The Philippines has been morally and spiritually rearmed following her audience with the Pope. This bodes well for the theme of peace, unity and prosperity that pervades the President’s trip.

The administration’s pro-poor agenda receives solid inspiration and guidance from the Holy Father’s blessings.

The three pending Philippine proposals are the RP-Italy Social Security Agreement, RP-Italy Memorandum of Understanding on the Automatic Conversion of Driver’s Licenses, and RP-Italy Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Agricultural Science and Technology and Promotion of Agricultural Trade.

Prime Minister Romano Prodi assured President Arroyo during their meeting Monday at the Palazzo Chigi that his government would seriously consider the Philippine proposals.

The proposed SSS accord would result in additional benefits to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Italy. Drafted in 2001, the proposed agreement was scheduled for signing in March 2002, together with the agreement on assistance, return and re-admission of persons, but Italy asked that it be renegotiated to conform with its Bossi-Fini Law, which assures benefits to foreign workers in Italy.

The Italian government has existing social security agreements with a number of countries, including Brazil, Canada, the United States, Turkey, Argentina and Yugoslavia.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said there are 87,000 Filipinos in Italy with valid permits, but up to 8,000 more undocumented Filipinos are living or working in the country.

DFA said more than 70 percent of the Filipinos in Italy are working either on part-time or full-time basis in the services sector.

It added that the next largest group at 15 percent of the registered Filipinos are in Italy for "family reasons."

Most of the 60 Filipino organizations in Italy are church-based, while the rest are civic or cultural groups.

In a statement released to the members of the Malacaņang Press Corps accompanying the official trip of the President to the Vatican, Italy and Spain, Bunye said the Philippines has been morally and spiritually rearmed following her audience with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.

"This bodes well for the theme peace, unity and prosperity that pervades the President’s trip," he said.

Bunye pointed out that the Macapagal-Arroyo administration’s pro-poor agenda received solid inspiration and guidance from the Pope’s blessings.

He expressed hope that the Holy Pontiff will find time to visit the Philippines in response to the President’s invitation during their private meeting at the Vatican last Monday.

In a statement this noon, Bunye said concrete plans are under way to strengthen government-private sector linkages to trim down the remittance fees by the banking system.

He pointed out that one specific program under consideration by the Cabinet is the "conversion of the Philippine Postal Bank (PPB) to an Overseas Filipino Workers Bank to serve the welfare of our OFWs."

Bunye said the PPB conversion to an OFW Bank would further strengthen the economic ties between the Philippines and Europe.

He added that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is determined to carry out the remittance fee cut soonest to help the OFWs.

Former Labor and Employment Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas placed the prevailing bank charges on OFW remittances at 8 percent. This is much higher than the fees charged by Mexican banks on foreign remittances of Mexican overseas workers of only 2 percent.

In a press statement issued this noon (afternoon in Manila), Bunye said Archbishop Cruz is "not the spokesman of the Holy See, and must not twist the words of the Holy Father."

He said the prime concern of the Holy Father is the "plight of the poor and the full engagement of the Church in the spiritual realm, not in partisan politics."

Bunye was reacting to published reports quoting Archbishop Cruz as advising President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her allies not to read anything beyond Pope Benedict’s "well done" statement.

Cruz said the Pope was merely reacting to the abolition of the death penalty, whose imposition was vehemently opposed by the church.

The President’s visit to the Vatican has won countless blessings for the Filipinos in terms of moral and spiritual guidance and politics should not be injected in the President’s audience with the Pope, Bunye said.

"Let the Pope’s words speak for themselves in reinforcing the message of peace, unity and hope for the Philippines," he added.

This is how Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye described the new impeachment complaint lodged by the opposition against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

In a statement, Bunye said that it is best that the new impeachment complaint "be buried" and allow the Philippines to move forward with the rest of the world.

"The only matter we are taking seriously at this moment is how to serve the interest of the people," he said.

Bunye was reacting to the new impeachment complaint filed by the same hardcore political opposition group who lodged a similar case against the President last year.

The House of Representatives junked the complaint after only 51 congressmen out of the minimum requirement of 79 signatories signed the complaint.

Under the Constitution, no impeachment proceedings can be initiated against an official more than once within a one-year period.

Bunye also questioned the timing of the filing of the new impeachment case when the President is half-way around the world drumming up investments, jobs for Filipinos and tourism for the Philippines.

"She’s focused like a laser beam on her public duty and no amount of political gimmickry will take her eyes off her goal," he added.