12 APRIL 2004

The Filipinos’ positive work habit has given them the edge over their Asian neighbors, notably India, as a favorite destination of foreign investors engaged in the call center business.

This was the assessment of Jon Kaplan, an American information technology expert who said the Philippines "is a choice destination for companies outsourcing their non-core functions because of the Filipino’s attitude toward work."

"While it is cheaper to outsource call center jobs from India, which has 95,000 seats, the Philippines is a choice destination for companies outsourcing such services because Filipinos are more enthusiastic in satisfying customers," Kaplan noted.

Kaplan, chief of the International Committee for American Teleservices Association, pointed out that it was not a matter of lower costs.

Kaplan, who is also president of the Ohio-based TeleDevelopment Services, a call center consulting, training and management recruiting company, also said "Filipinos put more time and effort into the job while call center agents in other countries, specially in the United States, treat it as no more than a job," he added.

Against this backdrop, the local call center industry is expected to attain a hefty growth rate of between 75 percent to 100 percent annually, surpassing India’s 50 percent.

Kaplan recommended, however, that Philippine call centers have to be familiar with pertinent American laws regulating the operations of call centers to be able to comply and continue their quality service and observe high standards, as well as to develop programs to effectively guide their employees on career paths to sustain the company’s growth.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on various occasions underscored the remarkable growth of the call center industry and the business process outsourcing as veritable havens for jobseekers, specially the fresh college graduates.

The President stressed, however, that prospective job hunters in the call center community must be able to speak the English language well, while those eyeing employment in the business process outsourcing must be proficient in accounting and short-hand for transcription purposes.

The Chief Executive recalled that before she took over the presidency in January 2001, there were only about 2,000 workers in the call centers and business process out-sourcing.

"Ngayon, dahil inayos natin ang imprastraktura para doon, 50,000 na ang nagtatrabaho sa call centers, sa business process out-sourcing, nadodoble pa taun-taon (Today, since we have improved the infrastructure in these sectors, there are now 50,000 workers in the call centers and business process out-sourcing. And this is doubled every year)," the President said.

Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo also noted strong confidence of investors in the domestic business climate under her administration, citing as example the $500-million fund infusion into the San Miguel conglomerate, giving rise to business expansions, creation of new products and new dealers, and more jobs.

The President also reiterated that the government’s micro-financing program for small and medium enterprises has provided sources of livelihood for some one million women under her leadership.

Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo emphasized that she intends to create one million jobs yearly over the next six years if she is given a new mandate in the May 10 elections.

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Let us stop the blame tossing and finger-pointing and mop up this problem soonest.

Let us get the fugitives first and resolve the issue of accountability later.

If the massive manhunt requires cordoning off the whole Basilan province to prevent the escapees from fleeing to other provinces, so be it.

I appreciate the solid performance of the AFP and the PNP in keeping our people safe and secure during the Holy Week but they must show the same teamwork in getting the remaining Basilan prisoners and make sure they are locked up.

Some of the escapees are indeed Abu Sayyaf members and they pose a threat not only to those who stood witnesses against them in the courts but also to the whole community.

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The United States and the Philippines have worked as strong strategic partners in the war against terror.

Those who are talking about fictitious diplomatic reproaches or anything of the sort only want this partnership to fail, and they are playing into the hands of terrorists.

Our partnership with the US has resulted in several gains, not only in terms of the Balikatan training exercises, but in terms of solid tactical gains such as the foiling of the Madrid-level attack with the arrest of six suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits and the killing of senior Abu Sayyaf commander Hamsiraji Sali and five of his men in a recent encounter in Basilan.

Everyday, Philippine and American counterparts meet to share information and map out new strategies to combat terrorist groups and their networks.

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The law enforcement agencies have waged a strong, consistent, anti-jueteng campaign.

We are not for the legalization of jueteng and we are bearing down hard on jueteng operators.

There are several proposals from the past on the legalization of jueteng but they have never been acted upon at the level of the Palace.

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CABUYAO, Laguna – With less than a month away from the presidential elections, a number of opposition political allies have switched support to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, her vice presidential running mate Senator Noli "Kabayan" de Castro and the Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (K-4) senatorial candidates.

The leaders of presidential candidates Fernando Poe, Jr. of Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) and former Education Secretary Raul Roco of Alyansa ng Pag-Asa pledged their support to the K-4 ticket in the house of former Congressman Rodolfo Tingzon of Laguna.

Those who shifted their loyalty to the administration camp and pledged to campaign for the "Gloria–Kabayan" team were incumbent Naic, Cavite Mayor Efren Nazareno of Alyansa ng Naic and former Cabuyao, Laguna, Mayor Jun Alimagno.

Earlier, former opposition leaders who had deserted the FPJ and Roco camps were Tingzon, Gualberto Lumauig of Ifugao, Emil Ong of Northern Samar, Luz Bakunawa of Masbate and Atty. Roy Almoro.

Others who defected to the administration were Dr. Virgilio Lazaga, chairman of the Alyansa ng Pag-Asa Calamba Chapter and Pedro Reyes, Jr., chairman of the Raul Roco Movement.

President Macapagal-Arroyo received a manifesto of support from different political organizations, like Kapisanan ng 1^st District of Laguna (Biņan, San Pedro and Sta. Rosa), Brothers Club of Roco Party and the Calamba Professional League during a visit to this town Sunday.

Lapian ng Manggagawa president Jose Malvar Villegas also presented to the President the LM manifesto of support for the 12 K-4 senatorial bets and to the "Gloria – Kabayan" tandem.

"I am very much delighted with your support to the whole ticket of the Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan. I do believe that we will join hands towards victory for the betterment of every ordinary Filipino family," said President Macapagal-Arroyo in accepting the different manifestos handed by her newly-converted supporters.

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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s immediate concern now is to find ways to provide workers with "non-cash benefits" to ease the burden of day-to-day living.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said, in an interview with Radyo ng Bayan this morning, that the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is helping the President formulate measures on the provision of non-cash benefits to the workers.

Bunye cited as example of such non-cash benefits the discounted price of diesel products sold to drivers of public utility vehicles (PUV) by a network of gas stations nationwide.

He noted that the discount on sale of diesel products helped convince a large group of PUV drivers/operators not to join the recent transport strike. These are the kinds of benefits, giving discount or monitoring of prices so as not to affect the ordinary family, that the President had in mind, he said.

Bunye said that the Macapagal-Arroyo administration also continues its program of selling goods, including medicines, at cheap prices.

Twenty categories of medicines, particularly drugs needed for daily maintenance dosage, are now sold by government hospitals at half their usual prices, he said.

In response to the President’s call for help in bringing medicines within reach of the ordinary Filipinos, Unilab and Glaxo are now manufacturing quality drugs and selling them at lower prices, he said

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The partnership between the Philippines and the United States in the fight against terrorism has been fruitful, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said today.

"Our partnership with the US has resulted in several gains, not only in terms of Balikatan training exercises, but in terms of solid tactical gains such as the foiling of the Madrid-level attack with the arrest of six suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits and the killing of senior Abu Sayyaf commander Hamsiraji Sali and five of his men in a recent encounter in Basilan," the President said in a statement released this morning.

According to the President, Philippine and American officials meet regularly to share information and map out new strategies to combat terrorist groups and their networks as she belied "fictitious diplomatic reproaches" designed to foil the RP-US partnership.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye also brushed off the report of an alleged accusation from the US that the Philippines has been weak in its response to the crackdown on terrorism, saying the story sources are unnamed.

The government is determined to pursue the fight against terrorism, Bunye said in a follow up to the President’s statement.

Before the Black Saturday mass jailbreak of Abu Sayyaf detainees in Basilan, the operations against terrorists produced positive results, including the death of a top Abu Sayyaf leader and the capture of his cohorts, Bunye said.

"What is clear is the government is very determined to fight terrorism. We are doing this as a country, we are doing it as part of our international commitment against terrorism. We will continue to wage the fight," Bunye stressed.

On the mass jailbreak in Basilan, Bunye said an investigation is on going to determine how it was staged and to pinpoint responsibility of the negligence that allowed the escape.

The manhunt for the escapees still on the loose goes on and the Philippine National Police, with the help of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the citizens, is confident of capturing them, Bunye said.

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STA. ROSA, Laguna – A Detroit-type hub of car manufacturing in the Philippines.

That’s President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s vision for Sta. Rosa as she unveiled expansion plans of different car manufacturers in this fast-growing town at the outskirts of Metro Manila that are expected to generate more jobs under her watch.

Speaking before some 5,000 residents at a political rally Sunday night in Barangay Kanluran, Sta. Rosa, the President noted the gradual transformation of this town into the local version of Detriot, capital of the United States’ car industry, within her short presidency.

President Macapagal-Arroyo stressed the importance of maintaining the confidence of foreign investors in the country’s leader in the next six years to ensure continuity of the massive expansion programs of the various automotive manufacturers.

The Chief Executive warned local residents not to commit the mistake of voting for a candidate without experience in running the government if they don’t want to shoo away foreign investors from Sta. Rosa.

The President said the Ford Company decided to invest about US$50 million in its plant in Sta. Rosa after she had met with its officials in the course of her state visit to the United States.

She added that the Japanese car makers Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Honda are all expanding their plants in Sta. Rosa, under her administration.

This car industry boom has helped President Macapagal-Arroyo achieve her government’s goal of creating 1.1 million jobs annually every year since 2001.

"We must not waste our strong start because if we choose a different leader for the next six years, these foreign investors would lose their confidence and might transfer their investments out of the country if an inexperienced President would assume power," the President said.

Joining President Macapagal-Arroyo and vice presidential bet Sen. Noli "Kabayan" de Castro in Sunday night’s rally were K-4 senatorial candidate Orlando Mercado and the pro-administration Laguna local bets, including reelectionist Governor Teresita Lazaro and running mate Erwin Olivares, Mayor Leon Arcillas and running mate Manuel Alipon, and reelectionist First District Rep. Uliran Joaquin.

Also present at the rally were City Council bets Raul Aala, Aries Alcabasa, Arlene Arcillas, Jose Cartano, Mythor Cendena, Boy Factoriza, Artemio Gomez, and Toto Sigue.

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Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said today that the Filipino voters have become more mature and will help bring about clean, honest, peaceful and credible elections on May 10.

In a radio interview, Bunye also said that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been working diligently to fulfill her promise to uplift the lives of the people.

"Inilalapit niya yong kanyang mga programa sa ating mga kababayan," (She is trying to bring her programs to the people), " he said.

Bunye expressed hope that the Filipino people will appreciate, understand and give utmost support to her as she works hard for them.

"Sana’y mabigyan ng pahalaga iyong pagpupunyagi ng ating Pangulo at siya ay kalingain nila sa darating na eleksiyon (We hope that they will give importance to the hard work that the President has shown and that they will support her in the coming elections)," he said.

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A school in every barangay. A computer in every school.

That’s the plan of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the next six years, should she be given the chance to serve a full term after next month’s polls.

In line with her education-for-all program, the President, according to Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye, seeks to identify barangays which until now have no school buildings and build them in the next six years, and install at least one computer for every school.

"Alam naman natin na ang ating Pangulo talagang isa sa kanyang pangunahing prayoridad itong paghahatid ng edukasyon sa ating mga kababayan (We all know that one of the priority programs of the President is the delivery of education to our citizens)," Bunye said in a radio interview.

He said the President has assured public school teachers assigned to poll duty that they would get their increased honoraria in advance as announced by Budget Secretary Emilia Boncodin.

The honorarium has been increased from P700 to P1000 a day. The first two days of service will be paid in advance, according to Bunye.

"This is the first time in our history that before elections, the funds for the teachers’ honoraria will be in the hands of the Department of Education," he said.

A total of P1.4 billion has been allocated for the purpose and will be released on April 25.

The Department of Education, Bunye said, now has enough budget for the recruitment of new teachers to address the shortage normally experienced during the opening of classes.

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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been reaping the fruits of her untiring efforts to reach out to the people with an outpouring of support to her quest for a full six-year term, notably from local political leaders, including defectors from the floundering opposition parties Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) and the Alyansa ng Pag-asa.

The latest massive defection came from Mountain Province which the President visited over the weekend.

Earlier on, local political bigwigs have been hopping into the ruling Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan para sa Kinabukasan (K-4) bandwagon as the President, vice presidential bet Sen. Noli "Kabayan" de Castro, and her senatorial team barnstormed major cities and provinces across the country.

The bandwagon syndrome had already resulted in the clinching of the Bicol Region and the vote-rich provinces of Tarlac and Laguna, and of late, Mountain Province in Northern Luzon which the President visited on Easter Sunday. The President has also received bipartisan support from leaders of vote-rich Cebu and Pangasinan provinces, as well as in most parts of Mindanao.

Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo received a pleasant Easter gift when the entire KNP ticket in Mountain Province presented her a manifesto of support signed by mayors of the 10 municipalities of the upland province led by Sagada Mayor Tomas Killip.

Majority, if not all, of the incumbent officials of Mountain Province belonged to the KNP or the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).

Citing President Macapagal-Arroyo’s "ability to address our concerns," Killip, also president of the League of Municipalities of Mountain Province, assured her of their unqualified support in the May 10 elections.

"Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo has been very, very consistent in visiting us and in showing her support for the people here. She is a President whom we found to be very easily accessible, one who sincerely takes pain to listen (to our problems)," Killip said.

An investigative report recently published by the magazine Newsbreak had noted that the President’s "energy never wanes in merciless heat or pouring rain" as she reaches out to the common people in the heat of the campaign season.

Erstwhile KNP gubernatorial candidate Harry Dominguez has also defected to the K-4, saying that he made the decision upon seeing that he was the only local leader supporting movie actor Fernando Poe, Jr.

Early this month, Rep. Gilbert Teodoro (1^st Dist. Tarlac), a ranking NPC member, also pledged full support to President Macapagal-Arroyo.

Teodoro, a nephew of business tycoon Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco, NPC founder and chairman emeritus, vowed to "exert all efforts so that the President would win overwhelmingly in Tarlac."

Teodoro’s switch of political affiliation marked the first time that the politically fractious Aquino, Teodoro and the Cojuangco families in Tarlac are uniting behind one presidential candidate.

Teodoro’s support of the President was announced in a luncheon meeting attended by Tarlac Governor Jose Yap, Vice Governor Marcelino Aganon, Tarlac Second District Congressman Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, and Tarlac City Mayor Genaro Mendoza.

Present during the affair were Tarlac mayors Rodolfo Guerrero of Anao, Estelita Aquino of Moncada, Elpidio Ibarra of Paniqui, Wilfredo Sawit of Pura, Gil Beltran of Ramos, Reynaldo Malazo of San Manuel, Vicente Pacada of San Clemente, and Emmanuel Guiam of Victoria.

Earlier, in Capas and Concepcion towns, also in Tarlac, the President also received the assurance of support from Congressmen Aquino and Rep. Jesli Lapus (3^rd Dist. Tarlac).

Rep. Faustino Dy III of Isabela, NPC chairman, said majority of his colleagues in the party are supporting Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo.

The President and the K-4 coalition have also welcomed into the K-4 fold a team of top local officials from the camp of presidential candidate Raul Roco. The group was led by former Alyansa ng Pag-asa Eastern Visayas regional coordinator Emil Ong.

Ong’s departure from the Roco camp is seen as ominous of the impending collapse of Roco’s political machinery in Eastern Visayas.

A week before Ong’s defection, President Macapagal-Arroyo also received an overwhelming declaration of support from Bicolandia leaders led by Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Villafuerte, his Vice Governor Imelda Papin, Camarines Norte Gov. Jesus Typoco, Albay Gov. Al Francis Bichara, Sorsogon Gov. Raul Lee and Masbate Gov. Antonio Kho.

In Laguna, incumbent Gov. Teresita "Ningning" Lazaro, previously a supporter of deposed President Joseph Estrada, orchestrated a mass oath-taking of 609 municipal and barangay coordinators as members of the Kaibigan ni Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (KGMA).

The oath-taking ceremony, officiated by President Macapagal-Arroyo herself, was an affirmation of the switch of Lazaro’s Partido Dimasalang to K-4.

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If elections were held today, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo would get a fresh six-year mandate, beating closest rival Fernando Poe Jr. by a narrow margin, results of the Pulse Asia Survey released today showed.

The survey, conducted nationwide from March 27 to April 4 and covering 4, 800 registered voters, gave the incumbent President 34 percent against Poe’s 31 percent.

A Pulse Asia executive viewed Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo’s edge as a "significant lead" coming as it does while the President and her number one challenger are neck-and-neck on the campaign trail.

Pulse Asia said the three-percentage point difference is greater than the 1.4-percent margin of error.

"This is the first time that President Arroyo has a statistically significant lead, although small, over Mr. Poe," said Pulse Asia executive director Ana Maria Tabunda.

Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo and Poe were tied at 32 percent in the previous Pulse Asia survey conducted between February 16 and March 20.

A separate survey made by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) on March 11 to 19 also had the two leading candidates in a statistical tie, with Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo getting 32.9 percent versus Poe’s 34.9 percent. The SWS survey involving 2,000 respondents has an error margin of 2.2 percent.

In another SWS survey conducted from February 17 to 25, the President scored 31.8 percent, while Poe got 30.5 percent. The narrow margin put the two contenders in a statistical deadlock.

The latest Pulse Asia survey result showed former Sen. Raul Roco in third place with 12 percent, followed by Sen. Panfilo Lacson with 10 percent, and Bro. Eddie Villanueva of the Jesus is Lord charismatic movement with three percent.

Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo’s acceptance in Metro Manila, which is traditionally pro-opposition, improved by six percent, while Poe went down by five percent.

The President retained domination in the Visayas, but Poe was strongest in Mindanao and among the working class.

Pulse Asia also noted that erstwhile undecided voters have started to make a choice as election day draws nearer.

The survey indicated that the number of undecided voters dropped to 22 percent from 35 in the previous survey, while those who said they may still make up their minds decreased to 19 percent from 23 percent.

In the vice presidential race, Sen. Noli "Kabayan" de Castro, running mate of Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo, continued to enjoy a comfortable lead over Sen. Loren Legarda of the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino. De Castro had 49 percent compared to Legarda’s 35 percent. Herminio Aquino, running mate of Roco, was third with four percent.

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Malacanang vehemently denied today allegations that it will launch a so-called "Oplan Checkmate" designed to ensure the victory of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the May 10 elections.

Deputy Presidential Spokesman and Cabinet Secretary Ricardo Saludo, in a press briefing at the Palace, said the allegations were merely part of a black propaganda being waged by the opposition camps against the President and her senatorial team in the Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan para sa Kinabukasan (K-4).

"We would not sabotage the country’s future by undertaking such a plan that is merely fictitious and part of the black propaganda that is being held against the administration," Saludo said.

Saludo also said President Macapagal-Arroyo has maintained her policy of having "honest, orderly, peaceful and credible" elections, enunciated in 2001 when she took over the presidency from the failed Estrada administration.

Saludo said next month’s electoral exercise is crucial to enable the next administration to govern in a "stable and productive way" until 2010.

The Palace official likewise underscored the relevance of the elections in retaining investors’ confidence in the domestic economy which is basically essential to a speedy economic recovery and creation of more employment opportunities.

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The Philippine government has no plans yet of pulling out the 41 Filipino peacekeepers in Iraq to ensure the safety of fellow Filipinos working in the war-torn country.

According to Deputy Presidential Spokesman and Cabinet Secretary Ricardo Saludo, the Middle East Preparedness Team headed by Ambassador Roy Cimatu and other foreign affairs officials are closely monitoring the situation in Iraq and would immediately advise President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in what course of action to take.

"Here, we are awaiting the proposals, suggestions, recommendations of our officials on the ground there because they would know how feasible it is at the moment and what would be the best course of action to take. So, we await their report, we are in coordination with them and we will advise our people of what action would be taken as soon as it becomes clearer," Saludo said in a press briefing this afternoon in Malacanang.

Saludo assured the relatives of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Iraq that the repatriation program is part of standing measures the government is planning to assist every Filipino national in Iraq.

"Our mission there is to continue to assist the Iraqi people in their efforts to build the democracy and to resume progress and development and we will look at the situation on the ground and see whether we are still able to assist them in any way. And to ensure that our nationals are safeguarded, we shall have to defer that decision until we make our own assessment of our role and also of the safety of our nationals," he added.

Saludo expressed the hope for the smooth resolution of the conflict in Iraq.

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