"This is a great moment for the Philippine economy," President Macapagal-Arroyo said in reaction to Ford’s decision.

The year just passed saw the government making significant strides in providing quality education to Filipino children nationwide.

Foremost in these achievements was the procurement and delivery of 93.2 million textbooks for all public schools to attain the 1:1 textbook-student ratio in all levels of education.

The Department of Education (DepEd) said the first wave of distributions took place from June 23 July 11, the second wave on July 28 to Aug. 15, and the final phase from Sept. 8 to Oct. 24.

The DepEd coordinated with various non-government organizations and civic groups for a closer monitoring of the delivery and distribution of the textbooks to the intended schools.

The year 2003 also saw the construction of close to 800 schoolbuildings in remote barangays, with 1,608 more schools set for completion by June this year. The new buildings provided about 18,000 more classrooms that would bring the classroom-pupil ratio to 1:60.

During the year, the Macapagal-Arroyo administration also allocated P1.98 billion for the hiring of 15,206 additional public school teachers.

Japan provided added push for the Philippine government’s education upgrading program with the grant of a total of Y1.658 billion (roughly P860.16 million) in official development assistance (ODA) for the Educational Facilities Improvement Project (EFIP).

The ODA came in two tranches; the first at Y711 million (P368.8 million) and the second, which came eight months later, at Y947 million (P491 million).

The funds were earmarked for the construction of over 390 classrooms in Central Luzon.

In support of the Macapagal-Arroyo administration’s call to improve the quality of education in public schools, the DepEd also vigorously pushed the implementation of its flagship programs, particularly the Secondary Education Development and Improvement Project (SEDIP), a seven-year program geared at poverty alleviation through educational interventions.

SEDIP is funded by the Asian Development Bank and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, with counterpart fund from the Philippine government.

Meanwhile, technically supported learning modules (eLearning) is gaining momentum among Philippine schools which are experiencing a paradigm shift brought about by increasing availability of computers and other modern technology devices.

Using a wide array of electronic tools such as computers, mobile phones, audio and video tape, videoteleconferencing, satellite broadcast and the internet, eLearning is fast gaining popularity in the Philippine education system.

Thus, the Philippine eLearning Society was founded on July 30, 2003 in Manila with the view of promoting "substantive content, appropriate pedagogy and appropriate use of technology for eLearning, guided by ongoing research activities.

The population issue has a fundamental impact on development and we are implementing a family planning program based on moral choice.

But we must also focus on enlarging the economic pie so that more Filipinos can avail of their rightful share of the national bounty.

That is why we shall continue to fight for investments, jobs and better tools for people to succeed.

We have to change the economy and the political system to fight poverty.

The Philippines has been a constant partner of the US in the war against terrorism.

The US may have sound basis to heighten its alert and we shall continue to keep our own vigilance at all levels.

We must continue to live with this threat domestically and internationally even as we have severely cut down the threat of the JI in the country.

We have been spared from terrorist attacks in recent months and this is a result of unrelenting law enforcement operations against terrorist cells, isolating them through the peace process, and community alertness.

I am grateful to the Singaporean government for the expeditious resolution of this killing with the arrest of the culprit, as I express my condolences to the Austria family.

I would like to assure them that the DFA will continue to coordinate with the Singaporean authorities until a conviction of the person responsible for this crime is obtained.

Mga kababayan, Manigong Bagong Taon sa inyong lahat. Ayon sa isang kilalang survey group, ang karamihan ng ating mga kababayan ay sinalubong ang Bagong Taon na tigib ng pag-asa, salamat sa Panginoon. Sana ito ay senyas ng malakas na simulang nagawa ko sa maikling panahon ng aking pagkapangulo. Napaikot natin ang ekonomiya at napatatag ang kaguluhang minana natin.

Ipinaglalaban ko ang pagbabago para sa karaniwang Pilipino. Maging ang kalakasan ng aking foreign policy ay nagbibigay ng kumpiyansa sa mga bansang namuhunan sa ating bansa para lumikha ng trabaho at maitaas ang suweldo ng karaniwang Pilipino. Senyas ng kalakasan ng ating foreign policy na ginagamit natin para lumikha ng trabaho ang Pilipino ay nakuha natin ang isang puwesto sa United Nations Security Council. At ang pinakamakapangyarihang lider ng mundo, ang Pangulo ng Amerika, ay nagbisita rito. Ginawa tayong isang pangunahing kakampi ng Amerika.

Ito ay nagbibigay rin ng higit na proteksiyon para sa ating mga OFWs. Halimbawa, Hinarap natin ang giyera sa Iraq sa pamamagitan ng pagbubukas ng linya ng komunikasyon sa mga pamilya upang sila ay makapag-usap at mabawasan ang pangamba. Ngayon at nahuli na si Saddam Hussein, sa madaling panahon puwede na itayo muli ang ekonomiya ng Iraq at mga kakampi kagaya ng Pilipinas ay makikinabang sa dagdag na trabahong malilikha dito.

Sa maikling panahon din ng aking pagkapangulo nakamit natin ang wala pang kapantay sa pagsulong sa pabahay, laban sa katiwalian, at kalinga ng kalusugan. Nagtayo tayo ng depensa laban sa SARS sa pamamagitan ng pangangalaga sa bawa’t Pilipino sa loob at labas ng bansa, at ng pagtulong sa isa’t isa upang mapigilan ang paglaganap ng karamdaman. Sa ating pagpalawak ng Phil-Health ngayon nakararami na sa ating pamilyang Pilipino ay sakop na ng health insurance. Ito ay down payment at hindi ako kuntento, dapat universal health insurance o lahat ng pamilya sakop sa Phil-Health sa mga darating na taon.

Ganoon din ang presyo ng gamot. Nahati natin ang presyo ng maraming gamot na karaniwang binibili ng mahihirap na binibenta sa mga ospital ng pamahalaan. Ito rin ay pawang down payment, hindi ako kuntento dapat lahat ng gamot na karaniwang binibili ng mga mahihirap ay nabibili sa nahating presyo kahit na saan. At ito ay gusto nating mangyari sa mga darating na panahon.

Kailangan din ang political will at liderato upang makaraos sa mga puwersang gustong hatiin tayo. Nasupil natin ang tangkang kudeta ng wala pang isang araw, gamit ang bisa ng batas na suportado ng kagustuhan ng nakararami, o popular will. Nilutas natin ang nakaambang krisis konstitusyonal mula sa impeachment case laban sa Chief Justice sa pamamagitan ng pagkakasundo ng mga institusyon sa demokratikong paraan.

Ang ating laban po sa terrorismo ay maraming nagawa na hindi mapapantayan. Ang ating kampanya laban sa droga at kidnapping ay nakapagdulot ng mga resulta na nagbalik sa pananalig sa batas ng mga Pilipino mula sa iba’t ibang antas ng lipunan.

Ang mga Pilipino ay sumikat sa mga natatangi at dakilang paraan. Si Manny Pacquiao ay nanalo sa kanyang kampeonato. Nagwagi tayo ng halos dalawang daang medalya sa Southeast Asian Games. Sinundan ang napakarami ring medalya sa Asian Games. Nakuha ni CJ Suarez ang Bowling World Cup. Ang ating mga kababaihan at kabataang golpista ay sikat din sa mga pananalo. Mga atleta, manunulat, lider ng simbahan. Guro, sundalo at maraming iba pang magigiting na kababayan ang bumuo sa tapestry ng kahusayan nitong nagdaang taon na nagbigay dahilan upang tayo ay magmalaki at magpasalamat na maging Pilipino.

Ang mga relief workers sa Southern Leyte ay kinaligtaan na ang Pasko kasama ng kanilang mga pamilya, kagaya rin ng ating peacekeeping team sa Iraq at milyun – milyong overseas workers, gayundin ang sundalo sa larangan ng labanan at mga pulis na nagbabantay sa checkpoints sa lahat ng oras.

Ang taong 2004 ay may pangako ng pag-asa, at ang ating mga downpayment na pagbabago ay dapat masundan ng installment na wala pang kapantay na pagbabago na gawin tayong higit na ligtas at palakasin ang ating mga pamilya at pupuksain ang katiwalian.

Ako ay nagpapasalamat sa ating mga natamasa sa mga nakalipas na taon. Inilalagay sa kamay ng Panginoon ang bukas para sa pamilya at bansang Pilipino. At humihingi ng grasyang gawin ang utos ng Diyos sa aking tungkulin.

Bagong Taon, bagong kinabukasan… Ipaglaban natin ang dapat… wakasan ang paghihirap.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today instructed Customs Commissioner Antonio Bernardo to review and check the alleged technical smuggling of sugar in the ports of Cebu and Davao.

The President made her instructions during her meeting with the representatives of sugar producers, millers and farmers from the different sugar districts in the country. The meeting was held this morning at the Aguinaldo Room of Malacaņang.

Also present in the meting were Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo and Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) Administrator James Ledesma.

In a briefing after the meeting, Lorenzo said representatives of the sugar industry are complaining that other companies authorized to import sugar are taking advantage of the lower tariff on some sugar products.

Lorenzo said the President immediately instructed Bernardo to review the alleged technical smuggling because the import surplus being sold locally affects the domestic price of sugar.

Lorenzo said the President also instructed them to draft an executive order allowing the SRA to monitor the sugar content of imported sugar-based products.

To date, Lorenzo said, many sugar products laced with a little food coloring are being imported as pre-mixed juices.

He said these products come in at a lower tariff and competes with the price of the domestic sugar.

In other countries, Lorenzo said, products with at least 65 percent sugar content are labeled as sugar.

Looking at 2004 with a promise of hope, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today said that the "down payment of change" that her administration has started should be followed by an "installment of unprecedented change " to make the Filipino family safe and strong and the government corruption-free.

In her radio message this morning, the President also thanked the Lord for all the blessings of the past year while at the same time placed in the hands of the Almighty the future of the Filipino family and the nation.

"Bagong Taon, bagong kinabukasan. Ipaglaban natin ang dapat. Wakasan ang paghihirap (New Year, new future. Let us fight for what is right. Let us end poverty)," the President stressed.

The President said that during the short span of her administration, she was able to turn the economy around and restored stability to a country, which was in disarray when she took over.

She said she fought for changes to uplift the lives of ordinary Filipinos, strengthening of the country’s foreign policy that helps promote confidence among foreign businessmen to invest in the Philippines and create jobs for Filipinos.

Because of her foreign policy initiatives, the President said, the Philippines was chosen as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and the leader of the world’s most powerful nation, the president of the United States, visited Manila in October this year.

This foreign policy thrust has also provided more protection for our overseas Filipino workers, the President said, adding that with the capture of former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s reconstruction could be speeded up and new jobs would be soon made available for Filipinos in that country.

According to the President, during her administration, great strides have been made in housing, in health care, in the fight against graft, and in providing overall welfare to the Filipino people.

She said that although thousands have already been enrolled in the government’s health insurance, she is still not contented. "Dapat universal health insurance o lahat ng pamilya sakop sa Phil-Health sa mga darating na taon (It should be universal health insurance to include all families in the country)," the President said.

The President also said that in the coming year, all the medicines that ordinary citizens buy for their common ailments could be bought anywhere in the country at half price, and not just limited in some government hospitals.

In her address, the President also paid tribute to Filipinos who have excelled in sports, like Manny Pacquiao in boxing, CJ Suarez in bowling, and the Filipino athletes who won almost 200 medals at the recent Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam.

Bunye cited the role of the citizenry in the solution of the case.

Lorenzo said they are eyeing the farm price to improve at around P800 per bag so as not to affect the consumers.

"We could spur demand if some adjustments on the retail price would happen," Ledesma said.