Some 150 delegates from 15 countries are expected to attend the three-day Dialogue on the Regional Interfaith Cooperation for Peace, Development and Human Dignity set to be held on March 14-16 at the Shangri-La Mactan Hotel in Cebu City.

The dialogue is being convened by the Philippines through the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) with New Zealand, Australia and Indonesia as country co-chairs.

OPAPP said there will be 10 delegates each from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, Malaysia and Fiji Islands.

The Cebu dialogue is a follow-on activity from the first Dialogue on Interfaith Cooperation, Community Building and Harmony held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on Dec. 6-7, 2004 which was co-chaired by Indonesia and Australia.

The expected output for this dialogue is the Cebu Declaration on Regional Interfaith Cooperation on Peace, Development and Human Dignity and Specific Country-Level Commitments, incorporating recommendations from the workshop themes on regional peace and security, development and human dignity, roles of education and media.

The New Zealand prime minister and the foreign ministers of Australia and Indonesia will give their respective messages while Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Secretary Jesus Dureza, will give the opening remarks.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo motored to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) in Ayala, Makati City this morning for a ceremonial opening of the trading week as the country’s economic indicators continue to gain ground.

This morning, the Philippine Stock Exchange Composite Index (Phisix) rose 17.95 points or 0.852 percent and closed at 2148.1 to last Friday’s 2,130.37.

At midday today, the peso traded at 51.095 to the US dollar, hitting another fresh three-and-a-half year high. Last Friday, the peso closed at P51.18 to a dollar.

Before ringing the ceremonial bell, the President had a private meeting with PSE officials led by Chairman Jose Vitug, President Francis Lim and Director Vivian Yuchengco.

It was learned that the PSE officials briefed the President on the Exchange’s economic forecast based on the latest developments in the economic and political fronts, notably in the wake of the declaration of a state of national emergency on Feb. 24 and its lifting a week later.

Lim said the continuing bullishness of the stock market was largely due to renewed investor confidence in the country on the heels of the implementation of fiscal reforms, particularly the Reformed Value Added Tax (R-VAT) Law and strong measures against tax evasion.

We encourage all citizens to view "Paglaban sa Kataksilan: 1017," a video documentary that will give them an enlightened view about the security threats that precipitated the imposition of a state of national emergency.

This documentary is an honest, sincere effort to involve the citizenry in a national effort to protect our democracy from extremist elements that seek its demise.

The state of emergency has passed, and all that is happening is the mopping up of residual threats whose core has already been beaten.

The lifting of the state of emergency does not suspend the rule of law, nor does it mean withdrawing the cases that the Government has established and built up against those found culpable for plotting against the government. Let the courts render judgment on the basis of the evidence and let Constitutional justice prevail.

The dialogue agenda is open for all relevant and vital issues affecting the Armed Forces. All voices within the chain of command will be heard but the discussion must not be used as a vehicle for propaganda.

It is important to know the underlying causes and reasons that drive our soldiers to meddle in politics and we are looking forward to the meeting or series of meetings at the soonest possible time.

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Elizabeth Clark will make a four-day official visit to the Philippines starting Monday, March 13, to get an update on the various development projects sponsored by her government.

Clark will be arriving at 5:20 p.m. on Monday from Chile. She will be given arrival honors at the Presidential Lounge of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1.

From there, she will fly to Cebu to attend the opening ceremony of the Interfaith Dialogue scheduled Tuesday at the Shangri-La Hotel Mactan.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will join the New Zealand Prime Minister in the opening rites slated at 9 a.m. Tuesday (March 14).

The two leaders will then fly to Bohol for the bilateral meeting at the Bohol Beach Club.This will be followed by a dinner to be hosted by President Arroyo.

On Wednesday, Clark will depart for Pamilakan Island to visit New-Zealand-assisted projects and do some whale watching on the side.

She will then return to Manila where she will be interviewed by national television NBN 4 and have lunch with Asian Development Bank officials.

Since Clark’s election as a member of the New Zealand parliament, her parliamentary positions have included those of chairperson of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Select committee, chairperson of the ad hoc Disarmament and Arms Control Select Committee and of the former Foreign Affairs Select Committee. She was a convenor of the Government Caucus Committee on External Affairs and Security from 1984-1987.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) today to release immediately P500 million for the construction of more classrooms.

In a roundtable discussion with the government’s economic team aired over national television NBN 4, the President ordered the release of the allocation after she announced that the budget deficit for January was at P15.4 billion or lower than the P20.9 billion target due to increased revenue collection.

"This means we can have more funds for infrastructure and education. I have ordered Budget Secretary Nonoy Andaya to release P500 million to close the classroom gap," the President said.

The government plans to build 6,000 classrooms a year until 2010.

The President expressed hopes that the revenue collections would continue to increase so the government would have more funds for basic services such as education, health, infrastructure, housing and food for the poorest of the poor.

She noted that increased revenue collection was due to the economic reforms she introduced and the proper implementation of the reforms by the revenue collecting agencies—the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the Bureau of Customs and with the proper handling of the National Treasury.

Malacañang assured today that the agenda of the scheduled dialogue with the men in uniform will be open for all relevant and vital issues affecting the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye said in a statement that all voices within the chain of command will be heard even as he warned that the discussion must not be used "as a vehicle for propaganda."

"It is important to know the underlying causes and reasons that drive our soldiers to meddle in politics and we are looking forward to the meeting or series of meetings at the soonest possible time," he said.

Bunye was referring to the dialogue being initiated by the Palace on instructions of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to diffuse the tension brought about by the recent political crisis.

Stepped-up destabilization efforts orchestrated not only by elements belonging to the legitimate opposition but also the extreme Left and Right prompted President Arroyo to declare a state of emergency last Feb. 24. She lifted the state of emergency exactly one week later.

Although tension has been diffused and the alleged conspiracy leading to a coup against the government was quashed, the government is seeking a deeper probe into the causes of the unrest.

Malacañang expressed confidence today the Supreme Court would see the merits in the President’s declaration of a State of National Emergency under Presidential Proclamation 1017.

Press Secretary and concurrent Presidential Spokesperson Ignacio R. Bunye said the declaration of a state of emergency by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo played an important role in the protection of the State and the Filipino people and in preserving democracy.

"On a higher plane, we leave to the Supreme Court the assessment of our arguments and the proofs justifying the President’s action. It is clear in our mind that the declaration of a state of emergency has played a vital role in the protection of the State and the people against the threats to national security and our democratic way of life," the Press Secretary said.

He said threats to national security has been thwarted and law and order nationwide is normalizing but the government remains vigilant.

The state of emergency proclamation was lifted by the Chief Executive last Friday, exactly a week since its issuance last Feb. 24.

"The state of emergency has passed, and all that is happening is the mopping up of residual threats whose core has already been beaten," he said.

He stressed though that even with the lifting last Friday of the state of emergency, the government would continue to build up cases against those found culpable for plotting to undermine the government.