Transco president Alan Ortiz said that the 10-year program aims to reduce the incidence of power outage by replacing the old wooden electric poles with steel poles.

Under the program, according to Ortiz, some 29,000 wood poles will be replaced with new-generation steel poles that can be buried directly to the ground.

Transco will replace the wood poles at a rate of 10 percent of the total requirement a year.

Ortiz said that the modernization program has long been overdue as the aging wood poles, especially the low-load 69-kilovolt (kv) lines, are vulnerable to strong winds spawned by typhoons.

He noted that the 69-kv lines toppled during typhoons have been the cause of day-long outages in many areas.

The pole replacement program is part of Transco’s program for preventing major or region-wide power outages.

The launching of the wood pole replacement program was one of the highlights of the Cagayan de Oro leg of a five-city roadshow undertaken in Mindanao by the Energy Regulatory Commission, Transco and the Joint Congressional Power Commission.

The Department of Energy (DOE) and the Power Sector Asset and Liability Management Corporation (PSALM) are expected to provide updates on the project.

Transco will also update the local government units (LGUs) and the business sector on the status of the project as well as the status of other key transmission projects that Transco has committed to improve the delivery of power supply.

Mindanao is highly dependent on hydroelectric power, particularly on the Agus system.

The only relevant subject for Presidential debate is the welfare of the average Filipino.

I have already presented my platform and accomplishments for the average Filipino and I would like to know how the opposition intends to do this.

Whoever represents himself as the champion of the masses must be able to show the people how he intends to achieve his goals within the realities of actual governance.

It does not matter so much if a candidate is educated or not.

What matters is his capability to translate vision into reality.

I started off with a vision three years ago and I have used every day of the Presidency to carry that vision forward.

Today, we have more food, shelter, health insurance and more jobs.

I have used the tools of good governance, economic management and sound diplomacy to achieve these goals.

The opposition is couching its platform in emotional slogans and these are bound to fail in the absence of concrete implementation details.

I am not going to waste my time debating slogans. I want to talk about specific programs.

And this is not belittling any of my opponents.

In connection with the Davao bombings, it must be stressed that the six persons suspected of direct participation in the bombings are in jail and continue to face trial. The Government shall ensure that the trial proceeds to its logical conclusion.

In the case of charges against MILF leaders at large, these have been archived by the court a long time ago and the warrants against them withdrawn.

Malacanang today said that Balikatan 2004, a joint RP-US military training exercise, which is being currently conducted in Palawan, is good for the country’s security as it will boost military preparedness in areas under threat.

In a radio interview this morning, Deputy Spokesman and Cabinet Secretary Ricardo Saludo cited the threat posed by pirates and terrorists who sow terror in the area. It was in a Palawan resort that Abu Sayyaf terrorists abducted tourists in 2000.

"It is important to conduct the joint military exercises there so that our soldiers would be ready for any threat to our security," Saludo said.

Saludo also pointed out that the joint RP-US military exercise has nothing to do with the Spratly islands, which are being claimed by the Philippines and other countries in Southeast Asia.. The Spratly islands are near Palawan.

He said the claimant countries have agreed to resolve peacefully whatever differences or misunderstanding they have over the Spratlys.

The Deputy Presidential Spokesman said that participants in Balikartan also perform humanitarian and civic missions in the area where the exercise is being held. Doctors and nurses help the poorest of the poor, particularly in places where there are no clinics or hospitals, he said

He said that the Balikatan soldiers also put up vital infrastructure projects, like roads and bridges.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was pleased with the progress of her administration’s peace talks with the leftist insurgents and the Muslim separatists, Deputy Presidential Spokesman Ricardo Saludo said today.

In an interview with Radyo ng Bayan, Saludo said President Macapagal-Arroyo and the two government panels that had met separately with the National Democratic Front (NDF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) "are happy" that the peace talks are moving forward.

Saludo said the government (GRP) and MILF delegations agreed in Kuala Lumpur over the weekend to resume formal peace negotiations next month probably also in Malaysia.

He said that the two panels also agreed to put in place a team that would monitor the ceasefire in southern Philippines.

"Aside from the ceasefire, both panels have also endorsed a number of socio-economic development programs that would be carried out once there is a lasting peace agreement between the government and MILF," he said.

Saludo said that the peace process is not meant only to stop fighting, but, more importantly, to foster economic progress in Mindanao. Decades of fighting between rebels and government troops has stunted the growth of Mindanao, he added..

"Our formal peace talks with the NDF will also continue." he said, adding that both panels are looking for a venue for the next round of talks.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo brought the fight against the menace of illegal drugs to the grass root level in harnessing barangay officials and youth organizations to strengthen the government’s People Power Kontra Droga.

President Arroyo said she brought down to every barangay her administration’s all-out war against illegal drugs because this is part of the government campaign against poverty during the grand culmination rally of "Lakbay Kontra Droga 2004" Sunday night at Liwasang Ipil-Ipil, CCP grounds in Pasay City.

"I am bringing to every barangay the fight against illegal drugs to coincide with the government’s thrust of alleviating the plight of every ordinary Filipino family to ensure the victory of every Filipino in this relentless campaign of the government," declared President Macapagal-Arroyo.

She also stressed she repealed the executive order of deposed President Joseph Estrada upon assuming the presidency for the barangays to enjoy the full benefit of their Internal Revenue Allotments (IRA) that were cut by 20 percent by the previous administration.

The President told barangay officials that the 20 percent IRA cut her administration has given back is a big boost for their own initiatives in eradicating drugs and poverty in their respective areas.

"This fight against illegal-drugs, fight against crimes, fight against poverty, fight against destroying family values are all brought down to every barangay, so, help me, all of you in this unprecedented campaign of the government," the President appealed.

She also praised presidential appointees, elected local officials and other agency heads for the contribution to the success of her anti-drugs campaign.

The Chief Executive said Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Bayani Fernando worked not only to solve the garbage crisis in Mega-Manila but also to help the government eradicate drugs in the streets.

Manila Mayor Jose Atienza, Caloocan Mayor Reynaldo Malonzo and Valenzuela Mayor Jose Emmanuel Carlos were also cited by the President for their contributions to anti-drug campaign.

The project organizers also turned over to President Arroyo the one million signatures they collected during their week-long tour across the 16 regions of the country as their expression of support in the all-out war of President Arroyo against illegal drugs.

Among those who attended in the culmination of anti-drug caravan were First Gentleman Atty. Jose Miguel Arroyo, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina, Jr., acting Justice Secretary Merceditas Gutierrez and Liga ng mga Barangay President James Marty Lim.

Contrary to speculations that the peso could breach the P60 per dollar level, international investment bank Standard Charter believes the local currency would soon be recovering due to the strong economic fundamentals of the country.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye revealed that a regional economist of the Standard Charter stated in a letter that they see the economic fundamentals of the Philippines as one that will remain strong.

Bunye said that contrary to some analysts’ claim that the peso would further weaken because of the upcoming May 2004 elections, Standard Charter believed that the local currency would recover to a level stronger than what we are seeing.

"That is the assessment of Standard Charter. We hope that this would lessen speculations against the peso in the currency markets. Likewise, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) will show a firm hand against market speculators," he added.

Bunye assured the public that the government has the capability to address the peso’s weakness.

Standard Charter said that they continue to be upbeat about the Philippine outlook and that the economy is expected to strengthen further into 2004 on the back of strong consumption and an improvement in the external environment.

The bank also said that the peso is likely to recover after the election and that the Philippines’ external debt servicing commitments are still relatively low.

Standard Charter added that the openness of the economy, good public debt management, high and rising foreign workers or OFW remittances as well as the relatively tight pricing of debt are unlikely to change.

"The government made significant progress in the fiscal situation, evidenced by rising tax revenues as a percentage of the Gross National Product GNP)," the bank said.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in a statement over the weekend, said that the peso’s weakness is very much temporary and that the administration will use all economic tools to steady the peso.

Malacanang announced today the appointment of Roberto Pagdanganan as ad interim Secretary of the Department of Tourism, replacing Richard Gordon who has resigned to run for senator in the coming May polls.

Prior to his appointment, signed Friday by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Pagdanganan was secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

Undersecretary Jose Mari Ponce was appointed Officer-in Charge of the DAR.

In a press briefing this afternoon, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said the Office of the President has transmitted to Pagdanganan and Ponce the signed appointments dated Feb. 20 through Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo.

He stressed that there is an urgent need for the permanent appointment of Pagdanganan as DOT chief as previously aired in a Cabinet meeting by Department of Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza.

Bunye said the rich marketing background of Pagdanganan was crucial in his selection.

The new DOT chief, Bunye said quoting Mendoza in the cabinet meeting, has to fill up the position of the three-man panel to the RP-US Civil Aviation talks.

Pagdanganan will also have to preside over the implementation of the open skies policy for cargo in the Diosdado Macapagal and Subic International Airports and Davao International Airport as an alternate entry point for the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East Asia Growth Area) and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) cargo and tourism business.

The Macapagal-Arroyo administration has been hitting its target of one million new jobs created annually, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported today.

The DOLE said since January 2001 when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed the presidency, the economy has generated a total of 3.175 million jobs for an average of 1,06 million per year.

"This is 215 percent higher than the 1.007 million generated by the previous administration for an average of 336,000 per year," the DOLE noted

"The unemployment rate, however, has remained relatively constant at around 11 percent, reflecting the fact that starting in 2001, our labor force started growing by 1.2 million annually, compared to the 700,000 during the previous administration," the agency pointed out.

It also noted that last year’s employment performance was adversely affected by the Iraq war, the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in Asia and the series of typhoons that hit the Philippines. "It was the agriculture sector that accounted for the biggest loss in employment mainly before of the typhoons."

DOLE also clarified that promoting employment also entails taking advantage not only of the domestic labor market but also the global market. It revealed that overseas deployment of Filipino workers reached 2.6 million over the past three years, or an average of 875,000 yearly.

The figure, according to the DOLE, is 4.6 percent higher than the 2.5 million overseas Filipino workers sent abroad under the two and a half year watch of ousted President Joseph Estrada.

The DOLE said "it is not correct to compare the unemployment rate of the country with other Asian countries…because we have not fully subscribed to the international standard definition of unemployment as adopted during the 18^th International Conference of Labor Statisticians in 1982."

The DOLE explained that the international standard definition of the term "unemployed" refers to all persons who during the reference period were without work, currently available for work and actively seeking work.

"All three criteria must be satisfied simultaneously to consider a person unemployed," the DOLE said. It added that the Philippines uses only two of the criteria—"without work" and "seeking work."

"This makes our unemployment rate substantially higher than those of our neighboring countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand that adopt the "availability criterion."

To correct the disparity, the DOLE said the National Statistics Office is currently revising the unemployment framework to include the "availability criterion."

Malacanang expressed confidence today that the peso decline is just a "temporary blip," saying the local currency would soon stabilize as the political scenario becomes clearer.

In a press briefing this afternoon, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye assured the public that the Central Bank is prepared to take whatever action is necessary under the present circumstances and utilize every tool available to stabilize the local currency.

"The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has already briefed the President over what it said was a temporary blip. BSP Governor Rafael Buenaventura told the President that the situation would stabilize as the political uncertainties are settled," he said.

The BSP governor, Bunye said, expressed hope that even the banking sector would comply with the present BSP regulations and would act with prudence in its decisions.

"We don’t have the exact time frame but some things might make it clearer," Bunye said.

The Department of Finance, Bunye said, could help strengthen the peso by encouraging Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in sending their dollar remittances as early as possible.