The Department of Energy has signed a service contract (SC) with Gas to Grid Pte. Ltd. (G2G) of Singapore which committed to invest an initial $4 million in Central Cebu.

The seven-year SC covers 2,415 square kilometers of onshore development in Central Cebu area within the Visayas petroleum basin.

The contract area, based on previous drilling activities done in 1960, contains undeveloped natural gas and oil reserves. Further drilling and testing activities are needed to determine the field’s viability.

Energy Secretary Vince Perez and G2G managing director David Alistair Munns signed the contract.

"If found to be commercially viable, the natural gas can be used to fuel proposed small power facilities in Cebu to meet the ever increasing power demand in the Visayas, particularly in the Cebu-Negros-Panay grid," Perez said.

Perez noted that the potential gas field is located approximately 40 kilometers west-southwest of Cebu City, a major city with significant electricity requirements.

G2G has expertise of over 25 years in petroleum exploration and development in Southeast Asia. It is also involved in a similar gas-fired power station development in Australia and hopes to apply the same experience and technology in the Cebu project.

G2G’s contract could be extended to a 25-year production phase if oil or gas in commercial quantity is discovered.

Five exploration wells are expected to be drilled in the seven-year exploration stage. The first year will be dedicated to conducting geological and geophysical studies and drilling of an exploration well.

I am glad that the opposition has launched its platform.

Many of the items are already being implemented but I will welcome any new ideas.

The important element in any campaign is the enrichment of ideas that will work towards the betterment of the average Filipino.

Each candidate must have a defining issue and ours is the fight for change.

The pace of our campaign itself shows clearly how impatient we are, and how impatient the people are, for change.

We are bringing the message of change to the farthest regions of the country and the people are responding with warmth and enthusiasm.

We are confident that the criminal charges leveled against the President will not hold water, as there has been no violation of law.

It is unfortunate that travel warnings such as these are sprouting at a time when we have already crushed the threats of terrorism in the country and successfully proven our worth in the global war against terrorism.

Manny Pacquiao today raised the hand of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and flashed the thumbs up sign with her in a gesture of support for her presidential bid after Ring Magazine formally placed the boxer in the company of the world’s boxing legends and contemporary greats in a ceremony held this morning in Malacaņang’s Rizal Hall.

The President has been one of Pacquiao’s ardent supporters since he made his mark in the boxing world, honoring him with audiences and monetary bonuses at Malacaņang after his victories abroad.

She has held Pacquiao as an example for the Filipino youth to emulate. In her State of the Nation Address in July last year, the President cited Pacquiao as among the Filipinos who got to achieve their ends in the world stage because of hard work.

The President, assisted by Ring Magazine Editor in Chief Nigel Collins, presented Pacquiao, the IBC super bantamweight champion until he gave it up only recently, with the Ring Championship belt.

Pacquiao knocked out Mexican world featherweight champion and heavy favorite Marco Antonio Barrera late last year in a non-title bout at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas to become the "consensus" world featherweight champion. Because of that remarkable feat, he merited the coveted Ring belt and become the only second Filipino, after the great Pancho Villa, to receive the award.

Villa, once world flyweight champion noted for his "bolo" punch, was the first Filipino and the second recipient of the honor after Jack Dempsey in 1922.

It was the first time Ring Magazine, in its 82 years of existence, presented the championship belt to an honoree in his hometown and witnessed by an incumbent head of state.

Collins, who arrived here last week from the United States, personally handcarried the championship belt and expressed great praise for Pacquiao and his highest regard for President Macapagal-Arroyo’s full support to boxing.

Collins also presented to the Chief Executive a hat, a copy of the Ring Magazine, and a picture frame with photos of the great Filipino boxing champions, like Villa and Gabriel "Flash" Elorde.

The ring championship belt is embellished with two pictures of the Filipino boxing champion, his boxing record, an American eagle and the date of his victory over Barrera.

The Ring Magazine founded in 1922, started awarding championship belts on the same year. It stopped the practice in the ‘90s but resumed it in 2002.

Ring Magazine, which became a full-color publication in 2002, and its several sister boxing magazines, are published by the London Publishing Co.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today inspected another "Patubig ni PGMA" project site in Theresa Heights Subdivision in Novaliches, Quezon City.

The President explained that her visit to the site was very important because she wanted to personally communicate with the residents and attend to their problems, particularly lack of potable water.

She assured the residents of the subdivision that they will benefit from the "Patubig ni PGMA" project that she launched more than two months ago.

During her inspection, the President said that the continuity of the "Patubig ni PGMA" program would depend on the result of the coming May 10 elections.

She said that if the Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan para sa Kinabukasan (K-4) ticket wins, every waterless barangay in the country would be assured of potable water, one of the priority programs under her governance.

Manila Water Company, Inc. and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) have provided assistance in the implementation of the "Patubig ni PGMA" project in waterless communities in the National Capital Region (NCR) and nearby provinces.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo wants the most extensive health insurance coverage for the people, Malacaņang said today.

"The thrust now is not individual coverage but family coverage," Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said this morning in a radio interview, referring to the recent expanded coverage of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

That is the widest coverage the President wants and she expects to realize it under the Universal Family Health Insurance, Bunye added.

The President issued Executive Order 276 in February, launching a new service, the Universal Family Health Insurance to expand the PhilHealth coverage.

"The truth is hard to face about the lack of availability to health services, but now, we are facing it squarely," the President said on the plight of Filipinos, especially the poor, who cannot afford medical care when they get sick.

Then, about 40 million Filipinos or 56 percent of the population, were already benefitting from PhilHealth. The new service aims to extend coverage to as high as 87 percent, or another five million families or 25 million Filipinos, Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit said.

All those covered by Philhealth will receive free or subsidized hospitalization, depending on the size of the bill. This includes payments for room, doctors, medicine, laboratory fees and surgery.

Funding for the expanded service of PhilHealth is P3 billion, half of it from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and the other half from the government, which is expanding its budgetary outlay for 2004.

Malacaņang today said that the charges filed against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on the treatment of former President Joseph Estrada are not only baseless but also downright ludicrous.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said in a radio interview this morning that there is nothing wrong with the policy of humane treatment given to a former President, saying it is within the bounds of law.

"I do not think the President should be held accountable, kung saka-sakaling merong (if ever there are) lapses on the ground. Ang sinabi ng ating Pangulo (What the President said) is just a general statement of policy," he stressed.

Bunye was reacting to reports that a militant group has included the President among those liable for allowing former President Estrada to allegedly stay at his resthouse, which is near his detention cell in Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal.

The Palace has denied any collusion with the Estrada camp which likewise denied that the deposed President was staying at the resthouse.

Bunye said that there is nothing wrong with the policy of humane treatment. "That is not outside the law. In my opinion, a statement of policy is very defensible," he said.

The Presidential Spokesman also thanked actor and presidential aspirant Fernando Poe Jr. for favoring the President on the issue. Poe was quoted to have said in a newspaper article that he doesn’t think the Chief Executive could be sued for favoring Estrada.

In a related development, the President was glad that the opposition has finally bared its platform, although she said many of the items are already being implemented.

In a statement, the President said the important element in any campaign is the enrichment of ideas that will work towards the betterment of the average Filipino.

EXPO FILIPINO, Clark Special Economic Zone, Pampanga—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo underscored today the role of the barangay tanods in the peace and order efforts of the government, saying they would be given professional training to make them more effective in the fight against kidnapping, illegal drugs and terrorism.

Speaking at the regional convention of barangay officials, tanods and other force multipliers this morning, the President thanked and congratulated the more than 50,000 who attended the convention for their help in the successful campaign against criminality in the country.

"You are important to me, you are important to my presidency," the President stressed as she outlined the role of the tanods in the fight against crime.

As members of the peace and order council, the tanods, according to the President, helped rescue some kidnap victims and busted several kidnap-for-ransom syndicates, including the death of the country’s most wanted kidnapper Dr. Roberto Yap.

Tanods and barangay officials were also a big help, she said, in the busting of several shabu laboratories and their operators as well as in the anti-terrorism drive of the government.

She took note of the role of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) of Region 3, particularly in the recent arrest of a suspected Abu Sayyaf member found in possession of deadly explosives enough to blow up a whole building.

The President also congratulated the Northern Luzon Command under Gen. Romeo Dominguez, Gov. Tomas Joson of Nueva Ecija, and other members of the Region 3 RPOC, including the barangay security guards for their help in the fight against kidnapping, illegal drugs and terrorism.

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today announced that the government would allow the duty-free importation of pork and hog feeds to arrest the current high prices of pork in the market.

"The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has decided to recommend the duty-free importation of hog meat, soybean and corn," the President said.

The President made the announcement at the Central Luzon Development Summit on the Global Gateways, which opened today at the Holiday Inn Resort here.

The President said that Trade and Industry Secretary Cesar Purisima arrived late at the summit here because of a meeting in Manila on the tarriff and other related matters.

In an interview, Purisima said that upon the recommendation of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the government would allow the zero tariff importation of an initial 5,000 metric tons (MTs) of pork, 350,000 MTs of corn, and an unlimited volume of soya beans for six months.

Purisima said the importation would start upon the signing of an executive order and its publication.

The President said she would sign the EO as soon as she receives the recommendation.

Purisima said this could be next week or during the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

He said the importation is intended "to reduce the pressure on the price of pork" even as he appealed to the public to eat chicken since the country is still bird flu-free.

"The reason the price of pork is high is because of the demand shift from chicken to pork," he said, adding that 30 percent of chicken demand has shifted to pork due to the bird flu scare.

Purisima said the country consumes some 500,000 MTs of pork per year.

He said the importation would likely come from the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, the governors of the seven Central Luzon provinces have committed their all-out support for the maximum development of the Subic Bay Freeport, the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport here, and the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Toll Road.

This commitment was contained in a joint resolution that the governors of Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales presented at the summit.

Responding to the directive of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the Government Service Insurance Corporation (GSIS) has agreed to make available a P15 billion Supplementary Loan Facility which would alleviate the financial burden of government employes.

Presidential Chief of Staff Rigoberto Tiglao, in a press briefing this afternoon, announced the availability of the new loan program following a luncheon meeting in Malacanang with the GSIS board of trustees.

The new loan scheme would allow all active GSIS members who have rendered at least 36 months of government service to borrow the equivalent of a one-month basic salary under the supplementary loan facility.

Government employees who have worked less than 36 months are also qualified to avail under the adjusted loan scheme by having a co-maker whose service in government completed the necessary 36 months requirement.

The President had earlier ordered the GSIS to immediately address the concerns of government employees anent their financial difficulties.

"The GSIS board has responded to the President’s instructions and approved some new policies including a very important program that is called supplementary loan facility," Tiglao said.

He noted, however, that while the supplementary loan facility had been approved, the GSIS would still continue with its computerization program in order to reconcile the records of its one million members and to speed-up the processing of their loan applications and complaints.

He said that the President’s economic advisers believe the new P15 billion GSIS loan program would be a good stimulus to the economy, especially this coming graduation season.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today cited Nueva Ecija Gov. Tomas Joson III, for setting the pace in government-civilian cooperation in peacekeeping and law enforcement in his capacity as chairman of the Regional Peace and Order Council of Central Luzon or Region 3.

Addressing some 50,000 delegates to the regional convention of barangay leaders, local government officials, policemen and civilian volunteers held at the sprawling Expo Filipino in Clark Field, Pampanga, the President said Joson has been conferred an award for his contribution to the maintenance of peace and order in the region.

The Chief Executive said Region 3 serves as a mirror of the peace and order situation nationwide.

"Kung ano ang katiwasayan at kapayapaan sa ating rehiyon, ganoon na rin ang buong Pilipinas (The prevailing peace and order situation in our region (Region 3) reflects that of the entire country)," Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo said.

The President specifically thanked Joson, a former avid supporter of her predecessor, former President Joseph Estrada, for endorsing her candidacy among the Nuevo Ecijanos. The governor led in a mass expression of support for Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo and her K-4 team in the May 10 elections.

"Siguro, maaasahan ko ang tulong ng taga-Nueva Ecija (Maybe, I can count on the help of the people from Nueva Ecija)," President Macapagal-Arroyo said in her speech.

The convention, dubbed "Pulisya at mga Barangay: Kapit-Bisig Para sa Kapayapaan Tungo sa Kaunlaran," was meant to recognize the role of barangay officials, local militias (barangay tanod), the police and civilian volunteers in peacekeeping and maintenance of law and order.

Joson also presented to the President a copy of the Barangay Peacekeeping Manual which may yet be reprinted for distribution to all barangay units nationwide.

Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo observed that although the convention organizers sent out invitations to only 35,000 participants, about 50,000 actually attended the gathering.