We are confident that a working consensus is in the offing and the senate VAT bill will be passed in no time.

Former President Corazon C. Aquino today called on all Filipinos to join her, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former President Fidel V. Ramos in renewing their faith in people power and harnessing it to serve the needs of the people and their country.

Speaking at the 19^th commemorative celebration of EDSA People Power at the People Power Monument in EDSA, Quezon City, the former President said the challenge of people power today calls for initiatives to harness the Filipinos’ energy and longing for change to serve public weal.

These energy and desire for change, she said, were so magnificently displayed 19 years ago, the first EDSA phenomenon. They can be harnessed, she added, to serve communities, especially the grassroots.

"Let people power radiate to the ground and watch quickly how we can move forward as a nation," the former President declared.

Pointing out that the first EDSA people power ousted a dictator, and 15 years later EDSA Dos kicked out a corrupt and immoral figure, the former Chief Executive said both events showed the Filipinos at their best – united vigilant, selfless, caring, nationalistic and committed to the defense of democracy.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former Presidents Aquino and Fidel V. Ramos jointly unveiled the historic statue of the martyred Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. at its permanent home at the EDSA People Power Monument along EDSA in Quezon City.

The Ninoy Aquino statue was initially lodged at the perch of the Mondragon building in Makati where it stayed for a while to inspire people to action against martial law.

Later, it found a temporary home in the garden of Chris Carreon, an Aquino ally. Finally, it found a permanent home at the People Power Monument where it was formally unveiled today as a special highlight of the 19^th anniversary of EDSA 1.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo visits Saturday (February 26) Iloilo province where she will take a close look at a successful handloom weaving cooperative that provides, livelihood and alternative income to the residents of Barangay Indag-an in Miag-ao town.

Handloom weaving is an age-old industry in Iloilo province particularly in Miag-ao where commercial weaving of the "hablon" fabric had its heyday in the 1950s up to the 1970s. The industry then declined due to competition from newly developed fabrics produced by modern textile mills.

The big demand for an environment-friendly textile manufacturing process and the desire to create more jobs for the local folk inspired the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to revive the industry in 1990.

To date, there are five firms still engaged in handloom weaving in Barangay Indag-an -- the Indag-an Multi-Purpose Cooperative, the Miag-ao Hablon Weaving, Connies Handwoven Products, Factor Woven Products and the Miag-ao Warps and Wefts.

The five weaving establishments produce the traditional patadyong used by couturiers for special occasions, office and school uniforms, shawl, scarves, placemats, and materials for bags, and throw pillow cases among others.

The Indag-an Multi-purpose Cooperative now employs about a hundred people. Its weavers used to earn P12.00 for a dozen of "patadyong" but now they earn an average of P2,500 to P4,500 a month.

In 2004 the sales of the cooperative increased to P345,000 from P230,000 in 2003.

Malacaņang said today forfeiture proceedings would be filed within the next two weeks against at least five individuals suspected to have enriched themselves through graft and corruption.

At a press briefing in Malacaņang this morning, Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye said the suspects are "facing one form of charge or another before various fora, and they will be the subject, of course, of forfeiture proceedings."

He refused, however, to give details of the impending charges, including the identities of the suspects, nature of the cases against them, and their position in government or private sector.

He explained that forfeiture charges could be filed even pending the resolution of the cases against them. "The important thing is, we will make sure that they will not profit from illegally acquired properties," he added.

Bunye’s disclosure of the impending charges against the unnamed suspects coincided with the celebration today of the 19^th anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution that toppled the Marcos dictatorship and installed former President Corazon C. Aquino.

Highlighting today’s Edsa I People Power celebration was the signing by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the United Nations Declaration Against Corruption.

The UN Convention calls on signatory-countries to enact measures that would categorize a wide range of corrupt practices as major crimes, unless they are already classified as such under existing domestic laws.

The UN document also requires signatory governments to undertake measures to support the freezing, tracing, seizure and confiscation of the proceeds of corruption.

Also signed during the celebration of the Edsa I anniversary was the Commitments of Support and Cooperation Agreement between the Coalition Against Corruption and seven government agencies.

Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye today expressed confidence the 2005 General Appropriations Act would be signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo "very soon" once it is finally approved by both the House and the Senate.

"I believe we will have an approved budget rather than a reenacted budget. I am not sure about the exact date, but we are confident this will be signed very soon," Bunye, who is also the Presidential Spokesman, said in his regular briefing in Malacaņang.

Malacaņang submitted a P907.6-billion proposed budget to Congress sometime last year.

Earlier, both houses of Congress said they would pass the budget by the middle of this month but a stand-off occurred, stalling the approval of the national budget.

The House of Representatives passed the proposed 2005 GAA in December without any cuts. However, the Senate slashed P240 million from the original P907.59 budget.

But Bunye said he is confident the impasse would be broken and that appropriate moves are being undertaken to pass the 2005 budget in due time.