President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo led the Filipino people in congratulating today the country’s two newest boxing heroes – minimum weight Florante Condes and flyweight Nonito Donaire – who won world championships less than 24 hours apart over the weekend.

In a statement, the President hailed Condes and Donaire for exemplifying "the fighting spirit of the Filipino athlete."

"We salute their achievement and rejoice in their victory. These men, described in the press as underdogs, prove they belong to the league of champions," she said.

In Jakarta Saturday night, Condes carved out a split decision victory over Indonesia’s Muhammad Rachman to snatch the International Boxing Federation (IBF) mini-flyweight crown.

In Bridgepoft, Connecticut, the United States, Donaire scored a sensational fifth-round knockout win over previously unbeaten IBF and International Boxing Organization flyweight titlist Vic Darchinyan of Australia.

The victories of Condes and Donaire raised to 32 the number of Filipino world champions in boxing, including only those in the World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Association (WBA) and IBF.

"Like them, we shall never give up or give in until we emerge victories in the battle against poverty and terror," the President stressed, referring to her administration’s new economic policy strategy of "8 by ‘08" or achieving the eight blessings of a strong economy by 2008.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo pushed the green button this morning on the latest government project that now makes the location and contact numbers of government financing agencies just a text away.

Launched by the President at the Renaissance Hotel in Makati City was the "Micro Asenso!" Text Facility that shall henceforth make it easy for small and medium-sized businessmen to locate micro-financing centers right in their areas.

The message that was sent by the green-clad President with the push of the green button was the template message that the country’s more than 60,000 small entrepreneurs could text to Globe’s 2973 to get information on the P180-billion credit market available via the more than 3,000 micro-financing institutions (MFI) across the country.

To find an MFI in Metro Manila, the borrower types the following message: "MICRO [space] FIND [space] NAME OF CITY" and send to 2973.

To find an MFI in the provinces, micro entrepreneurs could text the following message, thus: "MICRO [space] FIND [space] NAME OF PROVINCE [comma] NAME OF TOWN" and send to 2973. Each text costs P2.50.

The President’s texted message located the MFI in Lubao, Pampanga – CB Pampanga in Barangay Sta. Cruz with telephone number (045) 971-7624.

Aside from CB Pampanga, the reply from Globe also pointed to PRBC along MacArthur Highway, San Fernando, Pampanga with telephone numbers (045) 860-1660 and (045) 963-0709.

Launching the administration project with the President – who was in a light green dress coat and open-toed green heels – were People’s Credit and Finance Corp. (PCFC) president Edgar Generoso and Globe Telecom president Gerardo Ablaza.

The PCFC is the government’s lead agency for micro finance services delivery, with the PCFC president also acting as the chair of the Micro Finance Program Committee (MFPC).

Also on hand to give an overview of the government lending project was Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Director General Cerge Remonde, the oversight officer for Micro, Small and Medium Entrepreneurship (MSME).

Ablaza said the "simple tool" should point micro entrepreneurs to the nearest micro-finance institution, adding that the Filipino entrepreneur "deserves all the help he could get."

He said the short-messaging system (SMS) facility and Globe’s alliance with project initiator MFPC – the aggrupation of government financing institutions (GFIs) – is "in line with the company’s thrust to support the growth of Filipino micro businesses and small and medium enterprises (SME) from all over the country."

The "Micro Asenso!" Text Facility is envisioned by the government to enhance and sustain public awareness on micro finance. It is an offshoot of the government’s earlier launching at mid-year last year of the "Go Negosyo" entrepreneurship program.

It also spinned off from the Oct. 6, 2006 National Competitiveness Summit in Malacaņang that hoped to provide effective financing access by developing a financial system that is "accessible, facilitative, and cost-effective for MSMEs… through active partnership and continuous commitment between government and the private sector."

Believing that knowledge is the greatest creator of wealth in the present global economy, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo vowed today to improve and modernize the country’s educational system before the end of her term in 2010.

In her remarks before the start of this afternoon’s roundtable discussion in Malacanang that focused on education for competitiveness, productivity and poverty alleviation, the President revealed that the government increased the budget allocation in education to P150 billion this year from P129 billion in 2006 in an effort to modernize the educational system.

"Mga kababayan, sa darating na State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) sa July 23 at sa susunod na tatlong taon, isang bagay ang bibigyan ng pansin at prayoridad, investment. Pamumuhunan hindi lamang para sa negosyo at imprastruktura kundi pamumuhunan sa taumbayan upang lalong makinabang ang mamamayan sa pagsigla ng ekonomiya," she said.

For the technical and vocational education, the President said that she has allotted P4 billion for student loans, business funded training, and expansion of State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) under the leadership of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

As a result of this, beneficiaries of student loans increased from 40,000 last year to 200,000 this year.

The President reported that in 2006, her administration had constructed 15,000 classrooms and implemented two shifts a day with a ratio of 50 grade school students in every classroom, except in some conflict areas.

"If someone knows of an elementary school with two shifts and yet there are more than 50 students per classroom in each shift, please let us know," she urged.

Since 2001, the government has hired more than 40,000 teachers and trained 200,000. In 2004, the DepEd also started its regional payroll system which processes salaries and retirement pays within 30 days.

The government, according to the Chief Executive, also procured 120 million textbooks and teachers manuals and was able to provide one textbook per grade school student for English, Filipino, Science, Mathematics and Social Studies subjects compared to one textbook for every five learners in the past.

To ensure the success of the program, the President instructed all government agencies and government financial institutions (GFIs) to support the educational upgrading project of the government.

We accept the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) recommendations regarding the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the constructive spirit it was given.

But the tenure of Comelec officials is provided for by the Constitution itself; for example, they are to serve for a specific period and cannot be removed except by impeachment.

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY- A draft agreement among peace workers and stakeholders in Mindanao on their commitment to battle terrorism in all fronts would be presented to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo when she graces Tuesday the two-day Mindanao Peace and Security Summit which started at the Pryce Hotel here today.

The summit was initiated by the President through the National Security Council (NSC) which has invited multisectoral groups in Mindanao, local government officials, the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Armed Forces of Philippines (AFP), ulamas, priests and even representatives of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), members of the academe and the President’s Cabinet who hold positions in the security cluster committee.

The peace summit was convened as the government sees the imperative need for a collaborative effort and inter-governmental cooperation with the private sector as a fundamental requisite for a successful campaign against the threat of terrorism.

During the summit, the participants will be divided into five workshop groups wherein their outputs will be presented in a plenary session to arrive at a consensus for presentation to the President.

The five groups with multisectoral representation will hold workshops on upholding human rights and the rule of law, promoting the culture of peace, denying support to terrorists, strengthening counter-terrorism drive, and enhancing crisis management mechanisms and institutions.

The President has defined the government's target in the next three years, which is for the AFP to give strategic defeat to insurgency and other rebel groups, modernize the military, advance the protection of human rights, a sustainable peace in Mindanao and expand alliances for regional and global security.

The President also signed Executive Order 546, stating the important role of local officials in preparing internal security plans in their localities and the making of PNP as co-equal partner in the effort of combating insurgencies and terrorism in the country