The exemplary contributions of the late Fernando Poe Jr. to the excellence of the Philippine movie industry has always been recognized by the people and this award reaffirms the faith and endearment reposed on his achievements and leadership.

Let not this tribute of the people be given any political color.

The best thing ex-Senator Honasan can do for this nation is to come out and face the music and signify his adherence to the rule of law in a strong democratic state he has been harping about—but which he has obviously been trying to overthrow.

Our economic fundamentals remain steady and strong. The recent setback of the peso is a result of transient developments in the world economy that pose no direct, long-term threat to our own.

Investor confidence remains strong in view of the government’s determined effort to balance the budget, improve the overall security situation, push growth and pursue political renewal.

This is a serious matter of criminal justice and the charges have already been filed. If the lives of Cabinet members were indeed at peril in the hands of these men, it is better that they were interdicted before they could cause serious harm to public order.

There will be no let-up in the campaign against terrorism. The establishment of the Security Engagement Board (SEB) signifies the strong commitment of both the Philippine and US governments to address this problem.

RIZAL, Nueva Ecija—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo inaugurated today the P6.75 billion Pampanga River Integrated System (PRIS) diversion dam project that will irrigate an additional 26,920 hectares of farmlands in Nueva Ecija.

The project will also ensure adequate irrigation water supply to the existing 55,100 hectares under the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (UPRIIS), also in Nueva Ecija province.

Covered by the new PRIS diversion dam projects are rice farms in Munoz City, Talugtog, Guimba, Cuyapo and Nampicuan.

Funded by a loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), the diversion dam will draw irrigation water from the Pantabangan Water Reservoir (PWR), which in turn gets its water supply from the Casecnan Multi-Purpose Irrigation and Power Project (CMPIPP) also in Nueva Ecija.

The President lauded CMPIPP officials for their contribution to the efforts to enhance the economy of Nueva Ecija and improve the lives of small farmers in the area.

"Congratulations to all of you for this very beautiful and important project," she added, even as she challenged CMPIPP officials to expand the service area of the irrigation system without depending on the national government for additional funds.

The President also asked Nueva Ecija 2nd District Rep. Eleuterio Violago and Engr. Serafin Palteng, CMPIPP project manager, to conduct new feasibility studies on additional communal irrigation canals.

She said the feasibility studies should be submitted to Malacanang for funding purposes.

The Chief Executive arrived here shortly after 10 a.m. and was briefed by Violago and Palteng on the benefits of the newly built PRIS diversion dam project.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo urged today members of the Philippine Councilors League (PCL) from Luzon to spearhead energy conservation programs and promote the use of oil substitutes in their respective localities to cushion the impact of the rising oil prices in the world market.

The President made the appeal this afternoon before some 2,000 delegates to the 6th Luzon Island Congress of the PCL at the Camayan Wharf of Ocean Adventure here.

"Aside from energy, I also ask your group to lead an honest-to- goodness energy conservation program in view of the rising cost of oil pushed by events beyond our control. I ask our councilors from Luzon to help us promote the use of oil substitutes like ethanol from cassava, natural gas and coco diesel," she said.

The President pointed out that the government is currently implementing a strategic program to cut down on oil-based power plants and shift to facilities that run on hydro, coal, geothermal and natural gas.

At present, only one percent of the total power plants in Luzon use diesel, she said.

The President also called on the councilors to include the planting of jathropa as a livelihood project to create additional jobs in their communities.

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo congratulated today the Philippine National Police (PNP) for the speedy arrest of the prime suspect in the killing of a radio commentator in Palawan last Monday.

She said the arrest of PO1 Aaron Gulifardo, the principal suspect in the slaying of former radio commentator Fernando Batul, shows that there are no sacred cows in the government’s fight against criminality, particularly against killers of newsmen and militants.

"Congratulations to the police who arrested PO1 Aaron Gulifardo, the alleged gunman in the killing of Fernando Batul in Puerto Princesa," the President said.

She told some 2,000 delegates to the 6th Luzon Island Congress of the Philippine Councilors’ League (PCL) at the Camayan Wharf of Ocean Adventure here that the government will run after criminals wherever and whoever they are.

Batul, a radio commentator of radio station DYPR based in Palawan, was gunned down last May 22 while on his way to work.

The President also urged the councilors to work closely with the police to ensure the maintenance of peace and order in their respective localities.

"Please work closely with your police officers and stand guard to keep the jobs and livelihood of your constituencies unsullied against crime and terror," she said.

The President also asked the councilors to help fight graft and to exercise utmost vigilance against irregularities in the implementation of government projects such as farm-to-market roads and irrigation projects in their respective areas.

Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye underscored today the seriousness of the charges against five supporters of former President Joseph Estrada who are now under police custody for allegedly plotting to assassinate four Cabinet members.

The plot to assassinate Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor, Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane and National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales was allegedly hatched by rightist elements and communist rebels working together against the government.

A state witness presented to media claimed that Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes and Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza were also targets of the assassination plot.

"This is a serious matter of criminal justice and the charges have already been filed," Bunye said. "If the lives of Cabinet members were indeed at peril in the hands of these men, it is better that they were interdicted before they could cause serious harm to public order."

The five suspects – Virgilio Eustaquio, Ruben Dionisio, Jim Lucio Cabauatan, Dennis Ibuna, and Police Officer 3 Jose Justo Curameng – were arrested last Monday in Kamuning, Quezon City by police and military agents.

Eustaquio is chair of the Union of the Masses for Democracy and Social Justice (UMDJ), which is associated with Estrada, while Dionisio is reportedly an intelligence officer of the so-called Special Operations Group of the New People’s Army (NPA).

Malacanang appealed to critics today not to give any political color to the proclamation of the late actor Fernando Poe Jr. as a National Artist, saying "we owe it to the memory of the late FPJ."

Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesperson Ignacio R. Bunye said in a statement that the exemplary contributions of the acknowledged king of Philippine movies to the excellence of the local movie industry has always been recognized by the people.

"This award reaffirms the faith and endearment reposed on his achievements and leadership," he said in a statement. "We owe it to the memory of the late FPJ and the deserved pride and dignity of his loved ones and supporters."

Bunye was reacting to claims by certain quarters that the award was politically motivated. The late actor ran and lost in the 2004 Presidential elections.

Poe, whose real name is Ronald Allan K. Poe, was declared national artist for 2006 by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday along with six others.

Also feted for their achievements were: Bienvenido Lumbera for literature; Ramon Obusan for dance; Benedicto Cabrera for visual arts (painting); Ildefonso Santos for architecture; Ramon Valera (posthumous), for fashion design, and Abdulmari Asia Imao for visual arts (sculpture).

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo rallied today members of the Philippine Councilors League (PCL) from Luzon behind the movement to amend the Constitution to demonstrate to the international community and investors that the government is determined to institute policy reforms urgently needed for growth.

In her address before the 6^th Luzon Island Congress of the PCL at the Camayan Wharf of Ocean Adventure here, the President said government reforms and the implementation of livelihood programs were being hampered because of the country’s outdated charter.

"Our final hurdle is our outdated, outmoded, and out of touch political system. Your support to Charter change is indispensable and I’m grateful for it," the President told some 2,000 PCL members from Luzon.

She said Charter change is inevitable if the government is to succeed in pushing its programs for economic growth and generating investor confidence in the Philippines.

"Let’s work together so investors will continue to have confidence in our capacity to push growth and political renewal," she added.

Malacanang expressed confidence today that despite the slight drop in the value of the peso in recent weeks, the positive developments in the country’s economy will enable it "to maintain its resiliency through time as global financial markets settle down."

"Our economic fundamentals remain steady and strong. The recent setback of the peso is a result of transient development in the world economy that pose no direct, long-term threat to our own," Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye said.

Bunye’s statement came on the heels of published reports that the Philippine currency hit a new four-month low Wednesday, closing at P52.85 to the US dollar at the Philippine Dealing System of the Bankers Association of the Philippines.

Foreign exchange traders were quoted as saying that the peso continued to trail the general decline in regional currencies which "are in correction mode."

"Investor confidence remains strong in view of the government’s determined effort to balance the budget, improve the overall security situation, push growth and pursue political renewal," the Press Secretary stressed.

Among the most significant indicators of the country’s strong economic fundamentals, cited by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in her speech at the 27^th National Conference of Employers at the Manila Hotel last May 23, were: