DAY 80
April 9

Angered by another senseless killing inside the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), President Arroyo has directed Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes to investigate the latest hazing incident that claimed the life of a cadet.

The killing of fourth-class cadet Monico de Guzman, 20, has already been reported to the President, according to Press Undersecretary Roberto Capco.

PMA officials on Sunday denied allegations that the cadet entrant who died Saturday at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center was hazed.

Meanwhile, the new administration is currently formulating a development blueprint that will harmonize overall peace and reconstruction efforts for Mindanao, Presidential Adviser for regional Development Paul Dominguez said recently.

Speaking before a round table organized by the Kusog Mindanaw, an influential alliance of civil society organizations and networks, Dominguez said the government is coming up with a mini-Marshall Plan, dubbed the Peace and Reconstruction Imperatives for Mindanao's Enhanced Development, or Primed.

Day 81
April 10

Members of Malacañang's Cabinet Cluster-E will finalize Tuesday the venue for the peace negotiations between the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF).

Negotiators from the government and the four-member delegation of the National Democratic Front (NDF) led by Luis Jalandoni will also tackle the implementation of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), which was revived by the Arroyo administration as part of confidence-building measures.

Silvestre Bello III, a member of the government panel, said they would want the venue to be the first issue settled.

Also, President Arroyo has ordered for the immediate cleanup of the bloated list of the Philippine Veterans Administration Office (PVAO) to ensure that only the legitimate wartime heroes and their families will receive the government's limited funds for the monthly pension.

The Chief Executive issued this order as she also asked the Philippine Veterans' Memorial Medical Center (PVMMC) to ensure that premium health care and treatment would be provided for those in need.

PVAO and the PVMMC, both operating under the Department of National Defense are the two primary agencies mandated to give benefits to the retired soldiers and their families.

Day 82
April 11

President Arroyo warned Moro bandits during her visit to Zamboanga city here Tuesday to surrender if they still value their lives, stressing her administration's policy of never negotiating with terrorists.

"To the Abu Sayyaf, therefore I say to them. Kung talang mahal pa ninyo ang inyong buhay, sumurender na kayo," Arroyo said in a press conference at the Edwin Andrews Air Base in Zamboanga city. (If you love your lives, surrender now.)

Also, escaped convict Norberto Manero Jr. was formally presented to Arroyo Tuesday who shook his hand and greeted him with a curt "maayong pag-abot (welcome back)" then ordered his immediate incarceration at the country's jail.

Arroyo said Manero surrendered without conditions. "No one can set condition for the dispensation of justice be it a political figure or an ordinary criminal," she emphasized.

As to the venue of the peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF), the president said it has not yet been finalized.

Day 83
April 12

The government hosted a thanksgiving dinner last night in honor of Filipino pilgrims to the holy mosque in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Hajj 2001 thanksgiving dinner was attended by ambassadors of the Organization of Islamic Conference member-countries and Filipino Muslim officers.

The OIC ambassadors expressed their support of the Arroyo administration, especially its development efforts in Mindanao.

Also, key government agencies claim they are "ready, willing and able" to help thousands of Filipinos who are expected to clog traffic on land, sea and air at the height of the Lenten Season this week.

Day 84
April 13

Day 85
April 14

DAY 86
April 15

After the rescue of American Jeffrey Schilling, military troopers are now zeroing in on the trail of bandit leaders Abu Sabaya and Khadafy Janjalani in a bid to rescue remaining hostage Filipino Rolland Ullah, a senior military official said Saturday.

In Baguio, President Arroyo reiterated that operations would continue without let-up until Ullah is rescued and the Abu Sayyaf is destroyed.

"As in all the clashes, civilian residents volunteered information that led to the success of the rescue operations," the President said in a statement. She thanked the civilian community in Sulu for its cooperation to the government.

Meanwhile, in her Easter message, Arroyo said the celebration of Easter Sunday coincides with the country's new beginning and the Filipino people's "recommitment to the values of our forefathers and to the firm belief that Filipinos can be competitive as we approach the global village."

"It is after all the triumph after the travails, the confirmation of the central factor of our belief that there is life after death," the President said.

DAY 87
April 16

President Arroyo expanded Sunday her all-out policy against the Abu Sayyaf group, this time covering syndicates engaged in kidnapping and drug trafficking activities.

Speaking straight from the Ifugao province, Mrs. Arroyo said, her administration is offering the opportunity of a new life to those who have fled the mountains and rebelled against the government because of their political beliefs and conviction.

"Those who have fled to the mountains and opted to rebel against the government because of their political beliefs or due to poverty, I am offering the hand of peace and I hope they would accept our offer of peace," the President said.

Such offer of peace, the Chief Executive, however, stressed, does not extend to the members of various criminal syndicates, defiant rebels and Muslim bandits, adding that the only peace the government can offer to them is the "peace of graveyard."

The President advised the remaining Abu Sayyaf members and criminal syndicates to surrender immediately as the government is ready to "pulverize them."

Day 88
April 17

President Arroyo has launched an emergency fund to help legal battles by Filipino overseas workers. The legal assistance fund has initial capital of P80 million (US$1.6 million), said presidential aid Victoria Garchitorena.

The fund, set up in 1995 will pay for attorneys' fees, bail bonds, court fees and other litigation expenses. More than six million Filipinos or nearly eight percent of the population works abroad.

Day 89
April 18

President Arroyo yesterday abolished an anti-organized crime task force directly controlled by her deposed predecessor Joseph Estrada, saying some of its members were themselves implicated in crime.

"You've seen enough on TV to justify its abolition," she added. Four members of the task force were the subject of a police manhunt for allegedly supervising the abduction and murder of a prominent publicist and his driver last year.

The Philippine government is also negotiating to establish a Norwegian venue for peace talks with communist guerrillas, Vice President Teofisto Guingona said yesterday.

Guingona, who is also foreign minister, said he met with the Norwegian envoy to Manila, Paul Moe, to discuss the April 27 negotiations, aimed at ending the New People's Army (NPA) 32-year-long Maoist insurgency.

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) also announced that provinces, cities, municipalities and barangays will now receive the share of their Internal Revenue Allotments (IRAs) in full on the directive of President Arroyo.