Meeting with the Filipino community in Malaysia at the Saloma Theater and Restaurant here Sunday evening, the President said OFWs are "heroes of the new millennium" whose dollar remittances have helped stabilize the Philippine economy.

"That is why the peso is now the strongest currency in Asia and even in the world," the President said.

She also cited The Outstanding Filipinos and Groups in Malaysia (TOFIM) for their efforts to improve the lives of their fellow countrymen and themselves and for bringing to fore the well-known Filipino traits of "pakikisama" while in Malaysia.

Among those cited as outstanding were Dr. Becky Leogardo, Chenina Chacko, Marilyn de la Rama, Aileen Carumba, Jusstine Bernales, Juliet Chin, Katrina Karim, Maria Allgeier, Ma. Soledad Solleza, Luis Encarnacion, Cora Cross Datin Grace Liao, Marilou Chin, Juvy Ranjit, Norshiah Abdullah, and Vicente Moran.

The groups cited were the Filipino Bowlers Association of Malaysia (FBAM), St. John Tahanang Filipino Ministry, the Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC) and the Penang Support Group (PSG).

Archbishop Murphy Pakiam of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, Bro. Anthony Rogers and Datuk Lim Sun Hoe were the non-Filipinos cited by the President for the strong positive impact they made on the lives of Filipinos in Malaysia.

They were cited for excellence in the field of business, entrepreneurship, community leadership and domestic services.

The Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur reported that as of June 2005, there were 229,674 Filipinos in Malaysia, about 106,000 of whom are undocumented.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (via PLDT) -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo commended today the members of the Consultative Commission (Con-Com) "for their dedication and perseverance in crafting a framework for the Charter change debate."

The President made the commendation as the Con-Com is set to wrap up its discussions on possible amendments to the Constitution which it will submit to Malacanang for possible ratification by Congress.

"I would like to commend all the members of the Consultative Commission for their dedication and perseverance in crafting a framework for the Charter change debate," the President said in statement released by Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye.

"The commissioners have done a worthy job for our people, in whose hands lie the final options for national change and renewal," she said.

The President arrived here Sunday (Dec. 11) to attend the 11th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, East Asia Summit and other Summits from Dec. 11 to 14, 2005.

She said ASEAN showcases a "dynamic world of close regional integration alongside keen competition" and that it is imperative that the Philippines is not left behind.

"We should not be left behind. We should continue to keep our eyes on being number one where we have the human and material potentials, and the constitutional reform will take us a step further to this goal," the President said.

"Now that the commission has laid a clear roadmap, it is now up for our legislators to do the rest in a bold, decisive sweep of fundamental reforms," she added.

The Con-Com was created under Executive Order 453, which was released by the Palace last Aug. 21, 2005.

Under the EO, the commission will be composed of not more than 50 members representing the national, regional and sectoral constituencies who shall be appointed by the President.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (via PLDT) – Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye branded today as unfortunate the delay in the passage of the anti-terror bill in Congress, saying Malacanang would still push for the implementation of what he called a very important piece of legislature.

In a press briefing at the Crown Plaza here, Bunye underscored the importance of the anti-terror law which aims to give more "teeth" to law enforcement agencies in going after known terrorists and preventing terrorist attacks.

"We believe that the anti-terror bill is a very important measure for us to be able to act proactively in dealing with any (terrorist) threats," Bunye said as he rued the spectre of an unpassed terror bill by the end of the year.

Bunye, who is here as part of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s entourage in the 11^th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, vowed to remind the lawmakers back home that the implementation of the crucial law would be beneficial for the continued progress of the Philippines.

"This delay is unfortunate but we will continue reminding our friends in the legislature to act on this very important measure," he said.

The anti-terror proposal has been pending since the 12th Congress despite Malacanang’s strong push for the approval of the measure and warning that the "threat of terrorism does not sleep."

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (via PLDT) -- Malacaņang dismissed today as mere rumors reports that a coup d'etat was being planned to oust President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from power.

"Usap-usapan lang ang mga ito (These are only rumors)," Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye said in a press briefing with members of the Philippine media delegation at the Crown Plaza Hotel here.

Bunye said that the mere fact that the President is in Malaysia shows that she is confident that the security situation in the country is stable and that the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are well-equipped to maintain peace.

"The fact that the President is here in Kuala Lumpur to attend the 11th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit shows that the President is confident that the (peace and order) situation (in the Philippines) is under control," Bunye said.

Reports of alleged fresh destabilization threats floated when the President left for the Kuala Lumpur summit last Sunday. However, Bunye said Malacaņang was not aware of such threats and no specific information on this was submitted or forwarded to the President.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (via PLDT) – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo pursued four key concerns at the first plenary session today of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center (KLCC) here.

The four key concerns are energy independence, counter-terrorism, maritime security, and poverty alleviation in the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines – East Asian Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).

"With every visit, we admire Malaysia's achievements, pacing the progress of ASEAN as we have valiantly responded to key issues affecting the region, such as energy, counter-terrorism, marine security and BIMP-EAGA," President Arroyo told the ASEAN leaders.

In a briefing for Philippine media reporters covering the summit, Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye said the President urged the Energy Ministers of the ASEAN countries to discuss measures to secure a reliable energy supply that would last through the next three decades to help sustain the region’s economic growth.

Bunye said the President called on ASEAN members to increase their investments in energy infrastructures at the same time that she urged them to collaborate more closely among themselves in looking for and developing renewable energy sources.

President Arroyo, he added, likewise enjoined ASEAN’s partner countries --China, Japan and South Korea, sometimes referred to as the plus 3 (+3) countries, to pursue investments in this area.

On counter-terrorism, Bunye said the President had called on ASEAN leaders to take the fight against terrorism another step further by including broader inter-faith dialogue.

"The President said that this would foster tolerance and understanding and diffuse the climate of conflict among different parties. The President said that we need a broader front of regional security involving ASEAN, the United States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in counter-terrorism cooperation," he said.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, otherwise known as the "Shanghai Six" include China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

On maritime security, Bunye said President Arroyo stressed it has become imperative for ASEAN to take steps to stop piracy, armed robbery, arms smuggling and human trafficking along the region’s vulnerable sea lanes.

"These problems, she said threaten the growth of the region and disrupt the stability of commerce," Bunye said, adding that the President has reiterated her proposal for joint border patrols across common seas.

Regarding poverty alleviation, particularly in the BIMP-EAGA sub-region, Bunye said President Arroyo has called for greater efforts to address the issue, and even urged the Plus Three partner countries as well as other regional organizations to involve themselves through more investments and revival of the region as a premier tourism spot.

Bunye pointed out that President Arroyo had urged ASEAN leaders to "look towards the future" and imbibe within themselves a greater sense of community spirit "beyond our national interests" to forge a community that is caring, uplifting and sharing the desired quality of life for peoples in ASEAN.

Malaysia plays host to this year’s ASEAN Summit which brings together leaders from the regional group’s 10 member countries -- Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.