President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is scheduled to leave on Saturday afternoon for a four-day visit to Italy and Portugal in an effort to forge closer religious, cultural, friendly and economic ties with the two European nations.

The President’s visit to Rome will be highlighted with her attendance at the celebration of the canonization of the Blessed Marie Eugenie, the foundress of the Religious of the Assumption, on June 3 at St. Peter’s Square.

The President is also scheduled to hold a meeting with the administrative officials of the Holy See.

President Arroyo’s presence during the canonization rites of Mother Marie Eugenie is very significant to her personally and to the Filipino people. The President is an alumna of the Makati-based exclusive school, Assumption College, having attended her elementary and high school years there.

For the Filipino people, the historic event is quite meaningful not only due to the fact that the Philippines is the world’s largest Catholic country in Asia, but also because the miracle attributed to the Blessed Marie Eugenie concerned Filipino child Risa Bondoc, who was born with a condition that prevented the two halves of her brain to join.

Experts said that normally, such children have very little ability to walk or talk, but it was different in the case of Risa. Her family and the Assumption sisters prayed for Blessed Marie Eugenie’s intercession. Twelve years have passed and the two halves of Risa’s brain have not joined yet but she can now talk, walk and go to school, a phenomenon experts could not explain scientifically.

From Rome, the President will fly to Portugal’s capital city of Lisbon, where she is scheduled to meet Portugal President Anibal Cavaco Silva and visit the Assembly of the Republic, a unicameral parliament composed of 230 deputies elected for four-year terms and now headed by Prime Minister Jose Socrates.

The President’s visit to Portugal is her first since she assumed the presidency in 2001. It is expected to bolster the friendly ties between the Philippines and Portugal as well as enhance bilateral trade and investments.

While in Portugal, the President will visit the Shrine of the Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, whose 90^th anniversary was celebrated last May 13, coinciding with the day the Blessed Mother appeared to three poor shepherd children --Lucia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto -- near Fatima and entrusted to them secret visions.

Japan was for economic partnership. New Zealand was for peace. Australia was for regional security. I shall go to the Vatican to seek the Pope’s renewed blessings for our people, then to Portugal to reinvigorate century-old ties. On the way home, I shall pass by Chengdu in Sichuan, China’s largest province; and Chongquing, the fastest growing city in the world.

From the economic to the spiritual realm, the Filipino rules the future. From seven percent growth to fuel the fight against poverty, we take higher inspiration from the prospective canonization of the first Filipino Saint of this century. God has given us a wellspring of blessings as well as the fortitude and the armor to do good and prosper.

We are stitching the threads of history and strategy to gain the vantage point for the Filipino people towards the end of the decade. From political stability at home, we have to stretch our horizons to security in the region. From economic vibrance at home, we must derive broader alliances to leverage the excellence of the Filipino and the value of our natural resources.

Growth must defeat poverty, global cooperation must win the peace, trade must propel people-to-people exchanges that make us one world and one humanity. The panoply of aspirations, creeds and dreams in East Asia must drive a caring and sharing community.

The President, smart in a black pant suit, was seen off at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal II in Pasay City by House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, among others.

As scheduled, the President’s plane left at exactly 2:30 p.m. for Rome where she will be attending the canonization of the Blessed Marie Eugenie, the foundress of the Religious of the Assumption.

The visit to the capital of the Christian world and to Portugal -- the country where the Mother Mary appeared to three poor shepherd children 90 years ago -- is for the "spiritual rearmament for the Filipino people," President Arroyo said.

In her departure statement, the President said: "I am embarking today for the Vatican and Portugal in a virtually uninterrupted voyage for trade, investments, peace, security and spiritual rearmament for the Filipino people."

"I shall go to the Vatican to seek the Pope’s renewed blessings for our people, then to Portugal to reinvigorate century-old ties," President Arroyo added.

The Chief Executive -- who had just visited Japan, New Zealand and Australia – stressed that "the sun never sets on the work of the Philippine President in the modern world."

The President was in Japan from May 22-25; New Zealand from May 27-30, and Australia from May 30-31.

"In the past two weeks, I have traveled across East Asia to reap greater tides, peace and prosperity for our nation… Japan was for economic partnership, New Zealand was for peace (and) Australia for regional security," she said.

"From the economic to the spiritual realm, the Filipino rules the future… God has given us a well-spring of blessings as well as the fortitude and the armor to do good and prosper," the President enthused.

"From political stability at home, we have to stretch our horizons to security in the region. From economic vibrance at home, we must derive broader alliances to leverage the excellence of the Filipino and the value of our natural resources," she said.

"Growth must defeat poverty; and global cooperation must win the peace; trade must propel the people-to-people exchanges that make us one world and one humanity," she added.

"The panoply of aspirations, creeds and dreams in East Asia must drive a caring and sharing community," said the President who stressed that "we are stitching the threads of history and strategy to gain the vantage point for the Filipino people towards the end of the decade."

The President – who will be passing by China on her way home to the Philippines – concluded, thus:

"We shall continue to forge on with the unity of the Filipino people behind the sails of our nation, the confidence of the world as a buoy in challenging seas, and the collective patriotism of our leaders to pave the way forward. We shall bring your warm embrace to all our compatriots in the lands I shall visit."

ROME (via PLDT)---- As a devout Catholic and good daughter of the church, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will pay respects to the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, at 11 a.m. Rome time (5 p.m. Manila time) Monday at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican City.

The meeting between the President of the third largest Catholic country in the world and the largest in Asia and the leader of the Catholic Church takes place a year after President Arroyo’s visit to the Vatican City in June 2006.

During the President’s audience with His Holiness last year, Pope Benedict XVI gave his blessings to the President and the Filipino people, which was followed by a banner year for the country’s economy.

The Philippines posted a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 6.9 percent for the first quarter of this year, the highest posted in 17 years, which was hailed by the business community.

In fact, during the President’s recent trip to Japan, the Japanese business community hailed the Chief Executive for performing a "miracle in turning the economy around" from its sorry state when she assumed her post in 2001.

The President, during her visit to the Vatican last year, said "the power of prayer combined with honest and hard work produces miraculous results."

It is expected that during her audience with the Pope Monday, the President would again seek the Holy Father’s blessing for the Filipino people.

After her audience with Pope Benedict, the President is scheduled to meet with the Vatican Secretary of State Tarciso Cardinal Bertone.

According to Philippine Ambassador to the Vatican Leonida Vera, a meeting between a head of state and the Secretary of State of the Vatican could be likened to being a part of a state visit.

ROME (via PLDT) --- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo lauded Sunday the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Italy for their contribution to the Philippines’ stellar economic performance and for the good reputation they carved for the Filipinos here and elsewhere in the world.

In her message during her meeting with the Filipino community at the Fontifico Colegio Filipino here, the President said the dollar remittances of the OFWs have contributed much to the growth of the Philippine economy.

"Thank you for the $600-million remittances you sent and for investing your money in real estate, education and health," the President said in the Filipino dialect.

"You must not be called overseas Filipino workers only but also overseas Filipino investors," the President added.

She cited the boom in the country’s real estate sector where 40 percent of the market was accounted for by OFWs, making the real estate sector the biggest multiplier in investments and jobs creation in the country.

The President also noted the OFWs’ investment in the country’s financial capital and small and medium enterprises.

"The number of Filipinos working abroad has not increased at eight million since 2001, but their remittances have doubled from $7 billion to $13 billion," she said.

At the same time, the President praised the Filipino workers in Italy for their high quality work which has earned the admiration of Italian employers.

"The Italians love you for your good traits. Almost all the Italians I talked to are all praises for you," she said. "You seem to be at home here."

The President cited similarity in the Filipino and Italian vision and faith as one reason Italians like Filipinos working here.

"This (Rome) is the center of our faith. We are the third largest Catholic nation in the world but we are number one as devout Catholics," she said.

"We do not allow divorce, we are pro-life, we do not have a death penalty -- one reason the Italians look to you," the President stressed.

According to the President, Italy accepts 3,000 Filipino workers every year, one of the highest quotas for Filipino workers and a privilege given only to few countries.

"We should be proud we are Filipinos. You should be proud you are a Filipino," she said.

The President also congratulated the Filipinos elected to Italy’s town councils. "Now you have a voice in Italy. Your rights could now be defended and your concerns could now be heard and answered," she said.

In the same occasion, the President presented the Presidential Medal of Merit to Tomas Fernandez Concepcion, an artist commissioned by the Vatican City to work on the sculpture of Pope John Paul II.

The President also noted the active participation of the Filipinos here in the absentee voting in the 2004 presidential elections and encouraged them to continue participating in the democratic process to elect competent leaders who would work for the benefit of the country and the eight million OFWs.

"Thank you for voting for me in 2004. I won here," she enthused.

ROME (via PLDT)---President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered Sunday the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to lower all fees being charged by the Philippine Embassy in Rome to overseas Filipino workers in Italy.

The President issued the directive during a meeting with members of the Filipino community here at the Fontifico Collegio Filipino, attended by OFWs from all over Italy, including Milan and Florence.

"I have ordered the DFA to lower passport renewal rates from the present 65 Euros to only 50 Euros, and the reduction of fees for affidavits and notarization from 32 Euros to only 25 Euros," the President said to the loud cheers of some 300 Filipinos working here.

The President also announced the decision of the Italian government to automatically grant an Italian driver’s license to all Philippine driver’s license holders.

The President said this was the result of her negotiations with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi and President Giorgio Napolitano during her visit here on June 26 last year.

"This will open up more opportunities for Filipino workers in Italy especially in the transport services," she said.

The President said the Philippine government would continue to seek better pay and other benefits for Filipinos working abroad.

"This is in recognition of your huge contribution to the Philippine economy," she said.

Filipino workers in Italy have remitted some $600 million out of the $13 billion total overseas remittances last year.

ROME (via PLDT) --- Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Italy received two unexpected gifts during the visit here of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on a pilgrimage of "spiritual rearmament" and to attend the canonization of Blessed Marie Eugenie de Jesus Milleret, the 19^th century foundress of the Religious of Assumption.

The first gift was in the form of reduced passport renewal fees charged by the Philippine embassy for Filipino workers in Italy.

The other was the decision of the Italian government to automatically grant Italian driver’s license to all Filipino holders of Philippine driver’s license.

The President announced the twin bonanza during her meeting with members of the 20,000-strong Filipino community in Italy at the Pontifico Colegio Filipino at 4 p.m. Sunday (Rome time).

Drivers among the OFWs here have long sought the assistance of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in negotiating with the Italian government for the automatic grant of Italian driver’s license to holders of Philippine driver’s license as a recognition of their skill and proficiency as drivers.

They also said that OFWs holding Italian driver’s license are paid higher wages than ordinary workers.

In her message, the President thanked the OFWs for their contribution to the economies of both their host country and the Philippines and for the praiseworthy reputation they had established not only in Italy but elsewhere in the world.

"Thank you for the $600 million remittances and for investing your money in real estate, education and health" back home, the President said in Filipino.

"You must not be called overseas Filipino workers but overseas Filipino investors," she added.

Citing the boom in the country’s real estate sector, the President pointed out that OFW remittances now comprise 40 percent of the investments in the land property market, thus making the real estate sector the biggest multiplier in investments and jobs creation.

Aside from real estate, OFWs are also becoming major players in the country’s financial capital and small and medium enterprises.

"The number of Filipinos working abroad has not increased at eight million since 2001, but the remittances have doubled from $7 billion to $13 billion," she said.

She also praised the Filipino workers in Italy for the high quality of their work, which has earned for them the admiration of Italian employers.

"The Italians love you for your good traits. Almost all the Italians I talked to are all praises for you," she said.

"This (Rome) is the center of our faith. We are the third largest Catholic nation in the world, but we are number one as devout Catholics," she said.

"We do not allow divorce, we are pro-life, we do not have a death penalty---one reason the Italians look to you" as brothers and sisters of the faith, the President stressed.

Italy accepts one of the highest quotas for Filipino workers at 3,000 a year, a privilege granted by Italy only to a few select countries.

"We should be proud we are Filipinos. You should be proud you are a Filipino," the President said.

She also congratulated Filipinos elected to town councils in Italy, saying now "you have a voice in Italy. Your rights could now be defended and your concerns could now be heard and answered."

During her meeting with the Filipino community, the President presented the Presidential Medal of Merit to Tomas Fernandez Concepcion, an artist commissioned by the Vatican City to work on the sculpture of Pope John Paul II.

She likewise lauded the OFWs for their active participation in the absentee voting in the 2004 presidential elections, as she urged them to always get involved in their country’s democratic processes and to elect competent leaders who will work for the benefit of the country and the eight million OFWs.

The image of the sleeping Sto. Niņo was made of elephant ivory and was handcrafted between the 1970s and 1980s. It’s "tapis" was of solid gold and has "tres potencies" and a waistband made of solid silver.

The Sto. Niņo reflects the Filipino people’s great emphasis in nurturing children and their appreciation of the value of life. It had been revered by the Filipinos as early as when the Spanish "conquistadores" invaded the Philippines.

The sleeping Sto. Niņo image was placed in a dainty white box when the President presented it to the Pope after their one-on-one meeting at the Holy Father’s library.

In turn, the Holy Father gifted the President with a big Medal of the Pontificate.

The President and her party arrived at the Apostolic Palace at 11 a,m. (5 p.m. Manila time) and were warmly welcomed by the Holy Father at the Sala Clementina, where a large painting of St. Peter by Raphael hangs.

"Welcome," Pope Benedict said, to which the President bowed and reached for the right hand of the Holy Father to kiss his ring.

The President was ushered into the Pope’s library through halls displaying the rich artwork of famous Italian artists. The leader of the third largest Catholic country in the world and the head of the Catholic Church met for 10 minutes at the Holy Father’s library.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said the President briefed the Pope on the gains in the Philippine economy and the government’s efforts to put an end to extrajudicial killings as well as on the May 14 midterm elections.

Secretary Romulo said the Pope, in turn, once again gave his blessings to the President and to the Filipino people.

The meeting between the President and his Holiness took place a year after President Arroyo’s last visit to the Vatican City in June 2006.

During the President’s audience with his Holiness last year, Pope Benedict gave his blessings to the President and the Filipino people, which was followed by a banner year for the country’s economy.

After her audience with the Holy Father, the President met with the Secretary of the Vatican State, his Eminence Tarciso Cardinal Bertone.

After her audience with Pope Benedict XVI at 11 a.m. Monday (5 p.m. Manila time) at Vatican City, the President flew to Portugal and landed at the Lisbon Military Air Base at 3 p.m. (10 p.m. Manila time). From the Lisbon air terminal, the President took the one-and-a-half hour drive to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima.

She was welcomed at the shrine grounds by Rev. Father Luciano Gomes Paulo Guerra, rector of the Sanctuario de Fatima.

She was taken on a guided tour of the shrine and viewed the display of the wide assortment of gifts from pilgrims. She also passed by the Chapel of Apparitions, the first edifice constructed in the Cova de Aria, the site of Our Lady’s apparitions.

The President lighted a candle as an offering for special intentions before she proceeded to the Chapel of Apparitions, which was built on the original site of the first apparition that took place 90 years ago.

After hearing mass, the President and her party that included Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo and his wife Lovely; Gina de Venecia, wife of House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., and Philippine Ambassador to Portugal Jose Abeto Zaide, toured the shrine grounds up to Aljustrel, the village where the shepherd children --- Lucia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto -- lived.

She also visited Valinhos, the site of Our Lady’s fourth apparition on Aug. 19, 1917.

After the Fatima pilgrimage, the President motored to the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisboa for a much-needed rest in preparation for another busy schedule Tuesday.

On the last day of her two-day visit to Portugal, the President will hear mass at the Jeronimos Monastery before proceeding to the San Bento Palace for her meeting with President of the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal Jaime Gama.

Early in the afternoon (around 8 p.m. Manila time), the President will call on President Anibal Cavaco Silva at the Palacio de Belem.

The two leaders are expected to discuss ways to strengthen the bilateral relations of their countries and development of renewable and indigenous resources of energy, a pet project of both leaders.

In an informal conversation over breakfast today at the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz here, the President said her audience with Pope Benedict XVI last Monday, her attendance at Sunday’s canonization of St. Marie Eugenie and now the pilgrimage to the Shrine of Fatima in Portugal were unplanned but constituted a series of events that led to the realization of these trips.

"The events gave me a rare opportunity for prayer, thanksgiving, reflection, and renewal of spiritual and moral strength and political will for faith-based governance," the President enthused.

She said her trip to the Vatican City was upon the invitation of the Alumnae Association of the Assumption College, since the Assumption Sisters played a very crucial role in the eventual canonization of St. Marie Eugenie, the foundress of the Religious of Assumption.

The President is an alumna of the Makati-based Assumption College, having attended her elementary and high school years there.

On the other hand, the President said her audience with the Holy Father was upon the invitation of the Vatican.

"I am very lucky I got to see the Pope (twice) in the two years that he is the Pope," the President said.

She attributed this to the Philippines being a very devout Catholic country and that the Holy Father is "very happy about our public policy that can be a model…that to follow the precepts of the Church yet the economy still does well."

Describing her meeting with the Holy Father as "very fulfilling" and fruitful, she said the Pope once again gave his blessings and support for her.

"He was very supportive…he commented that the economy was doing well. I informed him that our growth rate is very good and our reduction of poverty rate by one percent every year is well on the way to meeting the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by 2015," the President said.

Other issues discussed during her one-on-one meeting with the Pope included the peace process in Mindanao in which she informed the Pontiff of the "soft and hard power" efforts of the government to finally achieve lasting peace in Southern Philippines.

As to the Fatima pilgrimage, the President said a "prayer friend" advised her to visit the Shrine of the Mother of Rosary to thank the Virgin Mary for the "miraculous healing of my husband and this opportunity came about." She enthused that her trip to Portugal would also be a very appropriate time to meet with the incoming president of the powerful economic bloc, the European Union.