President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will keynote the 35^th international general meeting of the Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC), an association of senior business leaders from the Pacific Basin region, in Kuala Lumpur on May 7, 2002.

The President is also scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad during her one-day working visit to Malaysia, the very first country she visited after she ascended to power in January last year.

The President and the Prime Minister will be the principal speakers during the PBEC general meeting, which is expected to bring together some 700 business leaders, government ministers and heads of state from more than 25 economies around the Pacific, including the United States, Japan and China.

The general meeting will discuss emerging business opportunities and trade issues facing a region of diverse economies and business environments.

During their talks, which would serve as a followup to their initial consultations in August last year, the President and the Prime Minister are expected to discuss the peace and development efforts of the Philippine government in Mindanao where Malaysia played a key role.

The two leaders will also witness in Kuala Lumpur the signing of a trilateral agreement among the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, three of the original members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

The PBEC’s general meeting in the Malaysian capital is expected to include several leaders and trade and finance ministers from Asia-Pacific who will outline their views on the policy implications of the region’s challenging business environment.

Senior executives from the region will also be attending the meeting to share their thoughts on the most pressing issues facing business today.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo expects new positive developments in the ongoing government peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), when she visits Kuala Lumpur tomorrow (May 7).

In her regular radio program aired nationwide this morning, the President said the peace talks would be one of the important topics she would discuss with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad during the working visit.

"Ang malaki talaga ay ang anti-terrorism. Pero siyempre, isa pa rin ang tungkol sa ating continuing talks with the MILF (We would talk about the bigger problem on how to deal with terrorism. But we would also discuss the continuing talks with the MILF)" she said.

Finding a meaningful and lasting resolution to the problems in Mindanao by way of the government-MILF peace talks continued to be a priority thrust of the Macapagal-Arroyo administration.

The talks were stalled after the MILF was said to have been involved in a number of alleged violations to a ceasefire pact the government and MILF peace panels have agreed to during their earlier negotiations in Kuala Lumpur.

But avenues for a peaceful resolution to the so-called Mindanao conflict continued by way of back channeling efforts.

The President had earlier lauded Prime Minister Mahathir for helping the Philippines resolve the Mindanao conflict.

In her state visit to Malaysia in August last year, the President thanked the Prime Minister for the support he has given to efforts to resolve the decades-old Mindanao conflict and bring about peace and development in Southern Philippines.

The President said the Malaysian Prime Minister continued to be a model of the right blend of pragmatism, vision and management capability.

She said that when she looks for a solution to a conflict, she looks up to Dr. Mahathir as her role model.

The President also said she has been in constant touch with Indonesian President Sukarnoputri Megawati to discuss mutual issues and concerns that affect the Philippines and Indonesia.

"Madalas kaming mag-usap sa telepono (We frequently talk over the phone)," she said.

At the same time, she added that Philippine and Indonesian foreign officials have developed closer diplomatic ties.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today pushed for greater and stronger tourism linkages and promotions programs with Thailand.

The President is set to visit Thailand late Tuesday afternoon untill Wednesday.

The visit follows her working visit to Kuala Lumpur where the President will meet with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and address the 35^th International General Meeting of the Pacific Basin Economic Council.

In her weekly radio program aired nationwide, the President cited Thailand as the "number one," the dominant country insofar as tourism in Asia is concerned.

"Kaya ang pinakainaasahan doon ay magkaroon tayo ng mga joint tourism promotions sa Thailand (The most we expect to achieve during the visit is to pursue joint tourism promotions with Thailand)," she said.

The tourism promotions program included the printing of tourism come-on posters in Thailand and a joint WOW Philippines and Visit Thailand marketing campaign.

She also said she would meet with Thai business leaders to work out possible joint ventures between the Philippines, Thailand and the Mekong area.

She recalled that when she was still with the Department of Trade and Industry, a big company in Thailand had wanted to do business in the Philippines but was dismayed because of red tape.

"Inaasahan ko na ngayon ay makakahanap sila ng pagkakataon (I hope they would reconsider and grab their chance now)," she added.

During the Thai visit, the President said she would push for the implementation of bilateral initiatives she and Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra started when the latter visited the Philippines in October last year.

Other areas of cooperation the President expects to pursue during the visit are initiatives in agriculture, joint oil spills response and mutual legal assistance

The President will also witness the signing of an agreement on double taxation between Trade and Industry Secretary Manuel A. Roxas II.

She may bring to the attention of the Thai Prime Minister the formalization of the mechanism for the Land Bank of the Philippines to carry out a trade and investments pact signed in Doha between the Philippines’ and Thailand’s trade officials.

Other economic-related concerns that will mutually benefit the two countries and which the President hopes to push in her visit include counter-trading and the implementation of a 1997 agreement in telecommunications.

NINOY AQUINO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today embarked on an overnight trip to Malaysia and Thailand in a bid to reinvigorate diplomatic initiatives as the Philippines pushes forward in democratic consolidation and internal reforms.

In brief remarks before her departure, the President said she will put forward during the trip the position of the country on trade and security "as I seek a meeting of minds that can be of regional and global value."

On the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, the President will address in Kuala Lumpur the 35^th International General Meeting of the Pacific Basin Economic Council.

The PBEC comprises over a thousand companies in more than 20 economies of the Pacific region, accounting for over $4 trillion in global sale and 10 million people in employment.

The President said she will not only take the opportunity of inviting foreign investors into the country but she will likewise present before the conference the Philippines’ position on liberalized and equitable trade.

The President said she would also touch upon the relationship of the war against terrorism and the war against poverty and will dwell as well "on mechanisms to temper protectionism pursuant to the national interest."

On the matter of Filipinos in Malaysia, the President said she would ask Malaysian authorities to ease up on deportation moves and show more compassion for undocumented Filipinos.

The President also said she would ask Mahathir to continue his country’s support for the peace and development in the Southern Philippines.

A highlight of the President’s visit to Malaysia is the signing of a trilateral agreement on information exchange and communications procedures.

"This agreement rallies together our neighbors in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) to jointly address border and security incidents terrorism and transnational crimes and other illegal activities," she said.

The agreement, which was among the President’s proposals at the Seventh ASEAN summit held in Brunei in November 2001, is considered the Philippines’ contribution together with Malaysia and Indonesia in the global campaign against terrorism.

In Thailand later today and tomorrow, the President will push for the realization of bilateral agreements in the past five years, including those signed during the visit of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra last October.

Included in the President’s agenda in Thailand are discussions on tourism, trade and counter-terrorism.

"Thailand, being the regional leader in tourism, has much to share with the Philippines and I intend to discuss with my counterpart the ways and means for our two countries to step up cooperation in this field," she said.

She will likewise discuss with Thai business leaders potential investments opportunities in the Philippines.

The President said her brief visit to Thailand would also serve as an opportunity to touch base with Filipinos there.