President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo conferred this morning the Order of Sikatuna, Rank of Datu, to outgoing Malaysian Ambassador to the Philippines Iskandar Bin Sarudin.

The conferment was made during the farewell call of the Malaysian ambassador on the President at Malacaņang’s Music Room.

With the Malaysian envoy was Presidential Adviser on Foreign and State Visits Mariano Paynor.

The ambassador expressed optimism that a lasting peace could be forged between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the very near future.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is grateful to the House of Representatives for the passage of the supplemental budget for a well-deserved compensation package for our state workers.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is grateful to the House of Representatives for the immediate passage of the supplemental budget appropriating P13.1 billion for the additional allowance of the more than one million state workers.

The members of the House approved on Tuesday night House Bill 5013 granting P1,000 additional monthly allowance to government employees.

"This is one way of sharing with the public servants the fruits of our economic reform programs," Press Secretary and concurrent Presidential Spokesperson Ignacio R. Bunye said.

Bunye, in an earlier statement, said that the government is working hard on growing the economy to improve the lives of the Filipinos, including the state workers.

"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," he said.

With the recent full implementation of the Reformed Value Added Tax (RVAT) law and the rising prices of oil in the world markets, Bunye stressed that the government is implementing a comprehensive plan to keep the prices of basic commodities stable.

"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," he said.

He also called on the businessmen to do their part in cushioning the prices of commodities.

The government’s anti-corruption drive received a big boost today following the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) and the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) to join forces in the fight against corruption.

In a simple ceremony at the Kalayaan Hall of Malacaņang, the PAGC and VACC formalized their team-up, sending a message to corrupt high-ranking government officials that their days are numbered.

PAGC Chairman Dr. Constancia De Guzman and VACC founder Dante Jimenez signed the agreement in the presence of PAGC Commissioner Teresita Baltazar and VACC Chairman Lauro Vizconde.

Under the MOA, both parties bind themselves to work closely together in identifying new measures to prevent and minimize opportunities for graft and corruption at all levels of the bureaucracy and for VACC to assist PAGC in its pro-active lifestyle check on all presidential appointees covered by the presidential commission’s jurisdiction.

"Government crooks watch out, your days are numbered," de Guzman and Jimenez warned.

The MOA was deemed immediately operational following VACC’s turnover to the PAGC’s of the 10 names of high-ranking government officials to be included in PAGC’s list for lifestyle investigation.

PAGC and VACC, however, declined to identify the 10 presidential appointees pending the result of the investigation of the allegations against them.

Aside from the 10 public officials, Jimenez also announced that VACC will file anti-graft charges against still unidentified MWSS officials.

The PAGC is the President’s anti-corruption arm mandated to investigate complaints against presidential appointees with salary grades of 26 and above. As of last year, PAGC has resolved 162 cases and recommended the imposition of corresponding punitive action against officials involved in illegal activities.

The VACC, on the other hand, is one of the parties which filed the first plunder case against ousted President Joseph Estrada. The case is being heard by the Sandiganbayan.

Jimenez added that the VACC also played an important role in the conviction of Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) collector Dominga Manalili for plunder.

Manalili was meted out a lifetime sentence by Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Peralta, a first in the history of the Philippines involving a plunder case.

No less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has lauded VACC as one of the most credible anti-crime organizations in the country, having been instrumental in the speedy investigation, prosecution and trial of a number of sensational criminal cases.

The organization also boasts of an impressive success rate. Out of the 82 cases it initiated, 75 resulted in convictions.

With its partnership with the VACC, PAGC expects to generate more cases that will result in the dismissal from service, prosecution and conviction of erring government officials.