The growing recognition among various sectors, domestically and internationally, of the legitimacy of the elections should encourage a faster count in Congress and temper the stonewalling of the opposition.

We are all for a fair, honest and transparent canvassing of votes and we must not test the impatience of the people to know the truth.

The opposition seems to be running out of dilatory tactics but it is free to exhaust all its legal options.

The people are fed up with destabilization and coup rumors.

Any moves to grab power will be rejected by the people and abhorred by the uniformed services.

CEBU CITY – Mayor Tomas Osmeņa strongly believes President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will be proclaimed by June 30 despite attempts by the opposition to delay the official tabulation of the certificates of canvass (COCs) in Congress.

The Mayor said he does not mind where the President will give her inaugural address as but expressed confidence that she will plane in here on the same day after taking her oath in Manila to deliver the same speech in Cebuano.

After the May 10 elections when it became evident the President would win the election, there were already speculations she would probably have her inaugural in this capital city of the province that gave her 1.185 million votes based on the unofficial count of the National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) and the certificates of canvass (COCs) tabulated for the senatorial votes.

Osmena’s declaration came even as Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan para sa Kinabukasan (K-4) media bureau chief Cerge M. Remonde said the President does not want to talk about the oath-taking as Congress has yet to proclaim the winners in the presidential and vice presidential elections.

Remonde said the President went to Cebu on a "spiritual retreat" and to thank the Cebuanos for their support, and not to prepare for her oath-taking following recommendations from administration supporters for the ceremony to be held either in Cebu City or Iloilo City.

Once the President is proclaimed by Congress as the winner of the presidential election, she will definitely hold her inaugural ball here, Osmeņa said in an interview with Malacaņang reporters here while waiting for the President to arrive for breakfast with his family, relatives and selected friends and businessmen.

He said they want a street party type of celebration to be held at the Fuente Osmeņa Blvd. so that everybody will enjoy and witness the start of the President’s new term rather than the traditional ball.

Osmeņa said that they could easily gather some 60,000 Cebuanos to join the street party.

The street party concept is something everybody will enjoy like the last time when the city made it to the Guinness Book of Records for staging the longest barbecue in the world, Osmeņa said.

Osmeņa assured Cebuanos and those who would go to this city to witness the street party that it would be on the same scale as the Independence Day celebration they are preparing.

Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita has lauded former President Joseph Estrada for his timely call for calm and sobriety as Congress starts to canvass the votes for president and vice president in the May 10 elections.

"The former president displayed an exceptional act of statesmanship when he issued a timely appeal for everybody to keep calm and allow the democratic processes to take the natural course in resolving the remaining issues related to the just-concluded national election," Ermita said in a statement.

Being a former president, Ermita said, Estrada’s words of wisdom would add to the enlightenment of the public and the political leaders from both sides "and bring back our true deportment as a people and one nation."

"From one who has a full discernment of when and how tensions can be defused, his (Estrada’s) entreaty strikes a very comforting tone to those from all sides of the political fence and those whose conduct should distinctively be beyond the passions of politics," Ermita said.

Last May 30, Estrada called on Congress leaders to expedite the canvassing of votes and urged all political leaders to allow the canvassing to take its course.

Estrada said the completion of the canvassing, and the proclamation of the president and vice president "should be the first step towards our much-desired national healing" and the appropriate time for the country’s leaders "to pull together and water down the anguish that is immobilizing our economy and dividing our nation."

"To those who are with us in steering the country’s stability to the right track, we are encouraged to find an authentic ally in the former Commander in Chief in our struggle for lasting peace and unity," Ermita said.

Malacaņang today welcomed the proclamation of Sen. Rodolfo Biazon as the 12^th senator-elect in the May 10 elections over fellow Koalisyon ng Katapatan at Karanasan para sa Kinabukasan (K4) candidate Sen. Robert Barbers.

In a press briefing this afternoon at the Palace, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye extended the congratulatory message of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to Biazon after his proclamation by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

"We would like to congratulate Senator Biazon for having been officially proclaimed the No.12 senator," Bunye said. "The candidates of K4 fought hard and fought well. We would have wanted to have more candidates included in the top 12. Congratulations to Senator Biazon."

In the same briefing, Housing Secretary Michael Defensor confirmed the possibility of giving a Cabinet position to outgoing Sen. Barbers.

He noted that although Barbers failed make it to in the Magic 12, the legislator was a big help to the ruling administration coalition and can still be a big help to the government.

Malacaņang today allayed fears of possible financial dislocation among state workers who would be affected by the projected rationalization of the bureaucracy.

In his regular press briefing in Malacaņang, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye gave assurance that government workers who might be eased out due to the rationalization program would receive their full compensatory benefits.

"I believe this will be a win-win situation; the employees involved will get full benefits," Bunye said.

Civil Service Commission Chief Karina David earlier revealed that the 1.4-million strong government workforce would be trimmed down by about 30 percent —roughly 420,000 employees—as an offshoot of the streamlining process to be implemented over a five-year period.

David said about 10 percent would initially be affected by the "re-engineering" process.

"We would like to make it (government service) more efficient, but at the same time, we would like to make it clear that all the legal benefits due the (affected) employees would be given," Bunye said.

"I believe there is even a premium for those who would be availing of this program," he added.

Bunye indicated that the scheme would be carried out on a "voluntary arrangement." "This will be early retirement," he said.