President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today called on ambitious politicians to wait for the proper Constitutional opportunities if they want power as she stressed that she will never acquiesce the people’s sovereignty to those who would like to get it by force.

In a formal statement, the President said that the few who are impatient for power should wait for the Constitutional opportunities to vie for it, referring to the presidential elections in 2004.

"We shall not give them an inch of the people’s sovereignty that they intend to usurp by force," the President said.

In referring to the recent homily of Manila Auxiliary Bishop Socrates "Soc" Villegas, the President said that the roots of today’s crisis are ambition, hatred and greed.

But she assured the bishop and the Roman Catholic Church that the Filipino people will overcome this crisis by unity, peace and democracy.

"I have submerged my leadership in the profound yearnings of our people—for food on the table, a roof over their heads, and peace in their homes," the President said.

In his homily at a mass Thursday, Villegas said that the country is going through a leadership crisis as he accused the leaders, who he likened to shepherds, of abandoning their flock and "fattening" themselves.

The President said that she will continue to use all her energies in uplifting the poor and the underprivileged, and in caring for the dispossessed. "I have no time for pleasing despots," she said.

For two consecutive days now, the President has distributed certificates of lot occupancy to informal settlers in Manila and Tondo.

On Thursday, the President visited the depressed areas in Parola and Baseco Compound in Tondo, where she assured some 2,000 squatter families that they would soon be relocated to a permanent housing site developed by the government housing agencies under the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC),

The Macapagal-Arroyo administration has exceeded the targets set for its intensive nationwide campaign to protect the Filipino people, particularly the youth, from the drug menace.

In a report to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task (AID-SOT) Force said that, in a three-month period starting June 16, 2003, AID-SOT Force had cleared 1,709 drug-affected barangays, arrested 10,269 drug pushers and users, and neutralized 94 drug groups, including three transnational syndicates responsible for the manufacture and trafficking of dangerous drugs.

The anti-drugs task force dismantled four clandestine shabu laboratories of the transnational syndicates, three of which were located in Cavite – one each in Silang, Tanza and Carmona. The other shabu laboratory was found in Fairview, Quezon City.

In addition to disabling the large-scale shabu labs, AID-SOT operatives also raided six warehouses used for storing shabu finished products and chemicals needed in the manufacture of illegal drugs. They seized several kilos of shabu, large quantities of ephedrine and other chemicals, and state-of-the-art shabu lab equipment.

The AID-SOT dragnet netted three leaders of the neutralized transnational drug syndicates. They were identified in the report as Jackson Dy, Benito Sy and Zhang Shang Ming, who are now facing criminal charges.

The AID-SOT, with select membership from different units of the Philippine National Police (PNP), set out with these targets in the first quarter of its operation: clearing 500 drug affected barangays, arresting 6,000 pushers and users, and neutralizing 60 local and 4 transnational drug groups.

In its report, the AID-SOT attributed its successful barangay clearing operations to the "full support" extended the Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force by concerned government agencies and the community.

"We can attain the target of clearing one third of all the drug-affected barangays nationwide," the AID-SOT report said.

The police regional offices scored an overall 72.76 percent barangays drug clearing efficiency. The National Capital Region, with 1,659 drug-affected barangays, had the most number of barangays cleared of drugs at 593, followed by Region VI, 182; Region III, 151; and Region XI, 133.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today said that although the visit here of US President George W. Bush next month is short, it will have a substantial impact on Philippine-American relations and in the two countries partnership in such areas as global peace, security and development.

In a formal statement, the President said that the visit of President Bush may be short "but the expected gains are undiminished."

She said that the Filipino people are waiting for the Bush visit with anticipation and gladness. "This event will be both highly symbolic and substantive," the President said.

Earlier, Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople said that President Bush would be spending more time in Manila than in other Asian capitals.

He said Bush will be here on October 18 for an eight-hour visit, while he will be spending only three hours each in Indonesia, Australia and Thailand.

"The visit will be significant not necessarily because it is long or short but how much the relationship and the bonds of friendship are strengthened," Ople said.

The President said that the visit will symbolize the conjoined strategic objectives of the Philippines and the United States for global peace, security and development as well as the continuing US engagement in Southeast Asia.

She said the visit "will further seal our pact against terrorism and poverty as the US gears for a broader post-conflict and rehabilitative role in Mindanao."

The visit, the President said, will also substantiate the RP-US economic partnership as the US remains to be the country’s No. 1 trading partner and source of investment.

"The bonds of friendship and mutuality will be deepened and tightened," the President said.

Re Alleged Resignation of Secretary Mar Roxas

I just talked by phone to Secretary Mar Roxas, who is now attending the WTO conference in Cancun, Mexico.

Secretary Roxas expressed surprise about the rumor circulating that he has resigned.

"I was not aware of such gossip until somebody from your office called me just now. As you can see, we are discharging our duty here and we will continue to do so," Roxas told me.

"We have put forward the position of our country and we have aligned ourselves with a group of 21 countries, which include India, China, Brazil and Egypt," Secretary Roxas told me.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today asked Metro Manila’s urban poor not to allow themselves to be used by ambitious politicians and other groups who want to grab power through extra Constitutional means.

In her remarks during the distribution of certificates of lot occupancy to more than 500 informal settlers in Pasay City held this morning at the Cuneta Astrodome, the President told them that henceforth, they are no longer squatters in their own country.

She also called on them to continue to have faith in the government, which, according to her, has been working very hard to provide them with their basic needs, including housing.

"Huwag na huwag kayong pumayag na magamit ng mga sobrang ambisyoso sa kanilang hangarin na umagaw ng kapangyarihan (Don’t allow yourselves to be used by the ambitious who would want to grab power," the President said.

The President said that her primary concern is to uplift the poor, the underprivileged, and the dispossessed.

"Ito ang aking inaasikaso at hindi ang pamumulitika (This is what I am focusing on and not politics)," she said.

According to the President, during the two and a half years of her administration, more than 600,000 squatter families have already been given housing security and that some 300,000 have already been awarded with certificates of lot occupancy.

"This is a record high in the history of our country," she said.

The President then lauded local officials and cited in particular Pasay City Mayor Wenceslao "Peewee" Trinidad and Rep. Consuelo Dy as well as airport officials like General Manager Edgar Manda and the recently ambushed MIAA executive Lilia Diaz for their support and for doing the paper work on the project.

Asking those present to pray for justice for Diaz, the President said she had already instructed the Philippine National Police (PNP) to speed up the investigation of the case.

The more than 500 recipients of the certificates of lot occupancy have been occupying lands owned by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) in Balabag Area, Don Carlos Village, Baryo Pilipino Putol and Maricaban, all in Pasay City.

The areas where the home lots of the beneficiaries are located are covered by Presidential Proclamation No. 144, as amended by Presidential Proclamation No. 391, which transferred the administration of the proclaimed sites from the MIAA to the National Housing Authority (NHA).

The President said that in the past few days she had been visiting depressed areas in Metro Manila to interact with the informal settlers and to assure them that the government is working hard to provide them with housing security.

A day after America recalled the day it stood united in the face of tragedy they now call 9-11, Filipinos, weary of excessive politicking and challenges to democracy, gathered this afternoon at the Quirino Grandstand to pray for peace, unity and democracy.

An estimated half a million people from the 17 cities and municipalities that comprise Metro Manila attended the prayer rally graced by no less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Vice President Teofisto Guingona, Jr. Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. and other government officials, including all Metro Manila mayors, who took turns in rendering their own prayers for the sake of the country.

During her turn, the President asked for Divine intervention in addressing the roots of the crisis that rocked the country lately such as the threats of terrorism, insurgency, political destabilization, military mutiny and allegations of corruption in high places.

"Nakakabahala na Panginoon ang mga kaganapan nitong mga nakaraang buwan na nagbabanta ng kaguluhan sa aming pamumuhay, pagkawasak ng aming demokratikong lipunan at pagbagsak ng aming ekonomiya (Lord, the events of the last few months have become worrisome, threatening our lives, our democratic institutions and our economy)," the President intoned in her prayer.

"Panginoon, alam ninyo (Lord, you know) the roots of the crisis are ambition, hatred and greed. Panginoon, sa tulong niyo (Lord, with your help), we shall overcome these by unity, peace and democracy."

The President said she has submerged her leadership "in the profound yearnings of our people – for food on the table, a roof over their heads, and peace in their homes."

She said that with God’s grace, she has no time for pleasing despots and that she will continue to use all her energies in uplifting the poor and the underprivileged as well as in caring for the dispossessed.

The President prayed for the enlightenment of ambitious politicians for them to wait for proper Constitutional opportunities if they want power, adding that she will never acquiesce the people’s sovereignty to those who would want to get it by force.

"Sa pamamagitan ng aming mataimtim na panalangin, sana ay palakasin mo ang aming loob upang maharap namin ang maraming hamon sa aming pambansang katatagan (Through our sincere prayers, we hope that You will strengthen our resolve to face the many challenges in our national stability)," she added.

"Tulungan mo kaming maipakita na kami ay may kakayahang lampasan ang mga pagsubok na aming hinaharap at magtulong tulong para sa pambansang kapakanan (Help us, Lord, so that we will be able to surmount all our difficulties and be united in pushing for the national welfare)," the President said.

Guingona and Speaker de Venecia also delivered their respective prayers in the ceremonies that lasted nearly two hours amidst continuous threat of rain.

Singer Kuh Ledesma’s rendition of "Ako ay Pilipino" set the tone of the prayer rally hosted by Manila Mayor Lito Atienza.

Early in the rites, Atienza read a manifesto of officials of Metro Manila’s cities and municipalities belonging to different political persuasions calling for the setting aside of partisan political agenda and "to unite for the good of our country and our people."