All options are being considered under the rule of law.

This is regretful incident and will serve as a reminder here and abroad to follow the rule of law.

The four were convicted for the killing of Jaime dela Cruz also a Filipino OFW who was stabbed to death on the very day that he collected a huge sum of money from an underground lottery.

This case underwent several judicial proceeding with the interest of both parties properly represented by their lawyers.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo toured and inspected the soon-to-be-opened Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 where she attended the 23^rd founding anniversary celebration of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) this morning.

Her visit to the facility was her very first since the modern air terminal was built. She also inspected the on-going work preparations for the terminal’s scheduled formal opening on June 21, 2005.

MIAA General Manager Alfonso Cusi said the work preparations include the re-commissioning and activation of the facility’s major systems and utilities such as air-conditioning, lighting and baggage screening conveyors.

Cusi said he and the MIAA personnel were glad that despite her very hectic schedule, the President had graced their anniversary with her valued presence.

"The MIAA family is very proud that the President has decided to visit us during the celebration of our anniversary," he said.

Malacanang congratulated today the Crisis Management Committee, headed by Interior and Local Governments Secretary Angelo Reyes, for its successful handling and resolution of the Taguig crisis drama that started early Monday and ended Tuesday noon.

The crisis involved terrorists Abu Sayyaf inmates who killed several jail guards whose weapons they snatched, and hostaged fellow inmates at the Camp Bagong Diwa detention facility, after failing in their jailbreak attempt.

Malacanang also commended the police, some of whom even risked their own lives to thwart the jailbreak attempt by the jailed Abu Sayyaf terrorists.

"They got what was coming to them," said Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye during a press briefing in Malacanang. He was referring to the Abu Sayyaf inmates who were killed during the assault conducted by a composite police team, led the Philippine National Police (PNP) Special Action Force (SAF).

"They were given all the chances to surrender," Bunye added.

The Crisis Management Committee, headed by Secretary Reyes and National Capital region Police Office (NCRPO) chief, Avelino Razon, gave the go signal for the assault after all negotiation initiatives to get the hostage takers to surrender, bogged down.

The assault ended the more than 24-hour crisis.

Bunye said the government will do all things necessary to help the families of those who died and were wounded during the incident including three jail guards of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology who were attacked by the Abu Sayyaf inmates.

The Press Secretary quickly doused off all negative reactions to the assault saying "we do not intend to please everybody."

"The government did what is necessary and we believe we have the support of the majority of the people," he said.

Bunye said the Crisis Management Committee had the full confidence of Malacanang. He said the committee carefully and thoroughly planned what to do given the situation it had to deal with.

"The Committee knew exactly what to do. Their decision was unanimous and the result as you saw was successful," he stressed.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today signed into law the General Appropriations Act of 2005 (Republic Act 9336) or National Budget, the expenditure program of the national government, including various projects and programs, for the current year.

Secretary Gabriel Claudio, Presidential Legislative Liaison Officer, said the enactment of this year’s budget law is a significant landmark in Philippine lawmaking history.

"This is the first time in the long tradition of budget legislation that we have achieved partisan and inter-chamber unanimity in approving a national budget faithful to the original proposal of the Executive. Hence this marks for the first time as well, that a sitting President will not resort to the exercise of the Presidential veto power on any single line in the budget measure," Claudio pointed out.

He said that the enactment of 2005 budget law will now put a seal to the Arroyo administration’s commitment to reform and development as contained in the President’s ten-point legacy agenda.

Claudio congratulated and thanked the members of both chambers of Congress for passing the national budget which he said "now becomes a symbol of political solidarity behind the vision of national growth and stability."

The President, in an earlier speech before members of the Manila Rotary Club, said the P907 billion national budget will fund her "pro-poor agenda program, and allocate more money for middle class entrepreneurs, clean water in every town and electricity for every barangay, better access to health care, a school in every barangay and a computer linkage to every high school."

Eighteen percent of the total amount or P160 billion of the total budget will go to the economic sector, which she said, will make sure that in four years time, the investment ratio will increase to 20 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo visits Western Mindanao for three days starting Wednesday (March 16) to inaugurate and inspect vital infrastructure development projects and continue to press the poverty alleviation flank of her 10-point legacy agenda.

The President’s itinerary includes Pagadian City and Dumingag town, both in Zamboanga del Sur; Dipolog City, Roxas and Siocon, all in Zamboanga del Norte, Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay; Zamboanga City; and Jolo, Sulu.

In Dumincag, Zamboanga del Sur, the President will award Certificates of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) to 6,985.indigenous Subanon natives covering 20,097.934 hectares of ancestral lands.

She will also distribute free patents to landless farmers under the "Handog Titulo Program" covering 102,909.6 hectares of land in Pagadian City and 6 municipalities of Zamboanga Del Sur; and Certificates of Land Ownership and Acquisition to similar landless farmers in 16 other municipalities of the same province.

CADTs and free patents are generated by the Department of Enviroment and Natural Resources (DENR), while CLOAs are generated by the Department of Land Reform (DLR).

The land title recipients are all farmer beneficiaries under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), one of the primary vehicles of her poverty alleviation drive.

Terrorism will never win in the Philippines!

Thus declared President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today hours after the bloody jailbreak attempt and hostage taking by members of the notorious Abu Sayyaf terrorist group at a maximum-security prison in Camp Bagong Dowa in Bicutan, Taguig City ended Tuesday noon.

The terrorists hostaged their fellow inmates after they snatch the service weapons of their jail guards, three of whom they shot dead yesterday. The crisis ended when law enforcers stormed the building and overwhelmed the armed hostage takers.

President Arroyo lauded the government crisis team headed by Interior and Local Government Secretary Reyes, and the law enforcers for the early resolution of the crisis that started Monday morning.

The President ordered Reyes to "fully investigate this incident, sanction those responsible and fix up the jail system so that terrorists will be kept in permanently without a chance to do harm until freed by the court, if ever."

She vowed the government will ensure that the Bicutan crisis will not be repeated.

The Chief Executive also extolled the law enforcers who "risked life and safety in Bicutan," saying they "exemplify the best in the criminal justice system" even as she condoled with the families of those who died. She also wished wounded a speedy recovery.

The Chief Executive stressed that the Bicutan crisis underlines the need for sustained vigilance by the people. "We must ever be prepared to face the wayward forces that threaten our freedom, our streets and our homes," she stressed.

Saying that the rule of law is supreme, the President called on the people to be "prepared to fight evil with our moral will to uphold what is good and right."

Terrorism will never win in the Philippines.

I commend the Government team led by Secretary Angelo Reyes that exhausted all peaceful means to resolve the Bicutan crisis, weighed their options after an extended stand off, and finally decided to use force as a last resort.

The rule of law is supreme.

The law enforcers who risked life and safety in Bicutan exemplify the best of the criminal justice system. I condole with the families of those who died and wish the wounded a speedy recovery. Our people and the national community extol their courage under fire.

We shall ensure the incident does not happen again.

Secretary Reyes is directed to fully investigate this incident, sanction those responsible and fix up the jail system so that terrorists will be kept in permanently, without a chance to do harm, until freed by the courts.

This is a lesson of sustained vigilance for all our people.

We must ever be prepared to face the wayward forces that threaten our freedom, our streets and our homes. We must be prepared to fight evil with our moral will to uphold what is good and right.