CHENGDU CITY, China (via PLDT) -- "We came not only for your delicious spicy food but also to build a warm relationship between our two economies and two people."

Thus President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo set the tone of her two-day visit to China in her informal talk with Mayor Ge Honglin of Chengdu – a "municipality" one-third the size of the Philippines -- before addressing the Chengdu Business Forum at the Jinjiang Hotel before noon Wednesday.

Warm, indeed, was the reception given the visiting Philippine leader who was met by Chengdu the lady Vice-Mayor Zhao Xiao Wei at the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport and a little boy with a bouquet of beautiful blooms.

At lunchtime, Sichuan, Chengdu’s mother province, feted the President with a 20-course banquet spread on a giant round table at the center of the hotel’s ground floor. Onstage, a 10-woman mini orchestra serenaded the President with Chinese ditties and the Philippines’ own Leron, Leron, Sinta. Young Chengdu artists spiced up the entertainment fare with a display of various native dances.

Before the luncheon, which was hosted by the Sichuan officialdom led by Governor Jiang Jufeng, the President addressed the Chengdu Business Forum at the Brocade City Room of the Jinjiang Hotel right beside the VIP Room where Chengdu officials gathered in full force to listen to her conversation with Chengdu Mayor Honglin.

At their meeting, Mayor Honglin proposed to the President that the Philippine government establish a consulate in Chengdu, to which she readily acceded.

At the Business Forum, she said that her Chengdu trip, the first by a Philippine President to the Chinese city, was a rare opportunity for her to meet and exchange views with top officials of the metropolis on various issues. "Open dialogue and trust between peoples and nations has never been more important than in today’s world," she said.

"We welcome this opportunity to communicate with the people of Sichuan province in order to help forge stronger ties," the President said, adding that Philippines-China relations are "at an all-time high, at a golden age."

She pointed out that Philippine relations with China are now "more confident, mature, and comprehensive. They are punctuated with substantial and important projects aimed at deepening exchanges in a number of areas, including economics, trade and investment, and even defense."

China is one of the Philippines top three trade partners.

The President cited four projects which she described as the "major landmarks" of Philippine-China relations. These are: 1) the Philippines-China Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Partnership Framework, 2) the Northrail from Manila "to my home province of Pampanga," 3) the National Broadband Network projects in the Philippines "which is a very important backbone of our telecommunications infrastructure," and (4) the continued regular exchanges of high-level visits between our two countries.

"We are delighted with China financing our Northrail and National Broadband Network projects," the President said, pointing out that "transport and communication infrastructure development is crucial to our economic development plan for our nation."

Sichuan’s New Hope group, which set up a $11-million feed factory along the MacArthur Highway in Pampanga three years ago, is set to expand its operations in the Philippines this year with an additional $7-million investment in new plants in San Simon, Pampanga, one in Isabela, and one each in the Visayas and Mindanao.

"We look forward to the day when Sichuan substantially raises the level of investments in the Philippines," the President said, as she invited both landlocked city and province to invest more in "our archipelago with beautiful beaches."

"Chengdu is an important market for fresh fruits, such as the famous Philippine mangoes, bananas, pineapples, and young coconut. Also for processed food such as dried fruits, nuts, fruit juices and puree, coconut products, canned fruit and frozen seafood like abalone," she said.

On bilateral economic and trade relations, the President said, "we hope that both the Philippines and Sichuan should push to further deepen existing cooperation between the two economies."

"We envision a day when Sichuanese and Filipinos are trading more with each other, investing more in each other, and visiting each other more," she said.

Laos Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh is arriving in Manila tonight (Thursday, June 7) for a three-day official visit which aims to further strengthen bilateral ties with the Philippines in the fields of economy, trade, culture, tourism and politics

Vice President Noli de Castro will welcome Bouphavanh at around 7:30 p.m. at the Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

It is the first official visit of Bouphavanh to the Philippines since being elected prime minister in June 2006.

Bouphavanh first visited the country when he attended the 12^th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit held in Cebu last January.

Bouphavanh will be received by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo tomorrow afternoon (Friday, June 8) in Malacaņang, where they will hold their expanded bilateral meeting.

The two leaders are also scheduled to witness the signing of a bilateral agreement on the promotion and protection of investments between Laos and the Philippines.

Born on June 3, 1954 in Ban Tao Poun, Muang Salavan, Salavan Province, Bouphavanh was officially elected Prime Minister of Laos by the National Assembly during a major government reshuffle on June 8, 2006.

He replaced Bounnhang Vorachith, who became vice president.

Bouphavanh had previously served as first deputy prime minister since Oct. 3, 2003. Prior to this, he was third deputy prime minister and was president of the State Planning Committee.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo arrived this afternoon from a successful six-day, three-country official and working visits to the Vatican City, Portugal and China to bolster the religious, cultural, diplomatic and economic relations between the Philippines and her host countries.

The President-chartered Philippine Airlines (PAL) Flight PR-001 touched down at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City at 2:30 p.m. After deplaning, she was escorted by Philippine Army commanding Gen. Romeo Tolentino during a pass-in-review of the troops.

After trooping the line, she was welcomed at the entrance of the Kalayaan Lounge of the 250^th Presidential Airlift Wing of Villamor Air Base by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, Manila International Airport Authority (NAIA) General Manager Alfonso Cusi and other government officials and well-wishers.

After the brief airport reception, the President boarded the presidential car for Malacaņang.

In Rome, the President had a private audience with Pope Benedict XVI at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City, where she also attended the canonization rites of Blessed Marie Eugene de Jesus Milleret, Karel Van Sint Andres Houben Szymon z Lipnicy and Georgio Preca.

In Lisbon, Portugal, she paid homage to Our Lady of Fatima and met with Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva and Prime Minister Jaime Gama on strengthening the historic ties between the Philippines and Portugal.

CHONGQING, China (via PLDT) – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Thursday expressed support for the proposed direct flights between Manila and Chongqing, the fastest-growing city in the world.

The President told the China (Chongqing)-Philippines Trade and Investment Forum at the Grand Ballroom of the Chongqing International Conference and Exhibition Center here: "We support the proposal for the establishment of direct flights between the Philippines and Chongqing."

Direct flights between Manila and Chongqing, China’s wartime capital, are expected to encourage people from this landlocked province along the mighty Yangtze River to visit the Philippines. Chongqing is 45 minutes away by air from Chengdu where the Philippines is to set up a consulate for central and western China.

A direct flight from Manila to Chongqing and vice-versa would take about three hours. "Chongqing and the Three Gorges are drawing visitors from around the world, including Filipinos. On the other hand, we hope tourists from Chongqing will also visit the Philippines," the President said.

"We are a nation composed of many islands with beautiful white beaches, something which Chongqing does not have because it is landlocked," she pointed out.

She added that as the only state-level municipality in central and western China, Chongqing is "an ideal city to develop the Philippines’ engagement with China’s ‘western development strategy.’"

"Its choice geographic location at the end node of the Yangtze inland waterway will quickly make it China’s economic center. It is the home of China’s primary inland waterway port," the President explained.

Once the Three Gorges Dam fills up in 2009, the Yangtze inland waterway will be able to accommodate ocean-going vessels as well. "I hope the Philippines can be here before that happens," she added.

Like in Chengdu, the President asked the Chongqians to reciprocate Philippine investments in their province. The Philippine-based Allied Bank has a branch in Chengdu—the Xinlian Shangye Bank at the Hilton Hotel here. Philippine shopping giant SM also plans to set up a branch here in addition to its two branches, one in Fujian and the other in Chengdu.

She said that in "return, we invite Chongqing investments in the Philippines," citing Zongche, a Chongqing company, as the "number one Chinese brand in the Philippine motorcycle market."

"We are glad to learn that they are now investing in nickel mining and speedboat manufacturing in the Philippines," she said.

The Chief Executive said that with "more opportunities for more engagement between our economies, together we could realize a truly closer economic partnership."

In response to the President’s call for closer trade and economic relations between the Philippines and Chongqing, City Mayor Wang Hongju agreed to lead a business, cultural, science and technology delegation to the Philippines next month.

The President said she has "given instructions to our ambassador to China that she should prepare a good program for the (Chongqian) delegation."    

Held at the city’s flashy exhibition center, the business forum was organized by the Chongqing Sub-Council of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the China Chamber of International Commerce, and the Chongqing Chamber of Commerce.

"Our government has taken the difficult decisions to raise the additional revenues needed to invest in infrastructure and services to create an economic environment that is conducive to investment," she related.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo congratulated today the House of Representatives for its glorious past and being a legislature that has served as the collective voice of the people for the past 100 years.

The President made the statement in her speech at the special plenary session marking the centennial celebration of the legislature at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City this afternoon.

"One hundred years ago, the hope of a nation first took from the roots of freedom, liberty and equality. One hundred years later, it is racing to a horizon full of promise – the shaping of an environment that is conducive to wealth creation with the end goal of being First World in 20 years," the Chief Executive said.

"The sun never sets from the work of the President, nor of Congress, in the modern world. We all must do our part in honing the competitiveness of the nation. We must make sure we maintain the momentum. We’re totally focused on the economy because only a strong economy will let our people out of poverty and expand our middle class," she said.

In her speech, the President also cited the need to consolidate the nation in the post-election period.

"The campaign has had its contentious moments. But it’s time to be magnanimous, win or lose. The interest of the people dictates that we must close all chapters of strife and recrimination … and step up the contest of excellent in all fields, all for one and one for all," she stressed.

The President arrived at 5:00 p.m. at the Batasan Complex, two-and-a-half hours shortly after returning from China, the last leg of her hectic six-day foreign trips that also took her to Rome and Portugal to attract investments and showcase the Philippines' competitiveness and its skilled and educated workforce.

Among those present at the House centennial celebration were Parliament speakers from at least 10 other countries, Cabinet members, and members of the academe and the diplomatic corps.

The President thanked the House members, particularly those in the 13th Congress, for the passage of "painful and necessary steps" such as the Expanded Value-Added Tax (EVAT) Law, an economic breakthrough that resulted in the country's first budget surplus since the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

The President said these economic measures have now resulted to the strong showing of the peso and stock market, and the 6.9 percent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in the first quarter of the year, and

She added that the increase in the collection of taxes and other revenues has also resulted in more funds for the long-overdue investments in infrastructure, health care, and other social services.

The President said the overwhelming win of administration candidates in the local government level and the House of Representatives reflected the Filipino people's nod for the continuation of these reforms towards peace and prosperity.

"The overwhelming victory of our coalition in the House of Representatives and in the local governments is a continuing mandate of reforms, unity, more work and less politics," the President said.