The opposition is taxing the patience of the nation with wild and useless options.

The call for resignation failed.

The impeachment failed.

Now, this patently unconstitutional call for a snap election which has nothing to do whatsoever with the welfare of the people.

The snap polls will never happen.

The nation is not about to commit hara-kiri just to satisfy those few who are lusting for power.

We urge our local executives to continuously intensify the information drive through broad consultations.

Despite the relentless efforts by detractors of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to destabilize her administration, "things are working well" for the Philippines, Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye said today.

Of course, the government could get a lot more mileage in improving the economy and fighting poverty if there is less "political noise," Bunye said in a live interview on the talk show, "Talkback" hosted by Tina Monzon-Palma over ANC television.

The economy is moving, the gross domestic product (GDP) is stable at 5 percent, and the peso remains one of the strongest currencies not only in Asia, but in the world, he added.

The peso rallied strongly against the US dollar last week to close at P55.43 to US1 dollar. The stock market remains stable despite the recurring street demonstrations orchestrated by the usual clutch of leftist agitators and political foes of the President.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has announced that the gross international reserves (GIR) hit an all-time high of $18.6 billion, further strengthening the peso.

BSP has also predicted that remittances by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) would reach $9.0 billion by yearend.

More investments are expected in mining, information technology (IT), logistics, automotive and chemical sectors in the next few months.

With the implementation of the expanded value added tax (EVAT) next month, the Department of Finance (DoF) said balancing the budget -- the primary goal of the President’s 10-point pro-poor agenda -- would be achieved two years ahead of the 2010 target.

"We can do better if we try to reduce the political noise," according to Bunye, who is also presidential spokesman.

He pointed out that "the media can be a strong factor in projecting the image of the Philippines, in boosting our global competitiveness."

The Philippines will not commit "hara-kiri" (suicide) and the snap elections the political opposition wants will never happen.

Malacanang sternly reiterated today this stand on the snap elections idea the political opposition is now pushing after its impeachment gambit and rowdy demonstrations aimed at ousting President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo failed to win popular public sympathy.

Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye said in a statement the unconstitutional call for snap polls has nothing to do with the welfare of the people and amounts to nothing more that the opposition’s lust for power.

"The call for resignation failed. The impeachment failed. The opposition is taxing the patience of the nation with wild and useless options," Bunye, who is also Presidential Spokesman, noted.

Opposition groups, including the newly emerged Black and White Movement (BMW) where 10 resigned senior officials, including some Cabinet secretaries are affiliated, have proposed a snap presidential elections in 2007.

The BMW, in particular, even urged Vice President Noli de Castro to immediately assume as interim president until the 2007 special presidential election is held.

"The snap polls will never happen," Bunye stressed.

Commenting on the issues, Senate President Franklin Drilon said talks of a snap election is merely theoretical.

"A snap election is possible only when the president and the vice-president resign. Under other circumstances, it is not possible," Drilon said.

Bunye said Filipinos now pin their hopes on the likelihood of a shift from the now unwieldy presidential system to a parliamentary-federal form of government that will completely overhaul and stabilize the current political system.

He urged local government executives to continue and further intensify their information drive on Charter change through broad consultations. "Charter change is an idea whose time has come," Bunye said.

Meanwhile, the 49-member Consultative Commission (Con-Com) went to Cebu City Monday to conduct consultations and kick off efforts to generate ideas to incorporate in proposed amendments to the 1987 Constitution.

Con-Com chair Dr. Jose Abueva said their group will hear opinions from local government leaders and various sectors to gather inputs for the Charter change proposals.

Abueva, a respected political scientist and former president of the University of the Philippines, said consulting local governments is also one way to achieve good governance.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said today incorporating entrepreneurship in basic education system is the key to the country’s economic growth and stability.

"Indeed, we can only agree that entrepreneurship is not only the key to economic growth and stability but the ultimate solution to poverty," she pointed out in her address before the one-day Entrepreneurship and Basic Education seminar this afternoon at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City.

She said that land, labor and capital would be of no use if not properly managed by an inventive and innovative entrepreneur.

The President arrived 1:45 p.m. at the Manila Polo Club accompanied by Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila, Science and Technology Secretary Estrella Alabastro and acting Education Secretary Fe Hidalgo.

She was welcomed by more than 350 educators and successful entrepreneurs headed by Presidential Consultant for Entrepreneurship Jose Ma. Concepcion III.

Also present were the officers of host Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE), which is promoting entrepreneurship in primary and secondary school levels in cooperation with the Department of Education (DepEd).

Through the efforts of the PCE, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has issued a memorandum circular prescribing the minimum requirements for a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship degree course in the country’s educational system.

To be implemented this year, CHED’s Memorandum Circular 17-05 is expected to "give rise to more young business owners and a stronger culture of enterprise."

In her inaugural address last year, the President pointed out that foremost in her 10-point economic agenda is the development of three million entrepreneurs by 2010.

She said incorporating and promoting entrepreneurship in basic education would not only give substance to her agenda to create more job opportunities, but also create wealth of more Filipinos.

Malacaņang today expressed confidence Vice President Noli de Castro will remain loyal to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the Constitution and he will not be enticed by the political opposition to withdraw support from the Arroyo government.

In a press briefing this afternoon, Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye promptly dismissed any possibility of Vice President De Castro abandoning the President under the political opposition’s incessant drive to unseat her.

Opposition leaders have urged De Castro to assume the presidency and steer a transition government until a snap presidential election is held in 2007.

De Castro promptly shot down the proposed special election, saying there is absolutely no legal basis for such wild snap poll idea.

Bunye, a lawyer who serves concurrently as Presidential Spokesman, pointed out that the Vice President was right in his rejection of the snap poll enticement since it is patently unconstitutional.

"Nakita naman natin sa reaksyon ng ating Vice President na hindi siya natitinag sa kanyang pagsuporta sa Pangulo at naniniwala siya na iyong mga panukala na ihahain ng mga oposisyon ay walang legal na basehan" (We have seen the Vice President’s unchanged support for the President since the opposition’s proposals are entirely without legal basis), Bunye said.

He also laughed off the ultimatum the opposition gave De Castro to dump the President not later than November 30 which, he said, had merely shown the lust for power and desperation of the so-called Black and White Movement to which the 10 recently resigned senior government officials, including some Cabinet secretaries, belong.

Bunye noted that despite the relentless destabilization efforts against the government, the Arroyo administration remains stable because the President still enjoys the confidence and support of the various sectors of society, particularly local governments and the business sector.

"The President is very focused on what needs to be done as far as governance is concerned," the Presidential Spokesman said.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said today she will declare a week of prayer for national renewal and the transformation of the bureaucracy into a more responsive machinery to the needs of the ordinary Filipinos.

Speaking at the Entrepreneurship and Basic Education Conference at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City this afternoon, the President called on the various religious denominations in the country to offer a sacrament of penance and reconciliation with God.

"This month is the month when we have days of prayers. And I shall soon declare in accordance with this day of prayer, a week of prayer, a period of national renewal," she said.

For Catholics, the President said she would advocate a nationwide program of penance and reconciliation.

She also urged Filipino Muslims to offer this month of Ramadan as a period of "reconciliation with God."

The President said she hoped that the other religious denominations would undertake their own programs of penance and reconciliation.

During the period of renewal, the focus would be on making the government more responsive to the demands and needs of the moment and the ordinary Filipinos, she said.

"This may mean amending the objectives of my Executive Order on government reengineering, and the issuance of a possible enabling order that will allow frontline agencies to operate in an emergency or state of calamity mode," she added.

The President said she would reorganize the Presidential Commission on Effective Governance to be headed by Deputy National Security Adviser Virtus Gil to study and make government frontline agencies more attuned and responsive to the needs of ordinary Filipinos.

The President said she will ask officials of the local government units (LGUs) -- the provincial governors and municipal mayors – to launch their own clean-up drives and create a back-to-work attitude and atmosphere for the benefit of their respective constituents.