PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered today the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to release immediately P500 million for various road projects in the country, including P100 million or one-fifth of the entire amount, to fund the completion of the long delayed Zamboanga-Pagadian national road project.

The President issued the directive during her meeting with members of the various publications and radio stations at the Natalia Hall of the Camila Hotel here.

"I have instructed the DBM to release P500 million today for the completion and repair of major roads," the President told some 100 reporters and guests.

She pointed out that the new allocation and the other funds released early this year are part of her administration’s P35 billion outlay to pump prime the economy.

She added that funding for her pump priming projects was made possible because of the renewed investor confidence in the country, stability of the economy, good governance and tax reforms, particularly the Reformed Value Added Tax (R-VAT) Law.

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) today to speed up the investigation into the killings of journalists and ensure that the victims and their families receive justice.

The President issued the directive during an interaction with members of the media at the Natalia Hall of the Camila Hotel here. "We need to overcome and put an end to the killings of journalists," she said.

She appealed to newsmen to report immediately to the PNP or the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) all kinds of threat against them so that appropriate action is taken immediately to ensure their safety.

She pointed out that the PNP's Task Force Newsmen was created specifically to protect members of media men against threats to their person.

TF Newsmen Chief Supt. Pedro Tango assured the President that the PNP is more than willing to assist all newsmen whose lives may be threatened once the threat is reported to them.

"The mission of Task Force Newsmen is to provide assistance to the territorial units of the PNP. We are also exerting efforts to reach out to the different media groups to encourage them to open up and trust the police," Tango said.

He assured journalists that the police will do everything in their power to address their "apprehensions concerning their security."

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has granted conditional pardon to 53 inmates, 38 of whom are 70 years old and above and serving sentence by final judgment.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the President took into consideration the age, crime committed, physical condition and years served in granting executive clemency.

"This is to prevent a miscarriage of justice or mitigate whatever harshness that may be generated by the strict application of the law," he said in his press conference in Malacanang this afternoon.

The 38 elderly inmates are part of the 42 who had been previously granted commutation of sentence by the President in September last year, he added.

They are: Francisco Aquino y Cabatero; Domingo Bautista y Aquino; Adolfo Belga y Barrameda; Arsenio Borja y Contreras; Federico Consolacion y Onzaga; Silvestre De Baguio y Tanilon; Sofronio Esmania y Lozada; Emeterio Ferreroa y Torio; Crispin Florendo y Ramos; Laurentino Fortuno y Galan; Francisco Gunabe y Aplayo; Gaudencio Ignacio y Anical; Feliciano Lacaocao y Balanova; Sergio Lagnason y Piala; Geronimo Laguatan y Deguidoy; Benjamin Lim y Beltran; Teopano Lope y Lasac; Julian Magtagad, Sr. y Magtagad; Romulo Maldos y Sarte;

Sancho Manliguez y Baco; Mariano Martinez y Alcantara; Elmero Mesa y Atondo; Anatalio Molina y Semifranca; Onofre Nunez y Bueno; Apolinario Ormido y Simbajon; Paulino Orot y Lagumbay; Juan Penarobia y Caninahan; Martiniano Pillarda y Delos Santos; Benjamin Razonable y Banzuela; Pedro Reyes y Manzanero; Rafael Salalima y Garcia; Crisologo Seletaria y Lamod; Hanibal Silverio y Batiancila; Felicisimo Solayao y Alvarez; Cornelio Tabaldo y Escosa; Pablo Ventura y Eugenio; Pedro Villamor y Balasa; and Sixto Vinas Sr. y De Los Santos.

DAPITAN CITY – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo led today the capsule laying ceremony for the proposed historical marker at the site where the national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, disembarked from the boat that brought him to his exile in Dapitan on July 17, 1892.

The President said restoring the landing site of Rizal and other structures during his four-year exile in Dapitan will promote Dapitan City as one of the top tourist destinations in the area.

"This is part of our program to promote tourism," she said.

The President arrived in this historic city at 4 p.m. from Dipolog City where she was welcomed by Zamboanga del Norte Governor Rolando Yebes, 1st District Representative Cecilia Jalosjos-Carreon, 2nd District Representative Roseller Barinaga, 3rd District Representative Cesar Jalosjos, Dipolog City Mayor Roberto Uy, and Dapitan City Mayor Dominador Jalosjos.

From the airport, the President motored to Barangay Sta. Cruz here and led the capsule laying ceremonies signaling the start of the construction of the P15-million "Punto de Desembarco de Rizal en Dapitan."

Assisting the President were Yebes, Representatives Jalosjos-Carreon, Barinaga, and Jalosjos.

She was warmly welcomed here by some 2,000 residents, students, and local officials led by Zamboanga del Norte Vice Governor Francis Olvis and Dapitan City Vice Mayor Patri Bajamunde-Chan.

The President also met with fisherman George Acopadio, whose grandfather Filomeno was one of the students of Rizal during his exile here.

Rizal landed at the shores of Sitio Sta. Cruz here on the night of July 17, 1892. Together with Capt. Delgras and three artillery men, Rizal walked through Sta. Cruz St. to the town square of the then Municipality of Dapitan where he stayed for almost a year at Casa Real.

Winning in a lottery that year, Rizal bought a land in Talisay district here, now the site of the Rizal Shrine.

As Rizal’s home during his exile until July 31, 1896, the shrine has become historical landmark of the city.

During his exile, Rizal put up a clinic in his residence in Talisay, improved the lighting system of the town with coconut oil lamps, and helped plant acacia trees around the town plaza, some of which are still standing today.

With the help of Father Francisco de Paula Sanchez, Rizal also constructed the Relief Map of Mindanao located in front of St. James Church which he used in teaching geography and history to his students in 1894.

Among the proposed projects here are the historical trail of Rizal’s exile in Dapitan, and the renovation of Casa Real and the Relief Map of Mindanao.

Local officials said these projects would make Dapitan one of the country’s favorite tourist destinations, particularly among Spaniards, Germans, students, and scholars.

Malacanang defended today the appointment of Camarines Sur Congressman and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rolando Andaya Jr. to the Department of Budget and Management, saying he is a competent official whose stint in the Lower House includes his involvement in the 2006 national budget.

"What is important is the President is getting somebody who is competent to run the Department of Budget," Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said in his weekly press conference in Malacanang this afternoon.

Ermita was reacting to reports questioning the appointment of the Camarines Sur congressman in lieu of the more experienced DBM Secretary Romulo Neri who has been reappointed as chief of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

Ermita said Andaya would assume office next week when Neri moves back to the NEDA as director general.

"It could be about middle of this month because I know that Secretary Neri will be moving at the NEDA about the 15^th of February," he said.

President Arroyo commends the members of the fact-finding board for the speedy conduct of the investigation and coming up with comprehensive recommendations to prevent the reoccurrence of similar incidents in the future.

The DILG has been ordered to review the final report with the end in view of incorporating its pertinent recommendations in the functions and responsibilities of the local government units and the PNP on matters concerning crowd control and safety.

The Government is implementing a comprehensive plan to stabilize the prices of food—ranging from lowering the cost of farm inputs, improving rural infrastructure, a more efficient logistics system, ferreting out hoarders and a close guard on prime commodity prices—aside from keeping the lid on inflation.

For the poorest communities, the Tindahan Bayan is directly offering staples at lower prices.

We are doing all we can to grow the economy to generate well-paying jobs and thereby increase overall purchasing power to put more food on each Filipino family’s table.

With due respect to former President Aquino, she may have overlooked another option for the national interest and that is unity and consolidation.

Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Raul Gonzalez formed today another fact finding panel which will evaluate the extent of the injuries suffered by the victims of the stampede at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City that resulted in the death of 74 people and injuries to more than 300 others last Saturday (Feb. 4).

In a press briefing this afternoon at the Kalayaan Hall of Malacaņang, Gonzalez said the new panel is tasked to evaluate the injuries suffered by the victims of the tragedy that marked the first anniversary presentation of the popular game show "Wowowee" of ASB-CBN Network.

"What I can tell you is that I have formed another team for additional fact finding because the original panel that I formed yesterday suggested to me that a preliminary panel should handle the evaluation (of the victims’ injuries) in order to isolate this panel in the event that a formal preliminary investigation will be necessary," he said.

The three-man fact finding team will be composed of two prosecutors and one National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agent. Members of the team will visit hospitals to gather documents needed to determine the degree of injuries suffered by the victims, and other information necessary in the investigation of the case.

The team will gather documents like clinical reports and medical evaluation of the injuries of the victims, he said.

Gonzalez said the DOJ will determine the existence or non-existence of civil or criminal liabilities of the parties involved in the incident that has left the nation in shock.

He added that part of the mandate given by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the DOJ is to assist the victims and their families in the aftermath of the incident.

The justice secretary said the DOJ is also mandated to provide legal assistance through the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) to the victims of the tragedy.