The President has already directed the DFA and the Iraq Team headed by Ambassador Roy Cimatu to coordinate and work closely with private firms in Iraq to desist from deploying Filipino workers in danger-prone areas.

The President would like security measures to be strictly implemented so that Rodrigo Reyes is our first and last casualty.

The President’s policy has always been maximum tolerance under the rule of law.

We acknowledge protest actions as a traditional part of Labor Day and we would like to call on the leaders and organizers of the rallies to police their own ranks in order to prevent the outbreak of violence.

We are confident that the security measures being implemented by the AFP and PNP will reduce cases of election-related violence.

We are calling on all voters to be vigilant and cooperative with the authorities to help the government to protect their democratic rights.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo topped the mock elections conducted Friday night by the National Press Club of the Philippines (NPC).

Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo, presidential candidate of the Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan para sa Kinabukasan (K-4) in the May 10 elections, garnered 30 of the 95 votes, or 32 percent, cast by editors, reporters and photographers.

Actor Fernando Poe Jr., presidential bet of the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP), emerged second with 20 votes, or 21 percent. Close behind was Senator Panfilo Lacson, an independent, who obtained 19 votes or 20 percent.

Bro. Eddie Villanueva of Bangon Pilipino got 15 votes (16 percent), former Senator and Education Secretary Raul Roco, 7 votes (7 percent), and Eddie Gil, 1 vote (1 percent).

In the vice presidential race, KNP candidate Senator Loren Legarda obtained 41 votes (43 percent) to K-4 bet Senator Noli de Castro’s 26 votes (27 percent). Herminio Aquino, Roco’s running mate under Alyansa ng Pag-Asa, had 8 votes (8 percent).

NPC President Antonio A. Antonio said that the mock poll was conducted to feel the pulse of news practitioners on the coming elections.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo topped another survey, this time conducted nationwide by the Manila Broadcasting Company (DZRH) from April 24-27.

The President, candidate of the Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan (K-4), garnered 31.58 percent of the votes from 9,065 respondents from all over the country affirming her leads in the last three polls held by Pulse Asia, Social Weather Stations (SWS) and NFO Trends, the last being the outfit that conducts the interviews for the surveys of Pulse Asia and SWS.

Movie actor Fernando Poe, Jr. of Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) came second with 27.76 percent followed by Alyansa ng Pag-asa bet former education secretary Raul Roco (18.22), Sen. Panfilo Lacson (13.81) and Bro. Eddie Villanueva (6.63). The disqualified Eddie Gil got .025 percent with 1.74 percent undecided.

The President’s running mate, Sen. Noli "Kabayan" de Castro, got 47.83% to Sen. Loren Legarda’s 41.53 percent. Herminio Aquino had 4.40 percent, with 6.23 undecided.

On another front, the President also topped the mock elections held Friday night by the National Press Club (NPC) with 30 votes out of 95 cast or 32 percent.

Poe emerged second with 20 votes (21 percent) with Lacson getting 19 votes (20 percent). Bro. Villanueva had 15 (16 percent) and Roco seven (seven percent). The disqualified Gil managed one vote.

In the NPC survey, Legarda beat de Castro. She had 41 votes (43 percent) to de Castro’s 26 (27 percent). Aquino had eight votes (eight percent).

NPC President Antonio Antonio said the mock poll was conducted to feel the pulse of news practitioners in the coming elections.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today said that the time has come to increase the minimum wage of Filipino workers even if they are already recipients of the highest salary increase in Asia at 29 percent granted over the past three years.

In her Labor Day message, however, the President said that under the law, the decision to grant increases in the minimum wage is within the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards, which are authorized to hear, study, and come up with new wage orders.

The President expressed her gratitude to the Filipino workers, here and abroad, for striving to improve the living conditions of their families and for providing valuable assistance in the country’s economic development.

Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas of the Department of Labor and Employement (DOLE) praised in particular the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) whose remittances prop up the economy. "Sila ay kaagapay ng pamahalaan sa pagpapasigla ng ekonomiya (They are partners of the government in spurring economic growth)," she said in her message on OFWs’ Family Day, which coincides with Labor Day.

The messages of President Macapagal-Arroyo and Secretary Sto. Tomas were read today in all DOLE regional offices throughout the country.

Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo also noted that, under her administration, the number of workers and productivity rate have increased, while the occurrence of labor strikes has declined.

She stressed the importance of raising the productivity rate to promote the country’s competitiveness in the world as well as to further develop the economy.

The level of productivity increased last year, with the last quarter recording an increase of 27 percent compared to that of the same period in 2002, she said. This means that each worker has an average of P9,703 value of production in the fourth quarter of 2003 as against only a P9,677 average in the comparable three-month period.

Overall, she said that the number of employed people totaled 31.52 million in 2003, reflecting an increase of 4.2 percent over the previous year. Her administration created 3.1 million jobs in 2001-2003, she said.

During the three years of her presidency, Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo pointed out that an average of 39 strikes have occurred annually, the lowest on record in Philippine labor history.

The President attributed the improvement in productivity and in industrial peace to the cooperation between government and labor.

SAN PABLO CITY, Laguna—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo praised today the cooperation between the Church, civil society and government in improving the life of the people as she spent Labor Day distributing certificates of occupancy to 65 household beneficiaries in Gawad Kalinga Unityville I here.

CALAMBA CITY, LAGUNA—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo disclosed here today her plan of asking the next Congress to amend the existing law by creating an industry wage board to replace the present tripartite regional wage boards.

The President made the announcement during a Labor Day celebration at the Yazaki-Torres plant quadrangle here that was attended by some 25,000 workers representing the different industrial companies in the CALABARZON (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon) economic zone.

"In my next term, I will urge Congress to make amendments in the existing labor law by changing the current regional wage board into an industry wage board," the President Arroyo said, to the surprise even of Labor and Employment Secretary Patricia Sto.Tomas.

President Macapagal-Arroyo explained that the amendments would address the conflict in providing wage hikes to private workers because it needs an approval from the regional wage boards.

She believes that it would be more realistic for the industry-base wage board to decide on wage hike petitions coming from the labor sector.

Before delivering her Labor Day address, the President was endorsed by former Batangas Governor Joey Laurel, brother of the late former Vice President Salvador Laurel, in the coming May 10 elections.

The famous Laurel family paid tribute to President Arroyo when she was serenaded by Kokoy and Iwi Laurel, children of Celia Diaz-Laurel and the late former Vice President.

The Laurel matriarch, Celia Laurel, was also present.

As part of the Labor Day celebration, the President through PAG-IBIG President and Chief Executive Officer Atty. Romero Federico Quimbo also awarded five house and lots to lucky CALABARZON workers.

One of the lucky winners in the raffle draws, Christopher Gonzales of Tanauan, Batangas won a house and lot in Cabuyao, Laguna.

Among the industrial companies that were represented during the President’s Labor Day celebration were employees of Yazaki-Torres, Fujitsu, Amkor, PCIC, Mariwasa Tiles and Toto, Panasonic, YKK, Pacific Semi-Conductors, Samsung, Hitachi and other industrial companies inside the special Economic Processing Zone Authority (EPZA).

Workers from the big automotive plants in the CALABARZON, such as Ford, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota, and Honda were also present during the program.

The average agricultural minimum wage under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo increased by 20 percent to P238 from P199 during the time of former President Joseph Estrada while non-agricultural wage shot up by 29 percent to P271from only P210 three years ago.

No less than the President disclosed this today during a Labor Day speech at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, one of five venues nationwide where the event was celebrated.

The new minimum non-agricultural wage, according to the President, is still up by 11 percent net even if inflation is factored in.

"Ang isang dahilan kung bakit mas mabilis iyong 29 percent increase sa average minimum wage kaysa sa pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin ay dahil nakakabenta tayo ng murang bigas at isda para sa mahihirap (One of the reasons why the rate of the 29 percent increase is faster than the prices of commodities is because we were able to sell cheap rice and fish for the poor)," said the President who claimed that she is the only one who was not criticized for keeping the price of rice at the minimum.

She cited her late father, former President Diosdado Macapagal, for authoring the first minimum wage law as a Congressman and signed the second when he was already President.

"Kaya ako naniniwala sa minimum wage. Kaya naman iyong regional wage board ay inencourage ko na ipataas ng 29 percent ang suweldo ng manggagawa nitong aking administrasyon (That is why I believe in the minimum wage. And that is also the reason why I encouraged the 29 percent increase in the regional wage board under my term)," the President said.

She said that she would ask Congress in her next term to amend the regional wage board to industry wage board so that decision on whether to grant increases in minimum wage would be by industry, making it more realistic.

The President then reiterated her pledge to create one million jobs a year for the next six years if she would given a chance by the electorate in the May 10 polls.