President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will inaugurate tomorrow (Monday) the country’s first National Reintegration Center for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Intramuros, Manila.

The President will lead the ribbon-cutting and unveiling ceremonies at the entrance of the National Reintegration Center at the ground floor of the Blas F. Ople Development Center in Intramuros.

She will be assisted by Labor and Employment Secretary Arturo Brion, Overseas Workers Welfare Administrator Marianito Roque, Philippine Overseas Employment Administrator Rosalinda Baldoz, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) Director General Augusto Syjuco Jr., Manila Mayor Jose Lito Atienza Jr., and International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director General Brunsen McKinley.

Secretary Brion said the reintegration center is a "one-stop center" of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) that will provide reintegration services for OFWs and their families.

Brion added that with the inauguration of the new facility, the President will affirm the distinction of the Philippines as the world’s number one source of productive overseas workers, along with "our determination to assist the OFWs and their families, facilitate brain gain instead of brain drain for the country, and mitigate if not totally eliminate the social costs of migration."

The Labor chief emphasized that in the historic occasion, the President will also affirm the strength of the international and local partnerships and linkages towards the productive management of the global migration phenomenon wherein the Philippines, as the world’s top migrant sending country, plays a global leadership role.

The National Reintegration Center is so far the biggest project the DOLE has undertaken for the OFWs under Secretary Brion’s term, and is intended to ensure that the Philippines will maintain its top-notch efforts in all aspects of migration, particularly in the protection of OFWs and in linking migration to national development.

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The National Government (NG), the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and all strategic partners in the search for lasting peace in Mindanao are doing everything to prevent an escalation of violence in the region, according to Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesperson Ignacio R. Bunye.

"The Government and the MILF ceasefire committees, with the help of the Malaysian-led IMT (International Monitoring Team), are actively performing their roles to de-escalate the violence in Mindanao and we are confident that all sides have the capability and the will to drive the normalization process," Bunye said in his column "View From the Palace" which comes out tomorrow (Monday).

Bunye had earlier issued a statement allaying fears that the four-year- old truce between the NG and the MILF may have suffered a setback after government forces clashed with MILF soldiers in Midsayap town in North Cotabato last Friday.

The clash resulted in the killing of a 60-year-old woman and the wounding of her 15-year-old grandson.

"Both the government and the MILF are one in resolving the latest hostilities in a calm, sober and just manner as we gear for the resumption of the peace talks," Bunye said in his weekly column.

He thanked all strategic partners of the government, "as well as the allies in the international community" for actively participating in helping preserve peace in Mindanao.

"More than anyone else, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo wants tranquility in the communities and the isolation of terror. She trusts all parties to be committed to the same goal," Bunye said.

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Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesperson Ignacio R. Bunye has underscored the importance of choosing the right candidates to vote for in the coming national and local elections this May so that the gains achieved by the country in the last six years will continue to be felt by the Filipino people.

In his weekly column "View from the Palace" that comes out tomorrow (Monday), Bunye said choosing the candidates who stand for "growing the economy" and not "those fixated with the battles of the past" will spell the difference if the country is to continue moving forward.

"It is an inescapable fact that our country is far better off economically and in a state of unprecedented progress as a result of this administration’s single-minded focus of growing the economy. The outcome of the May elections are therefore crucial if the nation is to continue moving forward," Bunye said.

"Our vote in May will determine whether we shall continue on this path or be led astray again by those fixated with the battles of the past. It is hard work and good governance that will transform this country from mediocrity to modernity, from poverty to progress, from a good place to the best place in Asia, if not the world," he added.

Bunye pointed out that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s economic reform program has resulted in a budget surplus, a stronger peso, more jobs and a better business climate which the Filipino people could take advantage of if they would choose the candidates who have their best interests in mind.

"Continuity is essential to keep the country moving and take advantage of the budget surplus, stronger peso, more jobs and a better business climate," Bunye stressed.

"Our economy should not be stalled by the partisanship and divisiveness that mark our elections. The President needs all the help she can get from a strong legislature and robust local government units to implement her "8 by ‘08" strategy, which involves concentrating on achieving the following eight blessings: job creation, better cost of living, a strong peso, more investments, pro-poor education, pro-poor healthcare, housing and food. We may also add to the ‘8 by ‘08’ a Green Philippines and more victories in the fight against terror," he added.

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