We welcome the leading role of former President Ramos in helping forge unity behind the good of our nation and the welfare of our people. He has always been considered a staunch ally of the administration whose efforts at political consolidation and economic diplomacy fall squarely in line with the vision and goals of President Arroyo.

We are for the immediate enactment of the 2006 national budget, and we have been consistently calling on Congress to expedite its passage, for what is at stake here is the President’s pro-poor agenda and our full economic take off.

The authorities deserve to be commended for their swift action on the case, and we expect all leads to be exhausted until the mastermind is brought to justice.

We have undiminished faith in the professional loyalty of the AFP and the full capacity of the command to deal with these controversies. We are confident that the allegations of Col. Daquil will be investigated by the Air Force as part of the reform process, as he shall also be subject to the proper sanctions under the military code of conduct.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo inaugurated today the Global Asiatique (GA) Tower 1, a 30-storey, 648-unit high-rise condominium for middle-income families along Epifanio de los Santos Ave. (Edsa) in Mandaluyong City.

The condominium is a joint project of Pag-IBIG Fund and GA Realty Holdings Corp. under the Medium High Rise Building Program (MHRBP).

GA Tower 1 is the first half of the twin condominium project, which aims to provide affordable condominium units in Metro Manila and other highly urbanized cities.

The project will allow middle-income earners to own a condominium-style domicile at affordable prices, ranging from P1.5 million to P2.0 million.

Upon her arrival at the Global Asiatique (GA) Tower 1, the President led the other guests in the symbolic ribbon cutting ceremony formalizing the opening of the housing project.

She was met by Vice President Noli de Castro, who is also Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) chairman, Mandaluyong Rep. Benjamin Abalos Jr., Mandaluyong City Mayor Neptali Gonzales II, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Michael Defensor and GA Realty Holdings Corp. president Delfin Lee.

The President launched the MHRBP to spur the construction of affordable condominium projects and create a ready inventory of in-city housing units to Pag-IBIG members in Metro Manila and other highly urbanized cities.

The program provides a liquidity mechanism to private developers that effectively increases their production capacity and cuts down their financing costs through a faster turnaround of their investments.

The liquidity mechanism also simplifies and facilitates the processing of end-user loans of Pag-IBIG members who wish to buy the condominium units.

Malacanang reiterated today its call on Congress to expedite the passage of the proposed P1.03 trillion 2006 budget, as it dismissed as baseless allegations of connivance with the House of Representatives to delay the approval of the national appropriations measure.

Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesperson Ignacio R. Bunye said Malacanang would not "dignify unfounded allegations over the budget that could only further delay its approval."

"We are for the immediate enactment of the 2006 national budget, and we have been consistently calling on Congress to expedite its passage, for what is at stake here is the President’s pro-poor agenda and our full economic takeoff," he said.

Bunye called on the lawmakers to "concentrate on their legislative work in the interest of public welfare and good governance."

The President’s critics have alleged that the delay in the passage of the 2006 national budget was part of an alleged Malacanang push for constitutional amendments to the Constitution.

But like Malacanang, members of the ruling administration party in the House of Representatives have roundly denied opposition charges on the delay in the approval of the budget.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo announced today she would soon release P1 billion for the relocation and housing of families affected by the proposed North and South Rail projects.

The President made the announcement during the inauguration and opening of the Global Asiatique (GA) Tower 1 middle-class housing project along Epifanio delos Santos Ave. (EDSA in Mandaluyong City this morning.

"I would like to announce that under the leadership of (Vice President and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council Chairman) Noli de Castro, for the first three months of this year, a fund of P1 billion will be released to fund the relocation and socialized housing projects for the residents living along the North Rail and the South Rail projects," the President said.

The P1-billion initial fund, she intimated, forms part of the P35-billion package designed to "pump prime" various government projects in agri-business, infrastructure and other areas of concern in the first quarter of 2006.

"The P1-billion funding forms part of the P35-billion pump priming for the first quarter of 2006," the President said.

The President also said Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Romulo Neri is "burning the midnight oil" to be able to release the fund as soon as possible.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita has ordered all Cabinet members to focus all their efforts and attention on the achievement of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s 2006 defined socio-economic goals.

The President, in her New Year’s message, said her focus for 2006 will center on efforts to push her social reforms and pursue the fight against poverty, hunger and unemployment and ensure the country’s economic takeoff.

"Our goal is to uplift the lives of every Filipino for a brighter future," Ermita said in his memorandum dated January 2, 2006 where he stressed that President Arroyo "wishes to intensify the implementation of much needed reforms to uplift the lives of the average Filipinos."

The Executive Secretary said that all government departments and agencies "should ensure proper dissemination of the government’s pro-poor programs and sustain the momentum of ensuring clear-cut results in terms of high impact projects for the poor."

Providing more jobs, investments, infrastructure and socio-economic relief for those in need must be given utmost priority, he urged other Cabinet officials.

Ermita said the five major activities the government must focus on are public works, especially those providing emergency employment; housing, particularly for families displaced by the Northrail and Southrail projects; food; health and education.

On health, he said the focus is on expanding the coverage of Philhealth and ensuring the access of poor Filipinos to low-cost but quality medicines.

Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye said today the allegations of financial irregularities raised against military officials by a disgruntled Philippine Air Force official will be investigated as part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ reform process.

Bunye was reacting to complaints aired by Col. Efren Daquil at a news conference yesterday. Daquil claimed that when he was the PAF’s personnel chief in 2004, about P30 million in savings was taken from his office and used by Air Force officials for unexplained purposes.

"We have undiminished faith in the professional loyalty of the AFP and the full capacity of the command to deal with these controversies," Bunye said in a statement.

"We are confident that the allegations of Col. Daquil will be investigated by the Air Force as part of the reform process, as he shall also be subject to the proper sanctions under the military code of conduct," he added.

At the same time, Bunye, who is also Presidential Spokesman, said "Rumors of a coup should be set aside, as discipline and morale of the soldiery are firm and high, and the chain of command, solid."

PAF Spokesman Lt. Col. Restituto Padilla said the P30 million fund had been returned properly to the Department of Budget and Management and used later to buy uniforms and boots for soldiers.