President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today expressed confidence that a "win-win solution" is in sight to the impasse brought about by the impeachment of Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr. through a covenant among the three branches of government based on her proposed five fundamental principles.

In a speech this morning during the 105^th Postal Service Anniversary and Postal Consciousness Week, the President said there is now a growing consciousness that all concerned must have a common stand that will reflect their collective statesmanship but added that she cannot do it alone.

"Everyone concerned will have to bend backwards a bit without sacrificing principles. I’m sure that right now a win-win solution is in sight," the President said.

The President prayed hard about the impeachment controversy and consulted deeply with leaders from the three institutions. "There is a growing consensus that we have crossed a political threshold to the point wherein the President must step in and forge a principled solution to the impasse," she said.

The President said that she believed that her proposed five principles are leading "us along the road to a principled solution, and along the road to stability and political progress," the President said.

The principles behind the covenant the President proposed are:

1. We must respect the supreme welfare of the people as defined by our Constitution and political traditions;

2. There must be an affirmation of co-equality, independence, but indispensable cooperation and harmony among the three branches of government;

3. We must enforce the principles of checks and balances as an instrument of national unity and stability and not of partisanship;

4. The executive, legislative and judicial authorities must come together as trustees of the public interest and find a resolution to the controversy within the rule of law; and

5. Democratic governance must be based on mutual trust, respect, civility, responsibility and transparency among its leaders.

There are continuous attempts to sow divisiveness in the nation, she admitted, but these efforts are futile and will fail because the people are tired of infighting. The people want unity and reconciliation, the President stressed.

"We want to promulgate justice with reconciliation. We want reforms to uplift the poor and make life more comfortable. The government will lead these reforms and this reconciliation," the President said.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today lauded the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost), on the occasion of its 105^th anniversary, for its "good work" and innovations to improve the efficiency and reliability of the postal service.

Speaking before employees and guests at the Philpost Central Office at Plaza Lawton in Manila, the President noted that Philpost has opened express mail service with dedicated hubs for door-to-door delivery and tapped the information technology to improve its money order system.

The President gave a post facto approval to the Philippine Postal Corporation Provident Fund (PPCPF), which has provided postal employees with accessible source of low rate loans for their emergency needs.

"Ito ay senyas ng aking pagpapasalamat sa inyong sinsero at makabuluhang trabaho – di lamang para sa Philpost kundi sa ating bansa at taumbayan (This signals my gratitude for your sincere and valuable service not only for the Philpost but also for the country and the people)," the President said.

The PPCPF was established in l993 but the Department of Budget and Management has not recommended post-facto approval pending completion of a study on the rationalization of different schemes for establishing provident funds in various government agencies and corporations.

The President said that she understood the urgency of addressing the personal needs of Philpost employees "in these most difficult times in the history not of our country alone but of the world economy."

She noted, among other events, the Asian financial crisis of 1997, the September 11 terror attacks on the United States, and the SARS scare in Asia and Pacific this year as the contributory factors to "the trying times."

"Our hard-working government employees must have ready access to credit," she added.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo led the prayer at the opening of the Holy Octave of Consecration of the Philippines and the Filipino people to God Our Father that was solemnized at Malacanang Chapel today.

Fr. Steve Privet, S.J., president of the University of San Francisco in the United States, officiated at the first of the holy masses that will be celebrated in eight consecutive days.

The people can participate in the Holy Octave of Consecration through the live broadcasts on Radio Veritas, Radyo ng Bayan, and National Broadcasting Network (NBN) TV at 8:00 A.M. and through a delayed broadcast at Radio Balintataw on DZRH at 9:00 P.M.

In a background literature, the Konsensyang Pilipino said that at a recent chance meeting with the Marian Messenger Foundation, a common discernment emerged on the urgency to seek the protection of God the Father through a Holy Octave of Consecration to Him with the participation of the Filipino people.

As the national leader, the President was invited in August 2003 to lead the Holy Octave of Consecration to God Our Father. She accepted the invitation at a later date.

"On this solemn occasion as we enter eight days of prayer and purification," the Konsensyang Pilipino said, "we are filled with hope as our President leads the Consecration of our nation to God the Father so that, as one people and one nation, we may come home to His compassionate and loving embrace and protection."

Konsensyang Pilipino and Marian Messenger Foundation are among a long list of religious organizations sponsoring the Holy Octave. The Consecration of the Nation to God by President Macapagal-Arroyo will be held on final day of the Holy Octave on November 10.

President Macapagal-Arroyo led the prayer of consecration in which she asked God the Father to have "mercy on all your children – past, present and future -- and to bring peace to the world."

She praised God our Father for the works and wonders of His creation. While she expressed gratitude for her life and all that have been bestowed on her, she offered up in return "all that you have so generously given me."

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is scheduled to inaugurate several government infrastructure projects when she visits Bohol province tomorrow, Tuesday.

The President would inaugurate the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) port expansion project and the New Tagbilaran Government Center.

She is also scheduled to grace the launching of the Tagbilaran City Tourism Port and two bridges in Antiquera, Bohol which were built under the President’s Bridges Program.

Later at the Carlos P. Garcia Sports Complex, the President is scheduled to launch the Provincial Council Against Drug Abuse Program where she would be presented a plaque declaring her as an adopted daughter of Bohol province.

She is expected to deliver her message in Cebuano in a meeting with religious, youth, non-government organizations, and business leaders in the province.

A dinner meeting is also scheduled with the provincial and municipal officials of the province.

The latest survey of the Social Weather Station (SWS) has found the unemployment rate among Filipino adults, from August 30 to September 14, to have declined to 6.5 percent from 12.2 percent in June 2003.

Adult unemployment – defined to include those at least 18 years of age who are not working but looking for work at the time of the survey -- has been tracked by SWS since September 1993.

The latest official unemployment rate among those at least 15 years old is 12.7 percent in July 2003.

According to the survey, adult unemployment rates declined among males (5.0 percent, from 8.3 percent in June 2003) and females (9.9 percent, from 19.6 percent in June 2003), although unemployment rates remain high among females than males.

By age group, adult unemployment rates also declined across all age group, although the rate remains high among those 18-24 years old (34.4 percent), compared to the other age groups.

The SWS survey used face-to-face interviews of a national sample of 1,200 representative adults, for an approximate error margin of plus-minus 3 percent at the 95 percent confidence level for national-level percentages.

The items described in this release were not commissioned, but were included on SWS's own initiative. The Social Weather Station surveys are supported by subscribers, who have no proprietary rights over the data.

President Macapagal-Arroyo has said that she is confident that more jobs have been restored in the agricultural sector as the El Nino has abated.

She also said that she is determined to strike up more investments in the industrial and services sectors as economic activities pick up towards yearend.

"More jobs are a result of sound economic fundamentals as much as political security and confidence. We have to shake off the syndrome of destabilization and excessive politicking to get investments on track. The incessant atmosphere of controversy and putting-each-other-down must give way to focus and a sense of national purpose to rev up the economy and drive down crime and terrorism. We are consolidating the nation but we must do so at a faster pace," she said.

The Department of Labor and Employment earlier reported that the country’s labor force grew by 3.4 percent, reaching 33.93 million workers last year.

Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas said the employment rate grew by 3.1 per cent, with more than 906,000 persons employed during the same period.

For the year 2002, the full-year unemployment rate of 11.4 percent (3.874 million) was about the same as the 2001 rate of 11.2 percent, according to Sto. Tomas.

She said the average underemployment rate edged down to 17 percent (5.109 million) from 17.2 percent in 2001.

The labor strike incidence in year 2002 was also the lowest in 21 years, according to her, with only 36 strikes reported nationwide.

Sto. Tomas likewise noted that the unemployment rate also decreased to 12.2 percent in April this year compared to the same period last year.

The number of unemployed persons meanwhile had decreased by 649,000 while the underemployment rate also dropped by 4.0 percent as compared to 19.6 percent in April 2002 to 15.6 percent this year.

Sto. Tomas said DOLE will continue to intensify its campaign against the two perennial problems of unemployment and corruption.

CALAMBA, Laguna – Goodbye galunggong. Hello tilapia.

Whether it’s the economist in her or the plain housewife speaking, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s message here today is loud and clear: tilapia, when properly propagated and cultured, can be the fish of choice for the masses.

"Ang tilapia puwedeng palakihin sa lawa at mas mura (The tilapia can be cultured at the lake and comes cheaper)," the President told the crowd that attended the 34^th anniversary rites of the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) at the Daungan in Bgy . Palingon here. "Dahil kaya nating makontrol ang pagpapalaki ng supply, puwede nating i-culture. Kaya tama na gawin nating pagkain sa araw araw ang tilapia (And because we can control the supply, we can culture it and make it our staple food."

Admitting that personally she prefers the tilapia to the galunggong, the President said tilapia breeding could offer more profits for the Filipino fishermen.

"Kaya palawakin natin ang tilapia para manatiling mura ang ating pagkain (So let’s propagate tilapia to keep prices of food down)," she exhorted the crowd from a makeshift stage overlooking the famed lake, the second largest in Asia next only to Indonesia’s Lake Toba.

The President had earlier dispersed 10,000 tilapia fingerlings at the lake as part of the LLDA fish dispersal program that would benefit the marginalized fisherfolk that rely on open fish catching. She also viewed 12 special tilapia recipes included in the Tilapia Festival of the area.

At the makeshift stage, she granted P10.8 million in the form of Fishpen Fee Shares to the local government units within the Laguna Bay region as part of the celebration of the 34^th anniversary of the LLDA.

She also honored the oldest LLDA employe, Elsa Laurena with an esteemed Service Award for her service and loyalty. Laurena, during the administration of the President’s father, President Diosdado Macapagal, joined the government in 1963 as a store aide at the Department of Public Works after finishing her studies at the Philippine College of Commerce.

She joined the LLDA in 1969 as a pioneer employee.

The celebration was highlighted by the simultaneous placement of ceremonial buoys demarcating all of the agency’s fish sanctuaries in the lake.

"Binabati ko and LLDA sa inyong anibersaryo (I congratulate the LLDA on your anniversary)," she told the audience that included local officials of provinces surrounding the lake. "Sentro ng pagdiriwang nating ito ay ang pagtaguyod sa kapakanan ng mangingisda sa lawa at ang pagpapakilala sa tilapia bilang pagkain ng masa (The center of these rites is the support for the welfare of our fishermen and the introduction of tilapia as the fish of choice for the masses)."

She challenged the LLDA to keep the lake alive to prevent the fate suffered by the Pasig River. She also delved on the theme "Masaganang Lawa, Matatag na Republika (Rich lake, Strong Republic)."