CEBU CITY -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo leads today’s commemoration of the 46th Charter Day of Toledo City in Cebu province.

Toledo City is located in the midsection of Cebu island on its western side, some two hours drive from Cebu City.

The President is scheduled to arrive at 10:30 a.m. in Toledo City to unveil the marker renaming Katipunan Street in the city to President Diosdado Macapagal Highway.

She will then walk to the nearby City Health Center to inspect the Botika ng Barangay and view the scale model of the proposed Toledo City Government Center.

The Chief Executive will later proceed to the M.A. Barbara Sports Complex to distribute Certificates of Land Ownership Awards (CLOAS) to farmer beneficiaries under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), and launch the GMA Corn Program, before formally opening the Toledo City's Charter Day celebration with a statement.

President Arroyo will subsequently motor to the People's Development Center, Cebeco Complex to lead the ceremonial switch-on of the seven-millionth household energized under her administration.

TOLEDO CITY – More poor families will come under the coverage of the government’s PhilHealth Insurance Program this year with the release of P500 million for the health insurance subsidy scheme.

This was disclosed today by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who said that she has instructed Budget Secretary Romulo Neri to release the amount to expand the PhilHealth coverage for poor families.

"This morning, before I left Manila, as part of the P35 billion pump priming for the whole Philippines, I instructed the Secretary of the Budget, Secretary Romy Neri, to release half-a-billion pesos to subsidize the Philhealth premiums of the poorest families in the Philippines," the President said.

She made the announcement when she formally opened the 46th Charter Day celebration of this city at the M.A. Barba Sports Complex here.

The President said the amount would come from the P35 billion she earlier asked her Cabinet to release immediately to pump prime the economy by investing in health, education, housing, food, and public works.

Aside from the expanded PhilHealth coverage for poor families, the President said part of her administration’s investments in health include the reduction by one-half or more of the price of certain medicines in the Botika ng Barangay.

Established in depressed and far-flung areas where people’s access to low-priced drugs is difficult, the Botika ng Barangay is an outlet for drugs most commonly used by the poor.

In Central Visayas, the Department of Health (DOH) has initiated the establishment of 83 Botika ng Barangay outlets, 16 of which are in Cebu, 19 in Bohol, and 48 in Negros Oriental

This city has three Botika outlets located in Barangays Matab-ang, Puting Bato, and Cantabaco.

TOLEDO CITY – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said here today the P35-billion pump priming package she earlier announced for immediate release will go to health, education, housing, food, and public works to make the poor feel the country’s economic turnaround.

The President said vital economic indicators show the country’s revved up economy, particularly the surging strength of the peso against the US dollar and the bullish performance of the Philippine stock market.

The President came here to lead the 46th Charter Day commemoration of Toledo City. The formal program for the celebration was preceded by a luncheon meeting the President had with local officials at the M.A. Barba Sports Complex here.

"In order for our community to be able to develop and develop fast, and to be able to translate our strong peso into jobs and services for the people, I have asked my Cabinet to release P35 billion for the whole country immediately to bring near term relief to our people," the President said.

She said the bulk of the P35-billion package would be invested in health, education, housing, food, and public works.

"We need (to invest in) education, health, food, housing, public works to pump prime the economy . . . . and bring the dividends of growth to the poorest households of our society," the President stressed.

President Arroyo arrived here at 11:00 a.m. today from Cebu City and was welcomed by more than 4,000 cheering Toledo residents led by City Mayor Arlene Zambo, her father Vice Mayor Aurelio Espinosa, and Cebu 3rd District Representative Antonio Yapha.

With the President were Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban, Environment Secretary Mike Defensor, Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman, and Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

Assisted by Mayor Zambo and Rep. Yapha, the President led the ribbon cutting and unveiling of the marker renaming Katipunan Street, a four-kilometer stretch of the city’s major thoroughfare from Barangay Sangi junction to Barangay Ibo bridge here, to Diosdado Macapagal Highway.

She then inspected a Botika ng Barangay at the City Health Center which sells antibiotics, multivitamins, paracetamol, and rehydration salts and other over-the-counter medicines at prices that are more than 50 percent less than those sold in most drugstores.

The President also announced that the Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corporation, which operated giant copper mines in Southeast Asia, will reopen soon.

"I am also happy to confirm that Atlas Mines is reopening the mines with fresh investments of $300 million US dollars," the President said. Atlas used to run a huge mining operation in this city.

The President also noted the progressive leadership of Mayor Zambo who has expressed her support for the government’s mineral development program by espousing responsible mining that would soon open plenty of jobs here.

After her statement, the President and her party proceeded to the People’s Development Center at the Cebeco Complex in Barangay Sipaway where she led the ceremonial switch-on of the seven-millionth household energized under her administration.

Electrification, she said, is largely a public works concern and qualifies under the P35-billion pump priming package even as it forms part of her 10-point legacy development agenda.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will distribute textbooks and health cards to students and teachers in Pangasinan where she will also grace the blessing of new classrooms at the Pangasinan National High School (PNHS) in Lingayen tomorrow.

The President’s visit to Pangasinan which will be highlighted by education-related activities, will be capped by a private mass in Rosales town.

Aside from the distribution of textbooks and health cards, President Arroyo will also witness the turnover of pre-school instructional materials and handbooks for teachers.

The focus on health and education-related concerns by her visit to Pangasinan apparently aims to stress the importance of the two concerns which are among the vital items in her 10-point development legacy agenda.

Health and education are also two of the five concerns to be funded by the P35-billion special development package the President earlier announced

Among those to receive individual health cards from President Arroyo are Grade 1 and preparatory school pupils.

While in Pangasinan, the Chief Executive will also inspect the on-going rehabilitation of the Gabaldon Building and witness the dental and medical mission, both at the PNHS.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has appointed Presidential Assistant for Mindanao Jesus Dureza as the new Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye announced today.

The 58-year-old lawyer, who hails from Guimbal, Iloilo, fills up the position vacated by Teresita "Ging" Deles who resigned last year.

Dureza is concurrently chairman of the Government Peace Negotiating Panel for talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and OIC Chairman of the Mindanao Economic Development Council.

He is also a panel adviser of the peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front.

Before his appointment, Dureza has also served as Presidential Assistant for Mindanao and chairman of the Economic Development Council during the time of former President Fidel V. Ramos. During this time he received a Presidential Award of Merit from Ramos in 1998.

He was a congressman from 1987 to 1995 representing the first district of Davao. He was a director of the governing board of the Philippine Coconut Authority from 1989 to 1992.

As a media man, Dureza was editor of the Mindanao Times from 1972 to 1987, TV host and correspondent of the Manila Times and the Manila Bulletin.