DUMAGUETE CITY – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo last night said that the implementation of the final peace agreement with the Revolutionary Proletariat Army (RPA) in this province is proceeding on schedule.

She told newsmen at the baywalk of Dumaguete City port that the government has identified 23 RPA-infested barangays in eight towns of Negros Oriental that would be provided with government assistance in compliance with the terms of the final peace agreement.

"We counted about 23 barangays in eight towns as the subject matter of this peace agreement, but we will start with eight barangays in three towns," the President said.

She added that a minimum basic need (MBN) survey and assessment of the areas covered by the peace accord was necessary "to know exactly what things they need most given our limited budget."

Informed by Negros Oriental Governor George Arnaiz that an MBN survey was conducted in the three towns in 1998, the President asked for a copy of the survey result.

Fifteen top leaders of Christian churches and organizations nationwide today rallied behind President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s "efforts to fulfill the long-time dreams of our people for prosperous and peaceful lives" in the face of sinister plots by "enemies of the state" to create disorder.

Saying they "recognize the urgent times our country is facing today," the church leaders added that they are "keenly aware that the enemies of the state are capitalizing on our critical situation to pursue their dark agenda against the government."

The church leaders said they "believe God has a beautiful destiny for the Philippines and we cannot allow sinister elements to further create disorder, divide our people, destroy our sound foundations and trample on our future."

Likewise, the church leaders called on the President to "address with stronger moral and political resolve the issues of graft and corruption and poverty that have plagued our country for so long."

They said they believed that the "ongoing investigations over alleged corruption in the military and other agencies are part of God’s program to cleanse the government and prepare our nation for a great turnaround in the near future."

The church leaders said they have formed Transformation Philippines, a nationwide prayer network and advocacy group dedicated to attaining the "vision of a nation where righteousness is our main way of life, where public justice strengthens our core values, economic sufficiency empowers our citizenry and where social peace creates harmony even in our diversity."

The 15 church leaders’ commitment of support to the President came a day after the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) issued a statement expressing its full backing of the government’s efforts to eradicate corruption.

"We Christians of the evangelical sector support the fully constituted government and we continue to pray for its success as the Bible instructs us to do," PCEC said.

"We should support the government’s effort against corruption including the lifestyle audit that we trust would lead us to justice and punitive action. We support the salary caps and realignment of the compensation packages for government owned and controlled corporations," PCEC added.

Leaders of Transformation Philippines who signed the commitment of support for the President were Bishop Fred Magbanua, chair/president, Jesus Our Life Foundation; Dr. Dave Sobrepena, co-chair/general superintendent, Assemblies of God; Bishop Efraim Tendero, vice-chair/national director, Philippines Council of Evangelical Churches; Cesar Guy, treasurer/president, Prison Fellowship; Bishop Cesar Punzalan, secretary, Baptist Conference of the Philippines; Dr. Felipe Perez, Jr., trustee/president, Church of the Foursquare Gospel in the Philippines;

DUMAGUETE CITY -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo last night reduced by half the wharfage fee being collected by the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and the Cebu Ports Authority (CPA) from vessels using the roll-on/roll-off (RO-RO) ferry service between this city and Santander town in Cebu province.

The President was informed that the PPA charged wharfage fee for the RO-RO ferry service here, while the CPA imposed its own wharfage fee on vessels using the RO-RO service in the Cebu port.

The President disclosed the wharfage fee cut to newsmen after her meeting with local and national officials at the Bethel Guest House here. The main topic of the meeting was Negros Oriental’s role in the Strong Republic Nautical Highway (SRNH) system.

The President has ordered the expansion of the RO-RO network to stimulate greater economic activity in the regions, create new markets and boost inter-island trade between north and south.

Among those present in the meeting were Negros Oriental Governor George Arnaiz, 3rd District Rep. Herminio Teves, Dumaguete City Mayor Agustin Perdices, Guihulngan Mayor Ernesto Reyes, Sibulan Mayor Antonio Renacio, Vallehermoso Mayor Juniper Villegas, Larena, Siquijor Mayor Gold Calibo, Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) president Rey David, and Land Bank president Gary Teves.

In the case of RO-RO vessels plying the Dumaguete City-Dapitan City in Zamboanga del Norte route, the President said passengers and cargo loaders, who have been complaining about high port charges can now heave a sigh of relief. She revealed that at least five investors have applied with the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) for a loan facility to operate their own RO-RO vessels and provide competition to the monopoly.

The President said representatives of the private sector present during the meeting have also shown interest in applying for a DBP loan to enable them to buy a vessel to ply the route between Guihulngan in Negros Oriental and Dumangay in Cebu province.

The President noted that while there are ports in the two towns, there are no RO-RO vessels plying the route between the two towns.

"We were happy that the private sector joined our meeting and they are going to probably file an application with DBP for a loan to buy a boat. And DBP is going to speed up its loan processing, which used to take up to nine months," the President said.

I am calling for closer multi-partisan unity in the face of the economic challenges facing our people, and I am glad that important segments of the opposition are taking a constructive view.

I appreciate the prompt actions being taken by the House in paving the way for our economic stability.

Our collective actions must now focus on the single and undistracted aim of clearing the way for new revenues to fuel the uplift of the poor.

As the President said, no plot will ever succeed under her watch.

The administration is pushing the threshold of change and reform in all levels and sectors and is not vulnerable to military adventurism.

The President holds the high moral ground and cannot be dislodged from it.

DUMAGUETE CITY -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today cited Negros Oriental’s child-friendly education programs that offer limitless opportunities to young people of a brighter future.

The President told some 5,000 pupils and students here they were lucky that aside from its outstanding child-friendly programs, Negros Oriental is also noted as a center of education.

The President was the special guest of the Provincial Children’s Congress at the Lamberto Macias Sports and Cultural Center at the capitol, this city. She received a rousing welcome upon her arrival at the sports center at 10:15 a.m.

Negros Oriental is one of the 20 pilot provinces and cities of the Child-Friendly Movement throughout the country.

The Provincial Children’s Congress highlights the celebration of Children’s Month in the province. The movement is part of the Fifth Country Programme for Children, a UNICEF-funded program promoting the rights of women and children.

The President reminded the youth that today also marks the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the Sisters of St. Paul in the country.

The President started her day by attending an 8:30 a.m. holy mass at the St. Paul University chapel.

The Sisters of St. Paul, which was founded in 1696 in Chartres, France by Fr. Louie Chauvet, came to the Philippines on Oct. 25, 1904 when a Chinese, an American, a Portuguese, and four French sisters arrived from Saigon.

Four days later on Oct. 29, 1904, the Sisters of St. Paul arrived in Dumaguete, where they built schools and hospitals.

To date, the Sisters of St. Paul have established 36 schools, 11 hospitals and diagnostic centers, and six pastoral centers in the country.

Malacaņang today said it is extending the hand of reconciliation to all parties, including those in the opposition, to be part of the covenant of national unity for the country to move faster towards national reconciliation.

In a press briefing this afternoon, Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye reiterated President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s call for all sectors to close ranks so that the country can solve its problems.

The President has earlier invited opposition Senator Edgardo Angara, along with his political party Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP), to join her in forging a covenant of national unity.

"That has been the aim of the President right from the start. She would like to have reconciliation with all parties of different beliefs. That would really be the ideal situation," Bunye said.

Bunye said that in her inaugural speech and in her subsequent speeches, the President has consistently extended her hand of reconciliation to various political parties in the country.

"I believe that it’s about time that we really close ranks so that we could address the principal problems of our country, and were glad that, at least from the reports that we have, the response to the invitation of the President has been very constructive," Bunye said.

District Port of Batangas (DBP) District Collector Napoleon Morales today reported to Malacanang a P13.290 billion Cumulative Actual Cash Collection (CACC), exceeding its target by 26.5 percent.

In a memorandum submitted to Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Morales stated that the Batangas CACC for the period from January 1 to September 30, 2004 has surpassed its target of P10.509 billion.

Morales expressed confidence that with the coming "BER" months, wherein the volume of imports increases, the Port of Batangas can reach its annual target not at the end of the year but on the 3^rd week of this month.

"DBP will continue to overshoot its remaining target for the months of October, November and December at P1.299 billion, P1.252 billion and P1.064 billion respectively," he added.

He also reported to Ermita the DBP’s projection of at least P3 billion surplus in its assigned internal annual target (IAT).