Matters taken up during the courtesy call of Admiral Timothy Keating, United States Pacific Command chief, on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo:

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo reaffirmed today the country’s commitment to its bilateral as well as multilateral obligations in addressing regional security threats.

The President made the assurance to US Pacific Command chief Admiral Timothy Keating who paid a courtesy call on her in Malacanang this morning.

In a statement, Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye said the President also thanked the United States for its participation in relief and rescue operations in the disasters that hit the country in the past.

She also welcomed the Philippine visit of the USS Peleleu, noting that the US ship was the second to arrive in the country on a mercy and goodwill mission.

Admiral Keating, who assumed the US PACOM post last March, was accompanied to Malacanang by US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney.

Before his assignment to the Hawaii-based US Pacific Command, Admiral Keating headed the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the US Northern Command.

The US PACOM chief arrived in the Philippines last Sunday to attend the RP-US Mutual Defense Board (MDB) and Security Engagement Board (SEB) meeting in Camp Aguinaldo.

The US and the Philippines co-chair the two boards under the two countries’ Mutual Defense Treaty of 1958.

From Malacanang, Admiral Keating was scheduled to proceed to Legazpi City to inspect a US-assisted humanitarian project before flying to Japan later today.

The RP-US MDB and the RP-US SEB are co-chaired by the commander of the US PACOM and the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

The two boards were created to enhance the bilateral relations between the Philippines and the US through various activities such as combined military exercises, MDB/SEB meetings, exercise-related construction activities, exchanges and VIP visits, security assistance activities, civic action projects, conferences, workshops and ship visits.

The two boards hold an en banc meeting once a year to go over the program of activities for the succeeding year.

Also with Keating and Kenney were Maj. Jay Copher, Philippine desk officer of the US PACOM; Capt. Greg Nosal, the admiral’s executive assistant; and Paul Jones, deputy US ambassador to the Philippines.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was assured today by the Department of Agriculture that two to three million "poorest of the poor" around the country will have access to food products sold at lower than market prices by the end of next month.

DA Secretary Arthur Yap told the Chief Executive that this will happen upon the completion by the end of July of a total of 22 Barangay Food Terminals (BFTs), a pet project of the President.

The President was briefed on the status of the BFT project during her visit to a Quezon City barangay this morning.

She motored from Malacaņang to Doņa Juana Rodriguez Street, Barangay Kristong Hari in Quezon City where the DA had just put up its 14^th BFT in the country.

Upon her arrival, the President was met by DA Secretary Arthur Yap, QC Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr., Barangay Kristong Hari Chairman Narciso Cuntapay and residents of the area who came out in droves to meet her.

This was the first public appearance of the President after arriving last night from successful state visits to Singapore and Equatorial Guinea in West Africa and her sixth visit to Metro Manila barangays after her trips to the Vatican, Portugal and China earlier this month.

At present, there are 14 operational BFTs servicing some 1.5 million Filipinos around the country, the DA chief said.

He added that with the completion of the 22 BFTs, two to three million Filipinos will be able to avail themselves of food products at lower than market prices.

He said the BFT in Barangay Kristong Hari is servicing at least 5,813 families in Barangays Kristong Hari, Kaunlaran and Roces.

Yap also presented to the President and everyone present the food items that could be bought from the BFT at lower than market prices.

Yap said the reason why prices of BFT food commodities are lower than market prices is because they remove the so-called "middle men" in the food distribution process.

He added that the DA's assistance in providing cold storage facilities such as cold storage delivery trucks and chest freezers have helped in allowing BFTs to lower the prices of goods sold in their establishment.

Elizabeth Laureano, a resident of Hemady Street and a patron of the Kristong Hari BFT, could not stop giving profuse thanks to the President for her "wonderful" project which has greatly helped her in budgeting her family's daily, weekly and even monthly expenditures.

Arlene Salvador, a resident of Barangay Sikatuna near the University of the Philippines in Diliman, buys the food requirements of her family at the Kristong Hari BFT and has nothing but praises for the project.

She said that whenever she brings her son to a nearby school in the area, she makes it a point to purchase food items to bring home to her family.