Instead of relocating, multinational delivery giant Federal Express Corp. has decided to stay in the Philippines and invest $450 million to expand and move operations of its Asia-Pacific hub from Subic to Clark, assuring continued revenues to the government and employment to Filipinos.

Clark International Airport Corp. president Adelberto Yap said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s open skies declaration for cargoes in Subic and Clark has got a lot to do with the decision, saying it resolved differences between Philippine and American transport officials.

"This is a done deal," Yap said. "I’m scheduled to go to Memphis on April 11 and sign the 25-year lease agreement with FedEx which is reserving 50 hectares for their future operation in Clark."

FedEx had signified plans of moving to China in August last year after Philippine transport officials junked its demand for seventh freedom operations in the country, saying it is a violation of the Constitution and the RP-US air transport agreement.

Seventh freedom rights allow a carrier to fly to other destinations from a particular hub without first passing its home base.

In deciding to keep its operations in the country, FedEx cited the country’s cheap and skilled labor, the work culture of the Filipinos who can readily adapt to Americans, and the ease of communication with the locals who speak English.

It also cited the two-runway capacity of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark, which has yet to be built in China.

FedEx decided to leave Subic because it could no longer expand there. Recently two of their aircrafts crashed in the water after overshooting the runway.

FedEx’s fresh expansion plans come on the heels of aircraft maker Boeing Co.’s ongoing negotiations with the government to set up a regional logistics and maintenance base worth $400 million also at Clark.

A delegation led by Roger Kip Taylor, head of Asia Project Development for Boeing, that includes Col. Alexander Cox, head of strategic planning of the US Pacific Command based in Hawaii, was looking at leasing some 80 hectares of what was once the biggest American base outside the United States.

"To put up an investment like that would need no less than $400 million because of the equipment and facility," Yap said. "You can just imagine the jobs to be generated there."

He said two meetings had already taken place but as yet no firm proposals had been put on the table.

About 60 percent of the aircraft used by commercial carriers operating in the Asia-Pacific region were built by Boeing.

Our fight against terrorists has been relentless. We have stopped their plans but they are adamant and persistent. We caught six in the dragnet in Metro Manila but some are still in hiding. We have intercepted their explosives cache but they may be shipping in more.

Our sea and airports are under 24-hour surveillance.

Justice will catch up with the terrorists in the end. One by one, the witnesses in Basilan and Sulu are coming out and pointing to the evildoers.

We are closely watching foreigners in the country who may have taught them to make bombs, and who may have laundered money from the Al Qaeda and the JI into the pockets of local bombers.

We shall respect diplomatic conventions and be circumspect in assessing our evidence. But once we have it, they will be arrested and brought to justice.

The combined efforts of the Department of Energy (DoE), the private sector and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) are the key to the consolidation of our power strategy.

We need long-term stability as well as long-term protection for the average customer.

Affordability must live side by side with sustainability.

Ang Semana Santa ay panahon ng pagninilay. Si Panginoong Hesukristo ay naghandog ng Kanyang buhay upang tubusin tayo sa ating mga kasalanan. Tiniis Niya ang lahat ng pasakit, para patunayan kung gaano Niya tayo kamahal. Bilang pasasalamat, gawin nating makabuluhan ang paggunita sa Kanyang pagdurusa at Kanyang kamatayan.

Pag-isipan nating mabuti kung ano pa ang ating magagawa bilang pagsunod sa Kanyang mga utos at aral. Kailangan din nating pasanin ang ating sariling krus. Kailangan din nating magmalasakit at dumamay sa ating kapwa. Kailangan nating mag-alay bawat isa ng tulong para sa kapakanan ng ating bayan.

Sa maikling panahon ng aking pagiging Pangulo, inihandog ko ang aking sarili para ipaglaban ang pagbabago para sa karaniwang Pilipino. Wala akong tanging hangad kundi ang tapusin ang aking nasimulan at wakasan ang kahirapan.

Muslim members of the police force will be engaged actively in the government’s stepped up anti-terrorism campaign, Malacanang said today.

This developed as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered Tuesday night the creation of the Salam Police to oversee police matters concerning Muslim communities and designated Presidential Assistant on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles as officer-in-charge on Muslim police matters.

The President’s action came after she had a dinner-dialogue with Muslim leaders, along with movie actor and Muslim convert Robin Padilla, at the Music Conference Room of Malacanang last night.

Salam Police will be composed of Muslim members with Philippine National Police. The search committee for members of this special force would be the three Muslim PNP provincial commanders in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Zamboanga and Basilan.

Padilla welcomed the President’s immediate action.

"We would like to express our gratitude and thanks to Madame President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the positive result as she directed Secretary Deles to take charge of monitoring the arrest and possible human rights violations against our fellow Muslim brothers," Padilla said.

He particularly welcomed the President’s creation of the Salam Police to ensure the safety of Muslims and protection of their rights.

Padilla called on his Muslim brothers to stay calm and set aside any plans against the government.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye reiterated in a radio interview this morning what the President has been saying all along about the government campaign against terrorism, there is no racial or ethnic bias in it.

The arrests of some suspected terrorists are not directed at Muslims but results of legitimate operations by the military and the police, Bunye explained.

"I am glad in the growing solidarity of Muslims and Christians behind our campaign against terrorism," the President said.

"Everyone can be assured that this campaign will continue to be carried out without any ethnic or religious bias, and only the enforcement of impartial justice in mind," the President stressed.

Yesterday, the police presented to media six suspected terrorists who belong to the Abu Sayyaf Group.

They were identified as part of a group that was planning to bomb 46 targets in Metro Manila, including the United States and Israeli embassies. Shopping malls, commuter trains and television stations were also part of their targets.

The suspects were arrested late last month and more than 50 kilos of trinitrotoluene (TNT) and other bomb components were seized from them, according to the police.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today said that there will be no letup in the fight against terrorism, assuring the public that the country’s sea and airports are under 24-hour surveillance.

"Our fight against terrorists has been relentless. We have stopped their plans but they are adamant and persistent. We caught six in the dragnet in Metro Manila but some are still in hiding," the President said in a statement, referring to the Abu Sayyaf terrorists arrested by police authorities, thereby nipping in the bud a Madrid-level attack in Metro Manila.

The President cautioned that although authorities have intercepted their explosive caches, the terrorists could be shipping in more.

The Chief Executive expressed confidence that justice will soon catch up with the terrorists in the end.

"One by one, the witnesses in Basilan and Sulu are coming out and pointing to the evildoers," she said.

Authorities, according to her, are closely watching foreigners in the country who may have thought their local counterparts how to make bombs and who may have laundered money from Al Qaeda and the Jemaah Islamiyah into the pockets of local bombers.

"We shall respect diplomatic conventions and be circumspect in assessing our evidence. But once we have it, they will be arrested and brought to justice," she warned.

MOUNT SAMAT, Pilar, Bataan—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today underscored the need for the Filipino people to change and to think not only of their personal interests but also of the nation and their fellow men.

In her speech at the Dambana ng Kagitingan here as part of the celebration of the Araw ng Kagitingan, the President said the Filipinos’ enemy today is not a foreign invader but themselves.

"Ang kaaway natin ngayon ay hindi estranghero kung hindi ang kapwa Pilipino na ang hanap ay sariling interes, hindi pambansang malasakit (Our enemy today is not a foreigner but our fellow Filipinos who are only after their self-interest and not the interest of the nation)," the President said.

The President particularly cited Japan, saying that Japan, the country’s tormentor in World War II, is now the major source of the official development assistance (ODA) and investments that have helped create jobs in the Philippines.

She then appealed to the people to help her face the new challenges and the new threats to society.

"Tulungan ninyo ako sa aking ipinaglalaban na pagbabago, hindi lamang sa pagbabago ng lipunan o pamahalaan, kung hindi sa pagbabago ng sarili, ng sariling diwa, ng sariling puso, ng sariling kaluluwa (Help me in my fight for change, not only in changing the society or government but also in changing oneself, one’s spirit, one’s heart, one’s soul," the President said.

According to the President, the commemoration of Araw ng Kagitingan, April 9, which falls on Good Friday, makes the occasion all the more significant.

She exhorted all the World War II veterans and the new generation of Filipinos to help her, while commemorating the Lenten Season and the Fall of Bataan, in forging ahead a new sense of unity.

"Iisa lamang ang ating bansa, iisa lamang ang ating kapalaran, iisa lamang ating hinaharap, uunlad tayo or lulugmok tayo nang sama-sama (We have only one nation, one fate, one future, and together we will either rise or sink)," the President said.

PILAR, Bataan -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today extolled and thanked Filipino war veterans who remain the guiding lights in the pursuit to uplift the people and the country during the Araw ng Kagitingan and Philippine Veterans Week rites at the Dambana ng Kagitingan in Mount Samat here.

In her speech at the shrine, the President extolled the Veterans Federation of the Philippines under the leadership of Col. Emmanuel de Ocampo and other veterans groups for strengthening their influence in the policy-making of her administration.

Because of them, her administration has had a good start in setting right the system of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) so that veterans now receive their pensions and other benefits faster.

More than 70 percent of the pensions now are received through direct bank remittances which are faster and safer than through the mail, the President said.

The President also said that in its brief term, her administration already has set aside almost P40 billion for pensions and other benefits of 260,000 veterans compared to only about P31 billion by the past administration.

Her administration has also raised old age pension, paid for about 20,000 in educational benefits and 20,000 in burial assistance, and hospitalization benefits for 4,000, the President said, even as her administration tightened up on spending to lessen the budget deficit.

More than 20,000 have benefited as the PVAO spiked its free dental and medical missions for veterans in the provinces, the President said.

The President recalled that after her state visit to the United States last year, President George W. Bush gave medical equipment worth more than P50 million to the Philippine Veterans Hospital for veterans in the country and signed two laws increasing the health care benefits and other privileges of Filipino veterans living in the US to the tune of $40 million every year.

She has ordered the PVAO to hasten the processing of pending applications for benefits and clean the list of veterans to make sure that only genuine veterans get to accept pensions and benefits. The President also reactivated the Military Service Board to process more than 100 applications to prove their service during World War II.

Present during the rites were members of the diplomatic corps headed by US Charge d’ Affaires Joseph Mussomelli and his Japanese counterpart, Akio Egawa.

Cabinet members present at the rites were Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Press Secretary Milton Alingod. Also present were Monsignor Antonio Dumaual of the Archdiocese of Balanga, AFP Vice Chief of Staff General Rodolfo Garcia and other major service commanders of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Provincial officials who attended the rites were Governor Leandro Roman, Congressman Antonino Roman, Vice Governor Rogelio Roque and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Felicito Payumo.

Upon arrival at the Dambana ng Kagitingan, the President was accorded military honors before she laid a wreath at the shrine. Mussomelli and Egawa also laid wreaths at the shrine.

STA. CRUZ, Laguna—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo officiated today the mass oath-taking of 609 Kaibigan ni Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (KGMA) municipal and barangay coordinators to highlight the alignment of Partido Dimasalang of Laguna Governor Teresita Lazaro with the administration’s Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (K-4).

"Starting today, the Partido Dimasalang will be officially part of our Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan. I also want to acknowledge the countless support of KGMA in helping me spread government accomplishments here in Laguna," said the President in acknowledging the newly-sworn members of KGMA to the administration coalition.

Present during the KGMA induction ceremony held at the covered court of the Pedro Guevara Memorial National High School (PGMNHS) here were Gov. Lazaro, Provincial Board Member and K-4 vice gubernatorial bet Edwin Olivares, PGMNHS Principal Emilio Ulpindo and other provincial and local candidates of the administration.

She also promised to bring he "Patubig ni Gloria" program to the province in her next administration if she will be given a chance to have a new six-year mandate in the May 10 elections.

The President explained that during her short three years in the Presidency, she was able to alleviate the woes of every ordinary family in Quezon City, Metro Manila and nearby Cavite province by providing them with potable drinking water.

She said that if she will be given another opportunity to lead the country up to year 2010, Laguna residents would be assured of having clean water under her next term of office.

The Chief Executive also stressed the more than a million jobs she had created in the past three years and a big part of these jobs were created in the industrial and special economiczones in Laguna.

"If somebody asks you about the jobs I am talking to you then, bring them to numerous factories in Sta. Rosa, Binan, Cabuyao. Under my short leadership I always visited these places to inaugurate new factories, to attend in the expansion programs of other companies such as the Intel’s US$ 1 billion investment here in Laguna," the President said.

She also discussed the successful hybrid "Gloria Rice" that resulted in economic activities in this part of Southern Luzon and increased farmers’ income.

There are also jobs that had been created, she said. because of the construction of several shopping malls in the region.

Other government thrusts that she said would be highlighted in her next administration are the creation of additional one million jobs a year, lowering of the prices of medicines to complement the majority of Filipino holders of PhilHealth cards.

Leaders of Zamboanga del Norte today endorsed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as their official candidate for the May 10 presidential elections.

Two representatives and 14 incumbent mayors, together with other candidates for various posts in Zamboanga del Norte, pledged their support during an informal dialogue with the President this afternoon at Malacanang’s Aguinaldo Room.

Led by Zamboanga del Norte First District Rep. Cecilia Jalosjos-Carreon, the provincial leaders said they are endorsing the President because she is "the best leader to bring social reforms and usher the country into prosperity."

They said the President has the experience and has shown and espoused good governance.

"We pledge our allegiance and support to your presidential bid as the country elects our leader on May 10, 2004. We will actively campaign for your presidential election," Rep. Jalosjos-Carreon said, as she led the reading of their statement of support.