Public security and safety are priceless.

Every day’s delay in addressing these concerns gives time and space for terrorists to move around and ply their evil trade.

Our internal security is part of the competitiveness of our nation as vital as any political and socio-economic factors.

We remain confident that Congress will come out soon enough with a new VAT package that will put our fiscal house in order, drive investment confidence and serve the principle of equitability.

Malacaņang today expressed confidence Congress will eventually come up with an expanded VAT measure or related revenue legislation before its March 18 Lenten recess that will enable the national economy to take off in earnest towards recovery, attract more investments and generate more jobs.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, in a radio interview, said he is confident on the matter because the members of Congress realize the tight financial fix the government faces and they know what measures are necessary to address the problem.

"Any delay in the implementation of our tax reform measures will stretch the risks of our fiscal stability, which is inimical to the national interest, " Bunye, who is also the Presidential Spokesperson, said.

He said he is confident Congress will enact "one form of E-VAT or another" that would be for the best interest of the people and one " that will promote effective tax collection that will strengthen our fiscal condition and is pro-poor."

"We believe in the collective wisdom of our legislators and we are confident they will pass a version of the law that will be responsive to the fiscal requirements of the country, improve revenue collection and protect consumers," he added.

What is important, he stressed, is that the revenue target of P80 billion will be met so the fiscal condition of the country will finally improve.

The "sin tax" law passed recently that raised levies on tobacco and alcohol products and the Lateral Attrition law that provides incentives and sanctions depending on the performance of revenue officials and personnel are expected to generate about P25 billion.

Malacaņang today urged the Filipino people to consider the proposed national identification (ID) system in its objective and proper perspective and take it on the basis of what good it can do for them and their country.

To start with, Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye said, the proposed national ID system has the good intention of making things easier for Filipinos in both their government and private transactions, and in securing their welfare.

In a radio interview this morning, Bunye said the use of the identification system is now a worldwide practice and is already being implemented in more developed countries like the United States, United Kingdom and many other nations in Europe, and even in Asia.

On the expressed fear that the system will be intrusive into the private lives of people, Bunye pointed out that since the ID system was implemented in the United States and other countries which have adopted it, there have been no reports of human rights violations in connection with the ID system.

"What they are saying are their apprehensions which are more imagined than real. That’s why we also stress that based on experience since the ID system was implemented by certain countries, there are no reported cases, decided or otherwise, involving human rights violations" Bunye said.

The Press Secretary had earlier expressed confidence all legal barriers and related impediments to the implementation of the national ID system can be overcome.

"As the local governments take the initiative on this score, we can test the operational parameters of such a system in curbing crimes, as well as its faults. A people’s network against terror can only be made effective by a sound ID and monitoring system – based on the rule of law, free from abuse and fully protective of human rights," Bunye stressed.

In a related development, Communications Director Silvestre Afable, Jr. said Malacaņang has created a technical working group to study all aspects of the proposed national ID system.

The working group, which will be headed by Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, will fully consider the sentiments of the public, whether for or against the proposal, and lay down the groundwork for the ID system.

Former President Fidel V. Ramos today said that aside from the legacy of freedom, dignity and national pride, the February 22-25, 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution left to Filipinos, the event also served as a "one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to infuse our people with a new purpose and vision."

Speaking at the start of the four-day commemoration of the EDSA People Power 19^th Anniversary at the Libingan ng mga Bayani at Fort Bonifacio in Makati, Mr. Ramos said the vision focused on a free society where they can achieve spiritual well being and material prosperity, a place of respect in the community of nations.

"The vision we share was that of Jose Rizal who dreamed of a free, peaceful and prosperous Philippines" as expressed in the national hero’s 1982 feature essay, The Philippines, a Century Hence, the former President said.

Recalling the four heady days of February, 1986, Mr. Ramos said the Filipinos then were galvanized to direct action by the desire to establish a society that respects human dignity, to live in a land not torn apart by strife and at peace with itself, to have a representative government that is both effective and accountable, and enjoy life in a dynamic and prosperous economy.

Taking stock of where the Philippines stands today, he said Filipinos "have significantly advanced toward those ambitious goals," but progress is being pulled down by backsliding to the bad habits of the past.

"We are still victimized by the evils of special privileges, wasteful extravagance and elitist arrogance," he noted.

Ramos said it is fitting that the launch of the 19^th People Power Revolution anniversary was held at the Libingan ng mga Bayani because the commemoration should also honor soldiers, law enforcers and concerned citizens who fell in the fight against insurgency, separatism and the dictatorship.

He expressed the nation’s collective hope that Filipinos will learn the lessons of unity, solidarity and team work from both EDSA I and EDSA II. The latter took place in January 2001.

It may sound paradoxical, Mr. Ramos said, but more than others who yearn for peace, soldiers desire it even more because they know from first hand experience the cruelties of war and its hardships -- what it does not only to combatants but to their families too and ordinary civilians who are caught in its vortex.

"As an old soldier with 42 years in active service in uniform, and who had been privileged to be your President and Commander-in-Chief, so too am I an ardent advocate of peace," he added.

He said Filipinos can rightfully take pride in the fact that their People Power Revolution of February 1986 inspired and touched off similar uprisings for freedom and justice in many other parts of the world.

Metro Manila local executives and leaders of different sectors of the society have expressed their full support to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s continuing fight in curbing poverty and corruption.

The President was presented with a copy of the "EDSA Manifesto Against Corruption" during the Anti-Corruption Rally held this afternoon at the People Power Monument along E. delos Santos Ave., Quezon City in commemoration of EDSA I and EDSA II.

The Metro Manila mayors in attendance were Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte, Jr., Manila Mayor Jose Atienza, Jr., Caloocan City Mayor Enrico Echiverri and Paranaque City Mayor Florencio Bernabe, Jr.

Also leading their own delegations in the rally against corruption were Pampanga Governor Mark Lapid and Mandaluyong City Representative Benjamin Abalos, Jr.

There were around 15,000 people who joined the rally against corruption and poverty, a priority of the President included in her 10-point pro-poor legacy agenda.

According to Presidential Adviser for External Affairs Secretary Edgardo Pamintuan, majority of the Metro Manila mayors assured the President of their all-out support in curbing corruption in the government.

Among the sectors represented in the rally were from the labor, farmers, transportation, businessmen, entrepreneurs, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), anti-corruption groups, religious groups, government, professionals, Muslims and the minority groups.

The President led some children in releasing 1,000 balloons to symbolize the fight against corruption, the steady economic recovery of the country and in uplifting the lives of the ordinary Filipinos.

Other government officials present were Vice President Noli de Castro, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Interior Secretary Angelo Reyes, Education Secretary Florencio Abad and Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr.

Speaking at the 19^th anniversary celebration of the EDSA People Power revolution, the President said it is high time that Filipinos unite and put an end to the culture of corruption that hampers the country’s development.

"I will use the full powers of the presidency to prosecute illegal loggers, nullify transactions of the government tainted with corruption, and axe corrupt officials," the President said.

She said the triumph of the Edsa People Power revolution remains incomplete. "The people’s fight continues. The fight against poverty, injustice, oppression and abuses remains," she added.

The President stressed that Filipinos must gain their freedom from the scourge of corruption.

She also vowed to restore the virtues of integrity and honesty in the public service and paid tribute to the members of the armed forces for their sacrifices in order to protect and defend the country from its enemies.

The President said 2005 will be a year of marked changes. People’s hope and trust in a better future will be restored, she asserted.

The Chief Executive said the government is waging an all-out battle against corruption. A number of officials whose lifestyle are questionable are under investigation. Criminal and administrative charges, she said, will be filed against the suspects.

She added that the government will recover the ill-gotten wealth of the corrupt, even before they are prosecuted.

The President said the government is taking steps to hail illegal loggers and tax evaders to court.