President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo wants the "open skies" accord with the United States amended to benefit the country and its aviation industry, Deputy Presidential Spokesman Ricardo Saludo said today.

In an interview with Radyo ng Bayan this morning, Saludo said that the President has decided to form a panel of three Cabinet members to review and renegotiate the "open skies" agreement with the United States.

The Philippines entered into the "open skies" agreement with the United States during the martial law regime of ousted President Ferdinand E. Marcos in 1982. It provoked a controversy with its scheduled implementation for the first time this year.

According to Saludo, the President has directed the secretaries of the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Tourism, and Transportation and Communication to lead in renegotiating the accord with the United States, in line with promoting the interest of the country and in particular its aviation industry.

He added that a renegotiation should take into consideration the promotion of the country’s tourism industry and the travel requirements of the thousands of overseas Filipino workers.

There are some eight million Filipinos abroad, either as immigrants or overseas workers, he said, adding that about a million of them are in the Middle East.

SILANG, Cavite – After raising the salaries of policemen to the standard of school teachers, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo vowed to increase the take-home pay of other government employees, including firemen and prison guards.

The President made this assurance today during the commencement exercises of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) here where she outlined her platform of government if and when she gets elected to a full term in this year’s polls.

She enjoined the PNPA graduating class of 2004, which trained under the Presidential Security Group to help in the fight against poverty, crime and lawlessness for a peaceful Philippines.

"Let us be exemplars of public service. Let us unite and be agents of possible social transformation and lasting progress," she told the graduates.

She praised the police for helping the government in its all-out war against drugs, which has hauled in P20 billion worth of drugs from clandestine laboratories and 20,000 drug lords and pushers including top drug lord William Gan.

For the first time, too, according to the President, the terrorist Abu Sayyaf group is on the run after the Sipadan incident and its leaders like Abu Sabaya, Robot, Al Ghozi and Global have either been killed or captured.

In recognition of the efforts of the police, the Chief Executive ordered the release of P1 million as seed fund for its alumni association headed by Western Police Director General Pedro Bulaong,

"Sa maikling panahon, nakagawa tayo ng malakas na panimula, napatatag natin and kaguluhang minana natin, nakagawa tayo ng hindi pa napapantayang sulong sa pabahay, kasama na ang pabahay para sa mga pulis (In the short time that we have served, we were able to make a strong start, we were able to fix what was broken, we were able to provide housing including those for the police)," she said.

Given the chance, the President said she would continue what she has started, fight for change to make the family stronger, stamp out the culture of corruption, crush the drug menace and wipe out terrorism.

For 21 long years, residents of Sitio San Roque II in Quezon City have toiled and struggled to have water flowing in their pipes to no avail. A ‘right of way’ dispute with homeowners of an adjacent subdivision has compounded their woes.

Until President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo came avisiting.

This morning, amid thunderous cheers and applause, the President brought her "Palupa" and "Patubig" programs to some 6,000 residents of the community, in the process becoming the first Chief Executive to finally give time and attention to their long-time woes.

The President directed Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. to talk with the officers of the adjacent San Pedro V Subdivision and convince them to give the needed right of way for the construction of a waterline by Manila Water Company, Inc. (MWCI), in Sitio San Roque II.

After the right of way is secured, MWCI promised the President that it would provide the water lines in two months time.

The President ordered the release of P1 million to help address the problems of the area, particularly Barangay Pasong Tamo, which has only been getting potable water from the water tanks and trucks provided by MWCI and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR).

"I’m not here just to visit your community but also to bring you the Palupa and Pabahay ni Gloria projects," she said. "I learned from your chairwoman Marivic (Co-Pilar) that the cause of your problem is the right of way and the expensive surveyor for the land dispute of the residents here."

Assisting the President during the launching were QC Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista, former Congressman Dante Liban, Co-Pilar and Ronnie Jabaluyas of MWCI.

In just two months, the "Patubig ni PGMA" project has been able to provide potable water to 645,177 households in the provinces of Rizal and Cavite and in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The new 600 household recipients are just a fraction of more than 95,800 families that have already benefited from the "Patubig ni PGMA" project in Quezon City alone.

SILANG, Cavite – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today presented awards to the top graduates of Tagapagsanggalang (Defender) Class 2004, Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA), led by Elmer Hasley Decena of Alangalang, Leyte.

Decena, a former Jail Officer 1, received the Presidential Saber for graduating at the head of 139 police cadets. He also got a Plaque of Merit for garnering the highest over-all proficiency rating of PNPA Class 2004.

Officer-In-Charge of the Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) Marius P. Corpus conferred on the 139 graduates the degree of Bachelor of Science in Public Safety (BSPS).

The President also awarded the Vice Presidential Saber to Romeo Meliton Angon, Jr., of Davao Oriental for leadership as First Captain of the PNPA corps of cadets.

Cadet Evangeline Jalaide Pierra of Isabela City, Basilan, graduated third in the class and received the Secretary of Interior and Local Government (SILG) Saber Award as well as a Plaque of Merit.

The Chief Excutive commended Class 2004 whose training with the Presidential Security Group (PSG) included providing security for the state visit to the Philippines of U.S. President George Bush last year.

"Aking malugod na tinatanggap kayo bilang kasapi ng (I am pleased to accept you as members of) Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) at Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP). You are now my fellow agents of change, " she said.

The President donated P1 million as seed fund for the multi-purpose cooperative of the Philippine National Police Alumni Association.

Other leading graduates were Joselito R. Orias, Emily F. Novillero, Josefina C. Calayan, Arnel A. Penera, Clarissa M. Roa, Elisa M. Sas and Yolanda B. Eclipse. Other awardees include Junteddy G. Madria, recipient of a Plaque of Merit; Alfredo Esquejo, PNPA Director Saber for Athletics; and Nino Lope Briones, Plaque of Recognition for journalism.

Of the 140 graduates, 115 shall join the PNP; 14, BFP; and 11, BJMP.

TAYUG, Pangasinan—Presidential Campaign Spokesman Michael Defensor expressed confidence today that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo could substantially overcome actor Fernando Poe Jr.’s lead in surveys in two weeks’ time, saying it has been the administration’s prediction even a month ago.

Defensor, reacting to questions thrown at him during the President’s campaign sortie here with the K-4 slate, said that even if President Macapagal-Arroyo and Poe are neck–a-neck at this stage of the campaign, the former would eventually take the lead.

"Give it two more weeks, talagang lalamang na substantially ang ating Pangulo, siguro mga five to 10 percent (the President would eventually grab the lead by about five to 10 percent)," he said.

Defensor said he is just awaiting the release of more recent survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) to see if the gap between Poe and the President has indeed narrowed down.

The last SWS survey, which had Poe leading by as low as nine percent over the President, according to Defensor, has been done a month ago and could not possibly be a good gauge of how things are presently.

He also dismissed the results of the Ibon Foundation survey showing Poe leading by a wide margin, saying it is not the expertise of the firm to conduct surveys.

"Palagay ko naman, yong mga mamamayan hindi maniniwala nang basta basta sa ganito (I believe the people would not readily believe such surveys)," he said, noting how the Ibon figures are pretty much different from those of the SWS and Pulse Asia.

At least five franchises of passenger jeeps that participated in the transport strike in Metro Manila yesterday were suspended by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) for violating the provisions of the franchises issued to them, Transportation and Communication Secretary Leandro Mendoza today said.

In a press briefing in Malacanang this afternoon, Mendoza said that the LTFRB has come up with the resolutions suspending the franchises of five passenger jeepney units, and one transport cooperative that participated in the transport strike yesterday.

"The strike yesterday was really uncalled for. And of course, while we commensurate with the plight of the jeepney operators and the drivers particularly, we have, you know, a job to do and we have to protect the interest of the riding public," Mendoza said.

Mendoza said that those whose franchises have been suspended are now prohibited from operating within 30 days until a series of hearings for the eventual cancellation of their franchises will be completed by the board of inquiry of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DoTC).

He said the DoTC and the LTFRB have enough evidence against those who staged the strike. These evidence, he added, come from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) who monitored yesterday’s transport strike.

Mendoza assured the transport operators that they will be given due process but they have to explain why they did not ply their route and why they violated the provisions of their franchises.

Aside from the suspension, the PNP has also filed criminal charges against some operators and drivers for harassing some drivers and throwing stones at some vehicles who opted not to participate in the strike.

TAYUG, Pangasinan—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today urged farmers in this province to shift to hybrid rice, more popularly known as "Gloria Rice," to double their regular harvest and income.

The President made the remarks in her speech at the Tayug National High School this afternoon before she went to La Union as guest speaker for the awarding of the Best Barangay Gabay sa Mamamayan Action Center (GMAC).

"Sana kayong lahat ay dumami ang harvest kapag gumamit kayo ng hybrid rice (I hope the you will use the hybrid rice to increase your harvest)," the President told the farmers.

She said that once hybrid rice is used by more farmers in the country, it would assure a higher yield and a bigger income for them.

She said farmers who will adopt hybrid rice would receive incentives from the government.

The President noted that when the government started the use of hybrid rice in 2002 using initially 35,000 hectares, it increased to 100,000 hectares in 2003, and for the first quarter this year (2004) it is expected to expand to 500,000 hectares.

The President also said that because of the successful propagation of hybrid rice in the country the P1 billion procurement budget of the National Food Authority (NFA) was increased to P4 billion.

The President announced that aside from hybrid rice, the government is now conducting a series of consultations to upgrade the planting of corn.