In what could be her shortest Independence Day speech ever, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo vowed today to pursue her people-before-politics policy of governance and keep the country firmly on the path of economic reform and fiscal discipline.

In her 511-word speech heavily laced with prayer for peace and national unity, the President – dressed in a pretty cream barong pants ensemble – said her people-first administration policy would focus on a strategy that is "pro-growth, pro-trade (and) pro-investment."

"Inaasahan ng taumbayan ang katatagan sa pulitika at reporma sa ekonomiya. Inaasahang ituloy natin ang landas na inuuna ang taumbayan kaysa pulitika," the President said during the celebration of the 109^th anniversary of Philippine Independence at the Quirino Grandstand at the Rizal Park in Manila this morning.

Saying that Filipinos owe it to their ancestors to unite and strive harder to give everyone a comfortable life, the President said that "ang pagsulong ng ating ekonomiya, ang tuloy-tuloy nating pag-asenso, ito ang susi sa ganap nating kalayaan, ang pag-ahon ng mamamayan sa pang-aapi ng kahirapan – kaya ang tema ng ating pagdiriwang ay ‘Sama-sama Tayo Tungo sa Pag-asenso!’"

"Kung nakipaglaban noon ang ating mga bayani upang matamo ang kalayaan, nararapat lamang na ipagpatuloy natin ang kanilang dakilang layunin upang mapalaya ang sambayanan mula sa kahirapan…

"Kaya tutukoy tayo, ang ating administrasyon sa mga stratehiyang pro-growth, pro-trade at pro-investment na nakakatulong iahon ang ating taumbayan mula sa kahirapan…"

She stressed that "hindi lalago ang isang bansa kung hindi mamuhunan sa taumbayan at sa bansa. Ito ang tanging landas tungo sa prosperidad at pagligtas sa kahirapan."

To successfully protect the freedom that they have enjoyed since 1898, the President asked the Filipino people to join her in prayer to God to let peace and excellence reign in the land:

The President also implored the Almighty to look kindly on every government leader and servant: "Kahabagan Mo ang lahat ng mga namumuno at naglilingkod sa aming pamahalaan. Mahabag po Kayo sa mga namumuhunan, mga mangangalakal at, higit sa lahat, sa mga manggagawa..."

"Kahabagan Niyo po ang lahat ng mga maysakit, mga naghihikahos, ang mga natutukso, ang mga makasalanan – ang lahat po ng mga nangangailangan," she said.

She also thanked God for the country’s natural resources, and for the freedom that the Filipinos now enjoy, as she prayed for the Lord’s protection of the people against "sakuna, pagkaduhagi at digmaan."

"Ingatan Niyo po ang buhay ng mga pamilya sa aming bansa… Ingatan po Ninyo kami sa lahat ng kapahamakan, bagkos ay mamuhay kami at pumanaw sa buhay na ito ng kalugud-lugod sa Ama na nasa langit. Amen," the President said.

The President arrived at exactly 7 a.m. for the flag-raising ceremonies at the Rizal National Monument where she was given full military honors by a company of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) cadets.

She trooped the line escorted by Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr.. Two soldiers clad in Katipunero uniform later carried the wreath of white blooms which the President laid on a suspended platform at the foot of the Rizal Monument.

The bugle was then sounded, followed by the AFP Band’s rendition of the native ditty, "Dalagang Pilipina."

A helicopter rained down a conffetti of red and white rose petals on the Luneta during the 20-minute ceremony at the Rizal Monument.

The helicopter later dropped square-shaped pieces of blue, red and yellow-colored papers -- the color of the Philippine flag -- on the crowd during the Independence Day celebration at the Quirino Grandstand.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo underscored today the need to build and foster strong alliances on a bilateral and multilateral basis to ensure greater political, economic and military security.

The President led the diplomatic corps in a toast to the future of the Philippines and to international solidarity during the Vin D’ Honneur in celebration of the 109^th anniversary of Philippine Independence held at Malacanang’s Rizal Hall.

"It is now more important than ever to build alliances on a bilateral and multilateral basis to ensure greater political, economic and military security," she said.

She said the Philippines struggle today is to "build closer, principled and mutually rewarding engagement with other nations," a very different struggle from that of 109 years ago when Filipinos were fighting for freedom and independence from colonialism.

"With the help of sincere allies like you, we shall continue to break free from the shackles that pin us down---poverty, divisiveness, terrorism, despondency—until one day, perhaps twenty years from now, we shall join the ranks of the first world nations among you," the President said.

She pointed out that the Philippine economy is "strong and stable" following the implementation of tough economic and political reforms needed to generate more revenue and improve the government’s fiscal position.

"Our economy has reached a new level of maturity with some of the strongest macroeconomic fundamentals in a generation. The Philippines offers one of the best values and best places to invest in Asia," the President said.

She also vowed to work harder and remain focused "on pro-growth, pro-trade and pro-investment strategies" to attract more investments that would create new jobs for the Filipinos and thereby uplift people’s lives.

Saying that security is essential for the country to achieve economic prosperity, the President assured the diplomatic community that the security situation in the country has "improved substantially" both in the fight against domestic and regional terrorism.

She added that the peace process in Mindanao has achieved a milestone with a new paradigm for peace through the use of hard and soft power with the support of international organizations and nations, including the United States, Malaysia, Indonesia, European Union, the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), and lately, Sweden.

Archbishop Fernando Filoni, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines and dean of the diplomatic corps in the country, expressed the diplomatic community’s "felicitations and best wishes" to the President and to the Filipino people on the occasion of the country’s 109^th Independence Day celebration.

Noting the 6.9 percent growth in the economy, the strongest in 17 years, Archbishop Filoni expressed the confidence of the diplomatic community in the President’s ability to further grow the economy.

Filoni also pointed out that interfaith dialogue of which the President is a leading advocate, is very important in the resolution of religious and ethnic conflicts.