The basis for such decisions as Calpers’ is confidence, confidence in the solidity of economic reforms despite transitory constraints, confidence in law and order despite isolated pockets of lawlessness and most of all, confidence in the prospect of continuity and permanence in good governance.

The Abu Sayyaf is a spent force and it can no longer resuscitate itself under other guises or names.

Its remaining leaders and members are constantly on the run.

Ordinary people have pointed to their lairs and movements to the authorities.

The terrorist group has lost whatever mass support it once enjoyed, leaving it open to government surveillance and operations.

We will crush this group of bandits and terrorists in due time.

These abductions of local candidates by the NPA are condemnable.

They are acts of terrorism that shall be dealt with accordingly.

The government has conducted a massive anti-jueteng drive nationwide.

The President need not sign a pact against "jueteng" because the intensified campaign against illegal gambling speaks volumes of her stand against the illegal gambling issue.

We are not discounting the validity of the survey but we are doing something about the situation.

Foreign investor confidence in the Philippines has taken an upswing, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said today, citing the unanimous decision of CALPERS (California Public Employees Retirement System) Investment Committee to retain the Philippines in its list of "permissible emerging markets."

"The basis for such decisions as CALPERS’ is confidence, confidence in the solidity of economic reforms despite transitory constraints, confidence in law and order despite isolated pockets of lawlessness and most of all, confidence in the prospect of continuity and permanence in good governance," the President said in an official statement.

The President welcomed the development as "a vote of confidence in the will and capacity of the average Filipino to fight for change and rise above challenges."

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Albert del Rosario relayed the good news to Malacaņang.

"We view this development as an endorsement of the economic reforms initiated by the President and a positive statement that the Philippines remains an important investment destination," Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said yesterday after receiving the news.

"The decision of CALPERS reinforced the important relationship which CALPERS and the Philippines are building. It is a recognition of the economic reforms being undertaken by the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and reflect the continuing confidence in the Philippines as an attractive investment destination," del Rosario told the CALPERS Board who asked him to comment on their announcement.

Only 17 out of 27 countries evaluated by the Investment Committee were listed as eligible for investment, Finance Secretary Juanita Amatong said, stressing the Philippines passed the benchmark of two points with a rating of 2.12 from 1.87 in February.

In Asia, only the Philippines, India, Malaysia, South Korea and Taiwan have so far qualified.

Even before CALPERS’ decision came out, foreign investor confidence in the Philippines had already soared as reflected by a big upsurge in investments from January to March this year.

Foreign capital inflow accounted for the bulk of the P130 billion in total investments for the period, according to figures from the Board of Investments and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has said that the Philippines registered the highest salary increase in the whole of Asia at 29 percent over the past three years.

In an interview Tuesday night with television host Korina Sanchez of ABS-CBN Channel 2, the President also said that in 2002, the various regional tripartite wage boards have granted increases in the minimum wage.

The President said that although she favors a wage increase, the issue should better be left to the discretion of the regional tripartite wage boards.

In the same interview, the President noted the emergence of new job opportunities offering high salary rates, citing as examples the call centers, the car manufacturing industry, and the shipbuilding industry.

President Macapagal-Arroyo also cited the airlines’ service centers and other high-tech industries as potential providers of high-paying jobs.

For his part, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said the President prefers that wage increases should be based on industry standards instead of by regions.

"Industry standards are different so we cannot compare," Bunye said in a radio interview this morning.

The President has earlier noted that some profitable industries like call centers can afford to pay higher salaries, unlike the moribund garment industry.

The President has also said she favors not only salary increases for state and private sector workers, but also a retooling of the government machinery to enhance efficient service to the people.

This could be done, she said, by granting a higher gratuity of one and a half months for every year of service to state employees who would want to avail of the an early retirement scheme so that they can use the money to invest in a profitable business or livelihood project.

Malacanang today called on the public not to give any political color to the result of the recent annual stockholders meeting of giant conglomerate San Miguel Corporation where businessman Eduardo ‘Danding’ Cojuangco retained the chairmanship of the board.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye, in a press briefing this afternoon, reiterated President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s hands off policy in the SMC board election.

"I think its best that we leave politics out of the situation, " Bunye said. "We know that PCGG is out to protect the interest of the government. They did what they believe is necessary but after the election, the outcome is accepted."

Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) Chairperson Haydee Yorac had also earlier asked the public to respect the outcome of the SMC board election.

Bunye said the government is acknowledging the works done by the present SMC leadership as reflected in their records of expansion, growth and profitability.

Malacanang expressed confidence today that majority of the senatorial slate of the administration’s Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (K-4) would win in the May 10 national elections.

In a press briefing this afternoon, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye allayed fears raised by administration Senator Joker Arroyo that the government could lose its grip on the Senate after next month’s polls.

"I think it’s a question of perception but the reality is that the support that can be given to all the candidates is being given," he said, reacting to alleged complaints of some K-4 senatorial bets that they are not being given full support by Malacanang.

Bunye stressed that the administration is giving all the necessary help and attention to the 12 senatorial candidates.

He added that for a wider coverage in the country, the K-4 bets all agreed, even before the start of campaign season, that they could not all be together in one rally all the time.

This was made clear to everybody, he said, to have a better chance of spreading the K-4 platform in a wider scale in the country.

Bunye said he respects the prerogative of K-4 senatorial bet Miriam Defensor-Santiago in raising a question with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on alleged violations by fellow senatorial candidates on the time limits set on airing of political ads.

"I believe she is well within her prerogative to raise questions but we’re also saying that we have monitored the Comelec chairman himself who said that that based on Comelec resolution, the time allotment has not been fully used by any particular candidate at this point," he added.

SAN PABLO CITY—The government today shifted to high gear its coco diesel development program in a bid to reduce the country’s dependence on imported fuel and create a new market for coconut farmers.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo formally launched here the Coco Bio-Diesel Program which forms part of her administration’s economic and social reform agenda designed to promote the use of environment-friendly alternative fuel and improve the coconut farmers’ standard of living.

Addressing some 5,000 coconut industry stakeholders gathered at the Dona Leonila Park here, the President revealed that positive results of various technical tests conducted by the Department of Energy indicated that the use of coconut methyl ester (CME), also known as coco diesel, is most effective in abating atmospheric pollution.

Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo said coco diesel can be used on vehicles without engine modification. She said a switch to CME could also help bring down the cost of energy in the country.

The President expressed gratitude to RI Chemicals, Senbel Fine Chemicals and Chemrez for heeding her call to develop the coco bio-diesel technology.

Experts said coco bio-diesel is a mixture of diesel fuel and CME "at a certain proportion volume."

In most countries like the United States, bio-diesel is a mixture of diesel fuel and ester derived from corn, soya, rapeseed or palm utilizing five percent to 20 percent blend.

It has a density, kinematic viscocity and other properties similar to diesel fuel.

CME can be used as an alternative or substitute to petroleum diesel, or as an enhancer and additive.

Meneleo Carlos, president of RI Chemical which produces CME, said they have been using coco diesel in their vehicles and noted a dramatic reduction of smoke emission by at least 70 percent.

Former singer Claire de la Fuente, president of the Integrated Metropolitan Bus Operators Association (IMBOA), agreed with Carlos’ observation that coco diesel brought down emission of their buses by 50 percent.

De la Fuente said IMBOA was the first mass transport group in Metro Manila to use coco diesel.

Energy Secretary Vince Perez, Press Secretary Milton Alingod, Philippine Coconut Authority Administrator Danny Coronacion, and Energy Undersecretary Edgardo Manalac accompanied the President in her visit to this city.