Press Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye said Bush called the President at about 4 p.m. (11 p.m. Friday Manila time) to thank her for the strong support in the global war on terror and her successful campaign against the Abu Sayyaf.

President Arroyo, according to Bunye, likewise thanked her American counterpart for the support, particularly the civic action and intelligence fusion he gave to the Philippine military.

Bunye said Bush gave instructions for Philippine officials to get in touch with a US representative in this Swiss mountain resort which is hosting the 37th annual meeting of the WEF.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) scored a major victory in killing Abu Sayyaf chief planner Abu Solaiman this month and then confirming through DNA tests that leader Khadaffy Janjalani died in a clash with troops four months ago.

The military vowed Friday to hunt down the remaining leaders of the renegade group after the deaths of its two top commanders, vowing to neutralize and finish them off.

Bush’s commendation came on the heels of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo’s pronouncements that an agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) could be signed by June.

The MILF is the largest of at least four Muslim groups that have been fighting for self-rule in Mindanao.

A peace agreement with the group, estimated to have 13,000 members, could transform its rural strongholds into hubs of economic growth, according to Romulo.

Credit Suisse chairman Walter Kielholz, according to Favila, made known its intent during a breakfast Kielholz tendered for the President Friday at the Casty Wohnen AG Promenade here.

The Swiss firm, he said, is putting up half-a-billion dollars ($500 million) developmental fund for infrastructure projects, a significant portion of which will be allotted for the Asia-Pacific.

Favila said the President took time to brief Credit Suisse officials on her Super Regions program, a new planning and economic development approach that groups the country’s regions and provinces by their economic strengths.

The Super Region is part of the President’s massive investment program designed to sustain economic growth, spread progress to all areas of the country through the Mega-Region economic development strategy, and propel the Philippines to First World status.

Under the Super Regions concept, which forms part of the Medium-Term Public Investment Program (MTPIP), the country’s 16 regions have been grouped into four mega-regions, plus another region that cuts across the four mega-regions, to create an enlarged economic landscape based on the natural competitive advantage of these areas.

These are the North Luzon Mega-Region, the Metro Luzon Urban Beltway, the Central Philippines Mega-Region, the Mindanao Mega-Region and the cyber corridor that serves as the cyber link between these four regions.

In a show of support for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the business leaders, made up mostly of chief executive officers (CEO) in the energy, banking, finance, information technology and infrastructure sectors, turned up in full force during a dinner hosted by Societe Internacional des Produits Amon (SICPA) co-executive chairman Maurice Amon at the Hotel Belvedere here.

"Today, we honor a great President and the achievements of her nation," Amon said during the dinner held at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF). "We have gathered to manifest heightened business interest and optimism in the Philippines. SICPA takes pride in being a partner of the Philippine government for over 28 years and we intend to further deepen that relationship through expanded investments in the Philippines."

In response, the President welcomed the optimism and confidence expressed by the business leaders and called upon them to take advantage of the economic takeoff of the Philippines.

Private sector participation in developing the infrastructure and transportation systems to help achieve the goals of the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP), according to her, is essential.

"Vast opportunities exist, given the requirements of the Philippine Medium Term Investment Program, and these should be taken advantage of by the private sector," the President said.

Coming on the heels of the successful hosting by the Philippines of the 12^th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, the President’s participation in the WEF also drew attention to the ASEAN agenda.

Among those in the dinner were top executives from Citibank N.A., Deutsche Bank, Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority, the Coca-Cola Co., Fluor Corp., Morgan Stanley, Tokyo Electron Ltd., Holcim Ltd., SAS, Royal Dutch Shell Plc., Nestle S.A., AIG, WPP Plc., IBM Japan, Merril Lynch, Pepsico Int’l, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Harvard Business School, and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In her remarks at the World Economic Forum (WEF) plenary session focusing on "ASEAN’s 40 years – A New Future," the President said Southeast Asian leaders have unanimously endorsed a blueprint of the ASEAN Charter drafted by eminent persons from across the region and included possible sanctions or even the expulsion of misbehaving members.

"An ASEAN Charter will help achieve ‘One Vision, One Identity, One Community,’ and hopefully, someday, ‘One Union for ASEAN. It will achieve this by providing an enhanced institutional framework as well as conferring a legal personality on the ASEAN," she told participants of the forum that include Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Malaysian PM Abdullah Badawi and Jusuf Wanandi of Indonesia.

Time International Editor Michael Elliot acted as moderator.

President Arroyo said that at a time when the Doha Round is faltering, the ASEAN, which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, has also proclaimed support for the resumption of the global trade talks.

Most importantly, the ASEAN also remains committed to expanding its trade area to create the world’s great trading blocs and has accelerated the establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015 rather than 2020.

The President, who is chairman of this year’s regional summit, cited two major challenges for ASEAN in its desire to join the global trade. These are: 1) how to be more competitive, and 2) how to take advantage of each others strengths.

She also told the forum how proud she is of ASEAN’s Convention on Counter-Terrorism which would effectively contribute to a more peaceful world.