowed to turn his short stories into a musical comedy to prove that the Filipino National Artist are not only national artists but are international artists as well.

Eddie Romero, a screenwriter, film director and producer, is the quintessential Filipino filmmaker whose life is devoted to the art and commerce of Philippine cinema.

His early works during the post-war studio system and his adventure into American productions in the late 1950s through the early 1970s did not deter him from making more ambitious films that contributed to the renewal of Philippine cinema in the second half of the 1970s.

Notable among his works are Ang Maestra, 1941; Diego Silang, 1951; Manila: Open City, 1967; Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon, 1977; and Agila, 1980.

Malacaņang called today on the citizenry to provide the authorities with accurate information to flush out the remnants of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) who have slipped their way into the metropolis, thinking they can get lost in the crowd.

This, after Samir Hakim, the alleged procurement officer of the ASG, was nabbed by government authorities in Intramuros on Tuesday. Hakim, who carried a P150,000 reward on his head, was involved in the May 2000 kidnapping of 21 tourists at the Dos Palmas Resort in Palawan aside from several other kidnapping cases in Basilan.

"It is very possible that a number of them may have slipped through and the President (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) is calling on the citizenry to cooperate in our fight against terrorism," Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye said in his regular press briefing this afternoon.

"We all know that any information about the movement of this group would easily be known by the people on the ground, especially at the barangay level. So we are calling on all citizens to cooperate and provide the government with appropriate information as to the movement of this group," Bunye added.

Bunye said the government and the citizenry must work hand-in-hand in flushing out the Abu Sayyaf members who, it seems, were able to slip out of the military dragnet in Mindanao.

"These terrorists are really operating practically everywhere and the President has aptly described the extent of their activity. They are not only operating here; they are operating transnationally. That’s why we have to really approach this problem together, we have to work hand-in-hand in flushing out these terrorists," he said.

He said the police and military authorities were already advised to take the necessary actions against the remnants of the terrorist group.

Malacaņang said today that any appointment or any new unit that would be created to participate in the government’s intensified war against illegal drugs would have to operate within the framework of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye stressed that PDEA is the lead agency in the anti-drug campaign launched by President Macapagal-Arroyo.

"If there are any appointment or any new unit that will be activated, they will have to operate within the umbrella of PDEA," Bunye said during his regular press briefing in Malacaņang this afternoon.

On the appointment of former Interior and Local Government Secretary and Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Bunye said his participation is more on the advisory level on operational matters to be conducted by the lead agency, which is the PDEA.

"Secretary Lim’s advice would be sought on operational matters. What is more important is that Secretary Lim is willing to share his expertise in the anti-drug operations of the President," Bunye added.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will keynote the 2^nd National Conference on eLearning with the principal objective of putting distance learning into the mainstream of the country’s educational system.

The electronic learning or eLearning national conference on August 7-8 at Manila Hotel’s Fiesta Pavilion will bring together educators, policy makers, school heads and administrators, and ICT service providers interested in exploring the potentials of using new technologies in education and training.

According to Information Technology and E-Commerce Council (ITECC) Commissioner Ma. Cristina Padolina, the conference will also be a venue to encourage collaborative efforts in the development, design, and distribution of eLearning content, share best and emerging practices, and showcase cutting-edge eLearning tools.

It will also provide the impetus to encourage the growth of a healthy eLearning environment within the country.

Last June 16, the President launched in Mindanao the Strong Republic Grade School or the government’s distance learning program.

The project, aimed at extending the benefits of education to remote barangays that do not have classrooms and teachers, will make schooling available through television facilities put up in areas where quality of education is very low.

Initially 500 enrolees from Iligan City, aged 7 to 77, will be accepted in the distance learning program that will target some 3,000 barangays in Mindanao, including 1,000 from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

They would be taking a qualifying exam to determine their entry point in the program which encompasses distance learning modules.