President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will inspect on Wednesday (March 30) illegal logs and lumber seized by government law enforcers and now impounded at Camp Ranao, home of the 2^nd Marine Battalion in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur.

The President’s visit to Camp Ranao and inspection of the confiscated logs is meant to put a stress on the government’s reinvigorated campaign against illegal logging, especially in watershed areas.

President Arroyo will also inspect the various USAID-funded development projects in Camp Abubakar in Maguindanao on Wednesday afternoon after a media interaction and lunch with media at Camp Ranao.

Recently, the 1^st Marine Brigade under Brig. Gen. Benjamin Dolortino and his Battalion Commander Col. Amand Melo, Jr. based in Camp Ranao confiscated from illegal loggers 500 pieces of logs equivalent to about 240,000 board feet of lumber.

The logs were intercepted and seized while being transported. They are now among the illegal forest products impounded at Camp Ranao.

Reports also said illegal logging, including carabao logging by independent poor illegal loggers, remains unabated in Lanao del Sur’s watershed areas, particularly those surrounding the scenic Lake Lanao.

The national government has been exerting efforts to cushion the impact of higher oil prices in the world market, although Philippine pump prices remain among the lowest in Asia.

In a radio interview, Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye noted that Philippine pump prices are even lower than those in Indonesia, which is an oil producing country.

However, Bunye recognized that the fact that pump prices in the Philippines are lower than those in other countries "is not really a consolation," as he noted that steps are being undertaken by the government to cushion the impact on commuters and the public in general.

Experts estimated that the cost of diesel jumped P7 per liter, with the regional price of diesel in Singapore increasing by $20 per barrel since January.

Dubai crude rose $6 per barrel from the February average of $39.87 per barrel to $45.63 per barrel in March, the Department of Energy (DOE) reported.

Despite the increase in world oil prices, Bunye said the DOE has continuously appealed to oil companies to maintain the P1 per liter discount on diesel for the public transport sector to dissuade them from requesting for a new round of transport fare hikes.

DOE noted that the number of gasoline stations all over the country, which provide discounts on diesel to the public transport sector, has already increased from 247 to 350.

In a press briefing Monday, Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla also said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has issued instructions for the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to meet with the public transport sector and determine what other assistance could be given to them to ease the burden brought about by higher pump prices.

Lotilla said that apart from discount on diesel price, the DOTC will look at the possibility of providing discounts on the cost of spare parts and other materials used by the public transport sector.

"We will also be meeting with the Transportation department, with Secretary Larry Mendoza and the transport groups, in order to see how we can address further the concerns of the transport industry," he said.

Apart from this, Lotilla said the President has ordered the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to meet with business leaders and determine what incentives could be given to employers who would provide transport subsidy to their workers.

He likewise noted that the task force of the DOE and the Department of Justice (DOJ), which has been tapped to examine whether the oil companies are operating as a cartel in manipulating pump prices, would be sitting down to pursue possible cases.

The special session is a call of duty.

There is no doubt that our legislators will respond along their well-established sense of patriotism.

Let us remain vigilant, but calm, and quietly assist our law enforcers do their job.

Former President Fidel V. Ramos blasted today the persistent, thinly-veiled advocacy for a "junta government," even as he openly disassociated himself from former aides allegedly behind the junta proposal.

At a press briefing in Malacanang this afternoon, Ramos stressed that way back two years ago he had categorically rejected proposals for the formation of a government outside the country’s traditional democratic process.

Reiterating his support for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Ramos warned that any movement to impose a junta on the Filipino people would be a "throwback to the old, discarded, rejected, ejected Marcos martial law regime."

The former Chief Executive’s name has been prominently cited in the reports of a small newspaper on some of his former military associates in an apparent attempt to mislead the public into believing that he’s supporting the "junta" plan .

"When retired Gen. Fortunato Abat "started talking about what he called a regimented democracy about two years ago," Ramos said he immediately issued a statement opposing the idea.

"Since that time, February 2003 when I saw this, I have been writing disclaimers, clarifications and similar statements disassociating myself from General Abat’s proposal. I understand there is a movement behind him to carry on with this plan," he said.

He said the so-called regimented democracy was reinforced by an editorial by the editor of a "newspaper who has since been relieved from that paper."

The editorial, he said, was to the effect that "Ramos and Abat are such close associates, hence Ramos must be part of this (regimented democracy) plan."

"That is furthest from the truth," the former President stressed. "This whole business of regimented democracy or junta kind of government was revived in the last two weeks," he added.

This was stressed by newly-sworn GRP Chairperson Ma. Nieves Confesor, as she said that the government’s negotiating panel would ask their counterparts to give their assurance to stop aggression before the informal peace talks could start soon.

Confesor and the other new officers and members of the GRP peace panels were sworn in at Malacanang today by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

"One of the things that we will put in the agenda would be that the secession of hostilities is a condition that we have started to impose in a sense gracefully and graciously. So, we would like those attacks to stop, we don’t want anyone moving into what we call raids, liquidation, encounters. We have to keep that down very, very low for us to get to listen to one another," Confesor said.

She added that the condition is very important in the discussions on socio-economic, political and constitutional reforms.

The GRP chairperson explained that aside from the new composition of the peace panel, which includes three women for the first time, the other difference in the next informal peace talks would be the participation of the Norwegian Government as the third party mediator.

Its negotiating panel chairman, Luis Jalandoni, Fidel Agcaoili, Connie Jalandoni, Danny Borjal and Jose Ma. Sison, as consultant, would represent the CPP/NPA/NDF.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assured the National Security Council today that government law enforcement agencies would exert even more vigilance to ensure the country’s successful hosting of the 112th International Parliamentary Union General Assembly in Manila starting Sunday, April 3.

In the National Security Council Meeting in Malacanang, House Minority Leader Francis Joseph Escudero said the opposition and minority in the House of Representatives are united to make sure that the holding of this international conference at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) will be a success.

"Dahil sampal sa ating lahat iyan, ano man po ang partido, kung may mangyayaring insidenteng hindi maganda. Kaya nasa likod ninyo kami, Senate President Franklin Drilon and Speaker Jose de Venecia, sa pagtutulong-tulong para magkaroon ng matagumpay na pagdaraos (ng IPU general assembly) sa darating na linggo," Escudero said.

Some 2,000 delegates from 145 countries, including 41 heads of parliaments, are scheduled to attend the IPU general assembly.

In line with this, Interior and Local Government Secretary Angelo Reyes said that a Task Force Parliament has been set up to undertake the necessary preparations for security.

On the other hand, Senate President Drilon proposed that maximum security should be put in place, emphasizing that the image of the country is at stake in the vital conference.

Former President Fidel Ramos likewise proposed the activation of the National Peace and Order Council and the National Council for the Administration of Justice which were both active and effective during his regime.

Peace in troubled Mindanao gets a significant boost when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo formally receives from United States Ambassador Richard Ricciardone several vital infrastructure and community projects on Wednesday (March 30) in Matanog, Maguindanao.

Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the projects were pursued in conflict areas in Mindanao under the Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) program, to demonstrate the Philippines and US governments’ commitment to the peace process

The President is expected to arrive at Camp Abubukar here Wednesday morning where she will also hold a joint interaction with media and local officials with whom she will also have an executive session.

Until it was overrun by government military forces in 2000, Camp Abubakar was the stronghold and power radiation center of the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The USAID-funded projects Ambassador Ricciardone will turn over to the President in simple rites consist of small and medium-scale infrastructure and community facilities, including the P10.78-million Sarmiento Bridge in Sitio Langkong, and the GEM-CIP grains warehouse and a solar dryer facility.

The 20-meter Sarmiento bridge complements the seven-kilometer concrete road constructed by the 54^th Engineering Brigade from Langkong passing through Sitio Sarmiento that would benefit some 3,300 residents as well as those from nearby Barira town and the so-called "Camp Datu Sinsuat Complex."

Direct beneficiaries of the warehouse and solar dryer projects are former armed combatants of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) who are now members of the Central Langkong Hysalama MNLF Multi-Purpose Cooperative based in Matanog.

Members of the cooperative are 43 former MNLF fighters who are graduates of the USAID’s Livelihood Enhancement and Peace (LEAP) program.

On Wednesday afternoon, the President will visit and inspect a coffee orchard project in adjacent Upi town. The project is a business undertaking by the Upi municipal government under Mayor Ramon Piang with funding and technical assistance from Asia Foundation.

Malacanang is confident that the Senate and the House of Representatives will be able to muster a quorum for the March 30-April 1 special session called by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

In a radio interview, Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye sounded confident that members of Congress would rise to the occasion and act on the value-added tax (VAT) bill, in the interest of the nation.

"Palagay namin ay pwede namang mag-sakripisyo ang lahat, lalung-lalo na iyong ating mga mambabatas dahil ito naman ay para sa kapakanan nang lahat (We believe that everyone can make the sacrifice, particularly our legislators because this will be for the benefit of all)," Bunye, who is also the Presidential Spokesman, said.

He said the Palace is optimistic that the three-day special session set to start tomorrow (Wednesday) would be fruitful, as it would give the senators more time to tackle the VAT bill.

Congress went on a Lenten break beginning March 19. The special session will be from March 30 to April 1. Both chambers of Congress are set to resume their regular session on April 11.

However, Bunye said the Palace still has no idea as to what the final form of the VAT bill would be, as he recognized that the authority to craft the provisions of the measure rests in the hands of Congress.

"In the first place, kaya tayo mayroong VAT proposal dahil kailangang-kailangan natin ang pananalapi. At ito rin ay pagpapairal ng isang simple na sistema (In the first place, the reason we have this VAT proposal is because we are in dire need of additional revenues and this measure would simplify the tax system)," he said.

He said Malacanang believes that at the end of the day, Congress will be able to come up with a measure that would not only increase revenues, but would also provide safety nets for lower income groups.

At the same time, Bunye belied speculations that the Palace is pressuring senators to approve the VAT bill, as he stressed that the administration continues to respect the independence of the Senate.

We appreciate the positive response of the private sector to the four-day workweek.

Energy conservation will save expenses not only for the government but also for the citizens.

Under these challenging circumstances, we have to be more resourceful.