The private Lear jet carrying the President took off at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at 12:40 p.m., few minutes after she received full military honors at the 250^th Presidential Airlift Wing at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

Vice President Noli de Castro, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Presidential Management Staff Secretary Arthur Yap, and some military and airport officials were present in the departure rites.

The President is among the heads of state and other dignitaries invited to attend the festivities in honor of Sultan Bolkiah who marked his 60^th birthday Saturday.

Aside from the President, other heads of state and guests include Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Singapore leader Lee Hsien Loong, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, and royalty and state leaders from Jordan and Malaysia.

Tomorrow (Sunday), the President will fly to Tripoli to pursue her mission for a more stable oil supply, increased support for the government’s peace initiatives in Southern Philippines, and to ensure better working conditions for the Filipino workers in that nation.

It is expected that in her meeting with Libyan leaders, the President will reiterate the country’s bid for regular observer status in the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). Libya is one of the influential members of the OIC Committee of Eight Muslim nations.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said one of the agenda of the President in her state visit to Libya is to thanked Libyan leader Muammar al-Qadaffi for his unwavering support to the Philippines, especially on the government’s effort to achieve peace and development in Mindanao.

President Arroyo will also meet with overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Libya during her stay there.

Libya facilitated the Tripoli Agreement signed in 1976 between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) which eventually resulted to the signing of a peace pact in 1996.

President Arroyo arrived here this afternoon from Manila on her way to a two-day state visit to Libya July 16-17.

She accepted the certificates of classroom donation from Ninan Chacko, managing director of the NBT (Brunei) Sdn Bhd; Hajah Saadatena, managing director of ATH Garments; Engineer Jose Osias Devela and Mrs. May Devela; Ed Feliciano, representing the Filipino Christian Group; Mrs. Mary Lim and Guo Zhans Heng, at the Empire Hotel and Country Club here.

The Devela couple donated two classrooms for the Tinaan Primary School in Leon, Iloilo, while the Filipino Christian Group, a congregation of eight evangelical churches, and ATH Garments contributed two classrooms for the Cabugao Integrated School in Bato, Catanduanes.

Mrs. Lim and Mr. Guo, both dedicated to educational development programs, incorporated their contribution to NBT (Brunei) Sdn Bhd for two classrooms at the Batia Elementary School in Bocaue, Bulacan.

The President expressed her deep appreciation to the donors who are among the more than 15,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their friends in Brunei Darussalam who have already donated four classrooms under the CGMA program.

The CGMA is a joint project of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Education (DepEd), and the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FCCCII).

The project is implemented by enjoining OFWs and their friends abroad to share their blessings through a donation of US$4,000 per classroom.

Ambassador Virgina Benavidez said the donations surpassed the three classrooms expected to be donated by the OFWs here.

According to Benavidez, various Filipino groups and their friends from Brunei are expected to make several more donations this year.

Before the simple donation rites, the President, who arrived at 2:30 p.m. from Manila, had a brief audience with Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah at the Istana Nurul Iman.