HONGKONG (via PLDT)—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo lauded Sunday night the global media for their "fair, balanced and responsible" reporting on the events that followed the September 11 terrorist attack on the United States.

In a late evening dinner with the World Economic Forum (WEF) top media leaders at the Grand Hyatt Hotel here, the President said that when terrorists attacked New York and Washington, D.C., their goal was to create a perception of a war between Islamic states and the West.

But the civilized world, in its wisdom, has not played into their hands and the global media stood by the tenets of responsible and enlightened reporting of the unfolding events, the President said.

"Media reportage and editorial content have provided the basis both for generating broad support for the war against terrorism and for tempering the emotions and prejudices that could otherwise aggravated ethnics and religious conflict," the President said.

The president met with top publishers and editors from Asia, the US and Europe who are attending the three-day 10^th East Asia Economic Summit, which opens here today.

In her remarks, the President also said that she felt there was an important story that is not being covered by the international media and that is the convergence between the global war on terrorism and the war on poverty that is being waged by countries like the Philippines.

To put it simply, the growth of terrorism is linked to the growth in poverty. Because of this, eradication of terrorism will allow for continued alleviation of poverty," the President said.

HONG KONG (via PLDT) - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said late Sunday night that despite its attendant risks, her government has taken a number of steps to assists the United States-led coalition against global terrorism.

In a late dinner with top international publishers and editors attending the three-day 10^th East Asia Economic Summit, which opens here today, the President said that after September 11, the Philippines realized how the national interests of countries in the world are woven in the overall fabric of counter-terrorism.

"Our decision to join this fight is a strategic decision, and we certainly are aware of the risks," the President said.

She said that the Philippines had a first-hand experience on terrorism, citing the terrorist threat by the Abu Sayyaf in the Southern Philippines.

"We have long been on the frontlines in the fight against terrorism in parts of our country and we know the cost of human lives and scarce resources of this ongoing engagement, " the President said.

The President said the Philippine government had been hunting down terrorist cells in the country as part of its responsibility to the overall theater of global operations against terrorists.

She said that at her urging, the Philippine Congress had also passed the much-needed anti-money laundering law aimed at fighting corruption at home and denying terrorists access to illegally acquired funds.

Among the specific measures undertaken by her administration in support of the United Nations Security Council resolutions promulgated against terrorism are intelligence and security cooperation, providing open air space, transit or staging points for the global coalition, and extending logistical support to coalition forces.

On top of that, the President said, the Philippines is also spearheading an initiative for a tri-nation anti-terrorism partnership among the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Through the coalition, the President said, the three countries will work to share intelligence on terrorist activities, tighten border patrols and when necessary, partake in joint peacekeeping operations.

HONG KONG (via PLDT) - The two-day official visit here of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, which ends today, got wide publicity in the three major Hong Kong newspapers with the respected business daily, the Asian Wall Street Journal (AWSJ), even featuring the President in its editorial page.

In today's issue, the AWSJ splashed in the front page an interview with the President, headlined "Arroyo is Upbeat in terrorism War," written by Peter Stein, the paper's managing editor.

Stein, and ASWJ editorial page editor Brett Decker, had a wide ranging interview with the President Sunday at the presidential suite at the Hong Kong Island Shangrila Hotel.

In his three-column article, accompanied by an artist’s sketch of the President, Stein said Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo, one of Washington's staunchest supporters in the fight against terrorism, spoke of "good progress" in her government's military assault on kidnappers and terrorists operating in the Southern Philippines.

Stein quoted the President as saying that she is winning "key ground in her own domestic war against terrorism, both militarily and internationally, as Manila seeks support from Washington and its allies in tackling one of the country's most intractable problems."

"Now that the world understands what it is to fight a war against terrorism, it is no longer a lonely battle for the Philippines, fighting our own home-grown terrorists, " Stein quoted the President as saying, referring to the Abu Sayyaf bandits in Mindanao.

The AWSJ's editorial on the President, published as a lead item on page 10, was entitled "Philippine Terrorism: Helping President Arroyo Fight the Abu Sayyaf Could Bear Fruit for the US."

"President Arroyo's November visit to Washington celebrates 50 years of military cooperation between the US and the Philippine Republic. It is a perfect opportunity to announce the next stage of that relationship: a joint war against the Abu Sayyaf," the editorial said.

The South China Morning Post, on its second banner story, entitled "Arroyo Pledges Help for Exploited Maids," talked about the President's meeting with some 5,000 Filipino workers in Hong Kong.

The 7-column story, written by staff writer Mary Ann Benitez, was accompanied by a 3-column photo of the President waving to the enthusiastic crowd during her meeting with them Sunday at the Hong Kong International Trade and Exhibition Center.

The article also carried a 2-column photo of the excited crowd that spilled over to the premises of the venue, which was already packed with Filipino workers.

The Post article said that the President's 20-minute speech was punctuated by "rousing applause" from the Filipino Community especially when she announced that the government would go after recruiters who overchanged Filipino workers seeking employment in Hong Kong and elsewhere in the world.

Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo announced that the Department of Labor and Employment would expedite hearings against rogue recruiters and suspend their licenses, the Post said.

The tabloid Hong Kong Mail published on page 1 the photo of a huge crowd that met the President at the Hong Kong International Trade and Exhibition Center chanting religious songs and making the thumbs up sign.

The crowd that met the President at Sunday's gathering included members of the El Shaddai and Jesus is Lord movements.

HONG KONG – Saying the growth of terrorism is linked to the growth in poverty, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Sunday night said eradication of terrorism will allow for continued alleviation of poverty.

"That is why the Philippines has entered the global war on terrorism," the President said before the World Economic Forum (WEF) media leaders at the Grand Hyatt Hotel here."

The President said the global coalition that has been formed to attack terrorism will help Philippines in its battle against criminals like the Abu Sayyaf.

In the Philippines, President Macapagal-Arroyo said that the defeat of the Abu Sayyaf will allow long overdue resources to flow into those affected regions and stop the residents of those areas from being hostage to terrorism.

The President said the country’s global and regional priorities have changed since after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

"It is in this realization that the Philippines has taken a number of steps to assist in the global anti-terrorism campaign," the President said.

To combat terrorism, the President said the country had taken steps to carry out six specific measures in support of UN Security Council Resolution Number 1368.

To join the international counter terrorist coalition and to work with the UN; to work closely with the US on intelligence and security matters concerning terrorism; to make available Philippine airspace and facilities when required as transit or staging points; to provide with Congress consent, combat troops if there is an international call for such action; and to step up the offensive against and prevent the flow of funds to terrorist groups in the Philippines by aggressive military action and passing and implementing legislation against money laundering.

On the battle against poverty, the President said the country’s economic fundamentals remain stable despite an uncertain global environment.

HONG KONG (via PLDT) – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today urged governments of the world to support a coalition that will not only eradicate terrorism but also lift the global economy that is facing recession.

In her keynote address at the three-day Tenth East Asia Economic Summit, which opened today at the Hong Kong Convention Center, the President said that while September 11 brought new levels of uncertainty, "it has also brought countries closer together and injected urgency to the collective effort to combat terrorism."

"After September 11, we realize just how closely global political and economic security have become intertwined and how we must address both political and economic security," the President said.

According to the President, this renewed sense of global community could be the key to early recovery.

The economic summit, which is organized by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF), is being attended by business leaders, top government officials, members of the academe and ranking media personalities, from Asia, the United States and Europe.

The President said that the events of September 11, coming as they were in the face of a slowdown, have pushed the global economy to the brink of a full-blown recession.

"If the world does go over the edge, this could result to further loss of lives over and above the result of terrorist bombs or the reaction to terrorism, aggravated by the inability of governments to provide for their people if the global economy contracts," the President said.

The President cited the World Bank estimates that as much as 100,000 human lives will be lost as a result of starvation and diseases should there be a full-blown recession.

She said that the coalition which has been built and the relationships which have been fortified in the world’s collective response in terrorism "can and must extend to global, regional and bilateral economic relations."

"We face a rocky road ahead. That is certain. But the global economy can, and will, pull through if we approach our economic uncertainties with the cooperative and integrated approach that we have applied to anti-terrorism," the President said.

The Philippines, the President said, stands ready to work with its friends and neighbors to meet this challenge.

Mrs. Macapagal-Arroyo also explained that the Philippine decision to join the American fight against global terrorism was not an emotional one but a "strategic move."

HONG KONG (via PLDT) – After a highly-successful two-day official visit here, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will fly this afternoon to Beijing for a three-day state visit on the invitation of President Jiang Zemin.

The President’s bilateral meeting with Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SKSAR) capped her official visit here.

During their talks, the President and Mr. Tung discussed bilateral issues, including those that would further promote the welfare of some 180,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong.

Earlier, the President delivered a well-received keynote speech at the Tenth East Asia Economic Summit 2001, which was organized by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF).

After her keynote address, the President also fielded questions from the summit participants where she expounded on her administration’s programs, especially those that are aimed at eradicating poverty in the Philippines, which is topmost in her agenda for the next three years.

The President said that her government is now engaged in a war against poverty, stressing that evil, which breeds terrorism, usually thrives on the people’s miseries, especially among the poor.

On Sunday, the President was enthusiastically welcomed by thousands of Filipino workers in Hong Kong when she addressed them at the Hong Kong International and Convention Center.

The President’s speech to the Filipino community here was applauded 37 times by some 5,000 people inside the convention hall. Some 3,000 more literally mobbed the President outside the premises of the hall, displaying the thumbs-up sign and chanting their support for the President.

The President got the longest applause when she ordered the filing of charges against recruiters who overcharged Filipino workers seeking employment in Hong Kong and elsewhere in the world.

Also applauded was her directive to the Philippine Consulate General here to open on Sundays to attend to the needs of Filipino household helpers who usually get their day-offs on Sundays.

During her arrival at the Chep Lap Kok International Airport here Sunday morning, some 300 Filipino workers also greeted the President with placards saying that they support her and her programs of government.

To stress her administration’s concern for the OFWs, the President first official function tonight in Beijing will be a meeting with the Filipino community in mainland China.

Although not a large community, the Filipinos in mainland China are mostly professionals and technical people.