The government welcomes the statement of our most revered Catholic Bishops, especially their call for concerted efforts by the Church, the State and the people to make the elections as clean, honest and peaceful as possible.

In a statement this afternoon, Cabinet Secretary Ricardo Saludo said the "administration of President Macapagal-Arroyo is also keen to elaborate with clergy and Catholic communities at all levels in addressing problems of governance and development."

"This is in line with the President’s constant exhortation for national unity and social payback, to share our economic and fiscal gains with all Filipinos," Saludo added.

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DAVOS, Switzerland (Via PLDT) – After gathering together some of the biggest names in the corporate world in what has been talked about as the most high-powered dinner meetings on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) here, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo wrapped up her brief stay in this Swiss mountain resort Saturday buoyed by encouraging prospects for increased investments the Philippines resulting from her meetings with top businessmen.

A major group of European companies expressed its desire to invest in the Philippines "in a big way," while the biggest business outsourcing firm in the country plans to further expand its operations in the provinces.

Similarly, the Philippines No. 1 exporter of computer chips has expressed continued confidence in the country.

"Overall, it was very encouraging. They asked about the policies, business climate, and so on," the President said, noting the enthusiastic response of the business leaders to her call for investors to take advantage of the imminent economic takeoff of the Philippines.

At the President’s first individual meeting at the Arabella Sheraton hotel Saturday, Prakash P. Hinduja, the chairman of both the Europe-based Hinduja Group and the AMAS Bank of Switzerland, informed her of their plans to invest in the Philippines, either in agricultural transportation, logistics, or business outsourcing as well as the deregulated industries sector such as oil.

"They really wanted to go to the Philippines in a big way," the President said during a plane interview on her way back to Manila. "We’ll definitely be hearing from them soon."

Hinduja, whose son runs the CQ business in the Philippines, told the President he likes the investment climate in the country and is upbeat on the economy.

The President’s second individual meeting was with Kenneth Tucman, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Teletech, who expressed his desire to expand his company’s operations in the provinces.

The Chief Executive recommended Valencia town near Dumaguete in Negros Oriental for Teletech’s expansion plans "to take advantage of the power subsidy given by the local government there."

Aside from operating the biggest call center in the country, Teletech is also into tourism and related businesses.

The President’s final engagement here was a meeting with Craig R. Barrett, chairman and CEO of Intel Corp., the Philippines No. 1 exporter of micro chips, who likewise expressed his firm’s continued confidence in her economic reforms.

During the dinner with a select group of CEOs worldwide at the Hotel Belvedere Friday, the President welcomed the confidence and optimism shared by the business leaders who took note of the reforms she has implemented in the economic front.

Among the dinner guests were Wiliam Rhodes of Citibank N.A.; Kakutaro Kitashiro of IBM Japan, Neville Isdell of Coca-Cola, Kevan Watts of Merryll Lynch, Martin Sullivan of AIG, Jim Goodnight of SAS, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe of Nesltle, S.A., and Prof. Michael Porter of Harvard Business School.

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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo returned this afternoon from Switzerland where she attended the World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos, capping three days of whirlwind meetings with leading world political and business leaders spotlighting on the bright opportunities awaiting investors in the Philippines, the role of the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) in regional and international affairs, and the Philippines’ success in the fight against terrorism.

The President’s chartered Philippine Airlines Flight PR 001 landed at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City at exactly 4:30 p.m.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. welcomed the President and her official delegation back home.

After the President deplaned, she trooped the line for a pass-in review of the military contingent who accorded her arrival honors.

From the tarmac, she proceeded to the conference room of the 250^th Presidential Airlift Wing of the Villamor Air Base for a closed door meeting with Esperon and other military brass.

The President left for the WEF meeting four days ago amid the euphoria over the confirmation of the death of elusive Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy Janjalani, and only last week, the killing of Abu Sulaiman, Janjalani’s likely successor.

Sulaiman, one of the key planners of the May 27, 2001 abduction of 20 persons, mostly foreigners, at Palawan’s Dos Palmas resort, was killed in an encounter with the military in Sulu.

No less than US President George W. Bush cited President Arroyo’s "fantastic leadership" in breaking the back of the notorious Abu Sayyaf, the terrorist group with links to the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah.

Bush phoned the President from Washington yesterday and congratulated and thanked her for her "strong support in the global war against terror," according to Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye.

At the WEF forum yesterday focusing on "ASEAN’s 40 years – A New Future," the President said heads of state of the 10-member regional grouping have unanimously endorsed a blueprint for an ASEAN Charter.

The President, chair of the regional bloc, said, "An ASEAN Charter will help achieve ‘One Vision, One Identity, One Community,’ and hopefully, someday, ‘One Union for ASEAN. It will achieve this by providing an enhanced institutional framework as well as conferring a legal personality on ASEAN."

Also participating in the forum were Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Jusuf Wanandi of Indonesia.

The proposed regional charter was drafted by ASEAN’s Eminent Persons Group (EPG) in the run-up to the 12^th ASEAN Summit in Cebu on Jan. 10-14.

The ASEAN member countries are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

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