Malacaņang confirmed today that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will confer posthumously the Order of Lakandula on the late Philippine Star publisher and board chairman Maximo Soliven for his significant contribution to the journalism profession and to the restoration of democracy in the country.

Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye made the confirmation after Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor said earlier that the Chief Executive would give a presidential citation to the man whom she described as an "icon of freedom."

"The President informed me through a text message that she will bestow upon Mr. Soliven the Order of Lakandula Posthumous Award with the rank of Grand Officer (Maringal na Ginoo)," Bunye said in a radio interview this morning.

According to Bunye, the Order of Lakandula with the rank of Grand Officer is among the highest awards given by the Chief Executive to a civilian. It is expected to be presented to Soliven’s family once his remains arrive in Manila from Tokyo.

Immediately upon learning of Soliven’s untimely death last Friday, the President issued a statement describing Soliven as "an icon of freedom" who fought with the "forces of enlightenment in the struggle against despotism and wrong."

Bunye, also a veteran journalist, had earlier said "the legacy of Max Soliven will always evoke respect and pride among all practitioners of tough and responsible journalism."

We are on the final lap of the Constituent Assembly and we hope that Congress will come together behind the will of the people.

We look forward to the House-Senate dialogues as a venue that will rid ourselves of the flawed political system and pave the way for fundamental economic reforms needed to bring the Philippines into the threshold of the First World in 20 years.

We take exception to the results of the latest SWS survey on Charter change. We noticed that some of the questions are downright misleading.

For instance, questions on matters which are not even part of the proposed Charter amendments, such as extending the term of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (PGMA) beyond 2010, tended to unduly influence the respondents.

I can say without fear of contradiction that the President is healthier and stronger than most of her detractors.

The Philippines and Japan are committed to the implementation of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) in letter and spirit.

We know it is not a perfect accord but what is important is that all lines of communication and dialogue are open, and both countries are bent on making it succeed.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said today the Philippines can advance its development and eventually become an economic superpower by replicating the success attained by Spain’s tourism industry.

Keynoting the 2^nd Tribuna Espaņa-Filipinas (Philippines-Spain Tribune) Forum at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino in Manila this morning, the President noted that Spain has become the economic superpower that it is today through its booming tourism industry.

"Spain is so strong in tourism and whenever I try to convince some of our provinces that tourism is their best hope for their development, I always point out the experience of Spain," the President said.

"That Spain became the economic superpower that it is today from one of the less prosperous countries a long time ago in Europe (because of tourism), that can happen to many of our islands and peninsulas in the Philippines," she added.

The President said that the groundwork for the country’s tourism program was encapsulated in her State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) last July where she enumerated the development of the country’s Super Regions.

She said that Central Philippines -- composed of the provinces of Bicol, the Visayas, Palawan, Romblon and the northern islands of Camiguin and Siargao -- is the perfect tourist destination "where there will be a lot of tourism investments" because of the numerous scenic attraction in these areas.

"We identified these areas (Super Regions) because about 60 percent of all foreign tourists go to these areas and therefore what we need to do is to develop the capacity so that the tourists can become more comfortable and so that more and more of them can go," she said.

"Our Super Regions program is already in full swing in the run-up to economic takeoff. Infrastructure goes hand-in-hand with law and order to raise the ante on investments to create jobs and push quality social services to alleviate poverty and hunger in the long run," the President added.

The Tribuna Espaņa-Filipinas was formed by distinguished Filipino and Spanish nationals upon the initiative of Philippine Ambassador to Spain Joseph Bernardo, in coordination with Casa Asia of Spain.

The Tribuna Espaņa-Filipinas aims to strengthen bilateral relations between Spain and the Philippines in the areas of business, tourism, culture and the arts.

The first Tribune was held in Madrid last year and focused on the themes of "fraternity" as a manifestation of the special ties between the Philippines and Spain and the "commitment" to build a common feature by learning from the past.

The twinning agreement between the City Government of Manila and the Ayuntamiento de Madrid was also signed at the end of the first Tribune.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo wants the curriculum being offered by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) under its Training for Work Scholarship Project (TWSP) to focus more on training skilled welders, call center agents and butchers.

In an informal interaction with barangay leaders at the Philippine Skills Assessment Academy Inc. in Bgy. 843, Zone 92 in Pandacan, Manila this morning, the President said she wanted the shift to these three courses because of the growing demand for employees skilled in these crafts.

As of now, the TWSP has courses in Hotel and Restaurant Management (housekeeping, commercial cooking, food and beverage services, front office and bartending), Nursing (caregiving, healthcare services and midwifery), Communication and Information Technology (PC operation, computer hardware servicing and programming).

Aside from this, the Academy also offers carpentry, re-bar fixer, plumbing, building wiring technician, electronics and industrial electrician.

The President said that the above-mentioned courses are "mainstream" curricula where the probability of landing a job is quite low due to the number of graduates these courses produce.

She said TESDA should focus more on training welders, call center agents and butchers because of the large demand for these workers.

She noted that there are 20,000 job openings for welders, 30,000 for butchers while the call center industry is in constant need of agents to fill their growing roster of employees.

During her meeting, the President distributed an initial 50 TWSP certificates to the barangay. TESDA officials said that prospective scholars can avail themselves of additional certificates after undergoing their pre-assessment program that will determine their eligibility.

Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye derided today efforts by critics of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to raise a false alarm about her health after she checked in at the St. Luke’s Medical Center over the weekend for her annual executive medical checkup.

"I can say without fear of contradiction that the President is healthier and stronger than most of her detractors," Bunye said in a statement this morning.

He said the President is in top shape physically that some members of the Cabinet often find it difficult to keep up with the President’s perennially hectic pace whether in Malacanang or on her Metro Manila and provincial sorties.

Bunye made the assurance to counter rumors that the President was suffering from a more serious health problem.

This was immediately squelched by Malacanang, which explained that the President and First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo were in the hospital only for their annual comprehensive executive medical checkup.

The First Couple checked into St. Luke’s Saturday morning.

After running a series of medical tests, Dr. Juliet Gopez-Cervantes, the First Couple’s attending physician, declared that the President is "more than physically fit to handle anything she wants to."

Cervantes, however, advised the President to shed off two kilograms to keep up to her ideal weight of 50 kilograms.

The President could have left the hospital yesterday, but she decided to stay another night to keep her husband company. The First Gentleman was told to stay one more night for more examination, even as Cervantes explained that the tests were routine.

The First Couple checked out of St. Luke’s this morning.

Despite the protest of the Japanese Nursing Association (JNA) to the entry of Filipino nurses in Japan, the Philippines and Japan are committed to implement the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).

Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye made the assurance today in response to reports that the Japanese nursing group is opposing entry of Filipino nurses in their territory.

"The Philippines and Japan are committed to the implementation of the JPEPA in letter and spirit," he said.

Bunye pointed out that although JPEPA is not a perfect accord, the important thing, he said, is that all lines of communication and dialogue are open, and both the Philippines and Japan are bent on making it to succeed for the benefits of the two countries.

"We feel that the exchange of information, knowledge and experiences among nurses from Japan and the Philippines would be worthwhile and mutually rewarding," he assured.

Bunye said all Filipino nurses and caregivers are aware that before they are accepted to work as nurses and caregivers in Japan, they will undergo extensive training and need to pass licensure test.

Under the JPEPA, Filipino nurses and caregivers can work in Japan as long as they undergo training and pass the licensure examination.

The Japanese nursing group questioned the deployment of Filipino nurses in Japan for fear that Japanese nurses will be neglected once they are accepted.

CEBU CITY—The Philippine National Police (PNP) said it will enforce a "no permit, no rally" policy during the 12^th ASEAN Summit here on Dec. 10-14.

Chief Supt. Silverio Alarcio Jr., police director for Central Visayas and chair of the ASEAN Committee on Security Preparations, said they will exert their best effort to implement the policy while exercising maximum tolerance.

"Our policies under the law are: no permit, no rally and maximum tolerance. That’s basically how we are going to handle the protest rallies," Alarcio said.

Alarcio called on the public to stay away from rallies and help convince the militant groups not to stage protest actions during the four-day summit.

"I am asking the people of Cebu to convince them (the militant groups) not to spoil our preparations for the summit. We are exerting all our efforts, resources and time in preparing for this and it would be a pity if militant organizations will disrupt the summit," Alarcio said.

"We are all Filipinos and we are doing this for the country," Alarcio said as he asked the protesters to stage their rallies after the summit.

Alarcio said the protesters will not be allowed to hold rallies in the streets and in vicinities near the venue of the meetings of the heads of states.

He said any mass action would be allowed only in areas designated by the Cebu City government.

CEBU CITY—The number of tourists to visit Cebu during the Christmas season is expected to double because of the 12^th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit to be held in Cebu City from Dec. 10-14,local hoteliers and restaurateurs predicted yesterday.

Marco Protacio, president of the Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants Association of Cebu and general manager of the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, said that while tourist arrivals in December are usually higher than at any other time of the year, the influx of visitors during the summit could be a lot bigger. A significant increase in tourist arrivals would, in turn, create a huge impact on the local economy, he added.

Dr. Bernardo Villegas, a well-known economist, said the collaborative efforts of the public and private sectors here could pave the way for the opening of new industries that will generate more revenues for the government and boost employment.

"I think (the exposure itself) will improve the business climate…the attention that you will get from the people (is good). They may love being in Cebu for either future conventions or doing holistic businesses," Villegas said.

He urged the city to capitalize on the regional and international exposure this city and Cebu province are expected to reap from the four-day summit, which is expected to draw in as much as one million local and foreign visitors.

Leaders of the 10 ASEAN member-nations, and six dialogue partners—Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, India, Australia and China—and about 250 delegates are expected to attend the 12^th ASEAN Summit from Dec. 10-14 and the 2^nd East Asia Summit on Dec. 14.

Hundreds of businessmen from the 10 ASEAN countries and other parts of the world are expected to attend the ASEAN Business Summit to be held here from Dec. 7-10. Around 2,000 local and foreign journalists will cover summit-related events.

December is a peak season and hotels and resorts all over the province are normally fully booked during this time of the year, according to Protacio.

CEBU CITY—Well-known economist Bernardo Villegas said that increased sales of hotels and restaurants during the 12^th ASEAN Summit here would also mean higher sales and income for related industries such as suppliers of food and other services.

Citing the multiplier effect of the summit, Villegas said that the income of the local transport industry would also increase because of bigger passenger volume during the four-day event.

Villegas also predicted that there is a good chance that delegates will find the city a nice place to stay. He said that the province’s charming locale could attract investors in retirement home projects. There has been an upsurge in the retirement home industry in most Southeast Asian countries, he added.

In the Philippines, Subic and Tagaytay have taken the lead in the development of retirement villages, targeting especially Japanese retirees seeking respite from the harsh winter in their country.

According to Villegas, medical tourism also has a big potential as an income-generating business considering the presence of competent medical practitioners, health and wellness centers in Cebu. Hilot, a traditional reflexology method, is also a good service to sell to tourists, he said.

Hotel and restaurant operators, transportation service providers as well as major infrastructures here have undergone improvements in preparation for the event. Villegas said these improvements will not be wasted because the city and province can still use them after the summit.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can also expect bigger demand for rooms and transient houses in the days to come, Villegas said, as he urged local businessmen to invest in economy-class rooms.

He explained that some tourists are not looking for five-star hotels because most of the time they are out exploring the city. What is important to them are clean toilets and places that offer nice, hearty breakfast.