President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is set to have her state visit again after she went to Libya a week ago. The President is scheduled to leave again next week for London, Saudi Arabia and New York this coming Sept. 17 to 26. She will be in London for a speaking engagement upon the invitation of the weekly news publication, The Economist. She is also set to have a state visit in Saudi Arabia and New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly. Meanwhile, the President defended her foreign visits amid persistent allegations of extravagant spending, saying the benefits far outweigh the cost as she wants to ensure the stability of the economy through her state visit.

A groundbreaking ceremony will be held today as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and DPWH Secretary Hermogenes E. Ebdane Jr. is set to lead the construction of the first sky bridge in Bicol Region. According to DPWH Usec.Rafael C. Yabut, the project includes the construction of sky bridge 1 which is composed of 300 lineal meter while the sky bridge 2 has a total length of 125 lineal, both on which are 2 lanes of pre-stressed concrete girder. The bridge will connect the towns of Libmanan, Canaman and Magarao in Camarines Sur. The project will also address the traffic congestion problem between municipalities of San Fernando, Milaor and Naga City. They will also build the replacement of six existing bridges, widening of two existing reinforced concrete box culverts, retrofitting of Bulaong Bridge, widening/reblocking of existing 20.4 kilometers of road and construction of 5.5 kilometers of new asphalt road. The project has a total fund of P1.3B and is expected to be completed by April 28, 2011.

As the whole Iglesia Ni Kristo mourns for the passing of its Executive Head, Brother Erano ” Ka Erdy ” Manalo, President Arroyo joined Iglesia ni Cristo members in mourning the death of their leader whom she described as someone who provided hope to all Filipinos. She made a visit yesterday according to Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita. President Arroyo will also issue a proclamation honoring Manalo as the details were still unknown as of press time. Meanwhile, Proclamation No. 1869, declaring Sept. 12 as the national day of prayer for peace and sanctification of spiritual leaders was released yesterday.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo led the opening of the C-5 Road Extension Project that will cut travel time for vehicles going to the expressways last Thursday. The NLEX-SLEX-Coastal Road Connection project had a budget of P260M. The toll-free flyover of DPWH will cross Sucat Road all the way to the South Luzon Expressway. The construction began in September 2008 and was finished in July 2009, two months ahead of the scheduled inauguration.

The government is said to be planning to hire a total of 10,000 new policemen this year. According to Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya, Jr., there is a P1.4 billion allocation in the 2010 national budget prop for the hiring of new policemen and another P2 billion for the police equipment. He also added that the rookies will raise the troop level of the PNP to 142, 393, from 115,743 seven years ago, and improve the policeman-to-citizen ratio to 1:663 from last year’s 1:700. Hiring of additional policemen is part of a five-year police modernization plan which President Macapagal-Arroyo started in 2006.

Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. is expected to present today President Arroyo’s proposed P1.5-trillion national budget for 2010. He will be submitting copies of the budget program to House Speaker Prospero Nograles, Majority Leader Arthur Defensor and other leaders of the House of Representatives. He will also be sending copies of the budget proposal to Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile. Meanwhile, former NEDA planning Secretary Ralph Recto stated that the President’s successor would be facing a serious fiscal problem since he or she would inherit a government that is deep in debt and in deficit to the tune of more than P200 billion as this year’s financing deficit is officially projected to reach P260 billion.

President GMA made her 24th Visit to her hometown in Pampanga to lead the inauguration of the government projects there. She also visited her scholars Pampanga Agricultural College. later on, she went to Bo­to­-lan, Zambales for a relief operation for the typhoon victims on that town and went back to Pampanga to join Pampa­nga Electric Cooperative II (Pelco 2 ) on their 1st Year Anniversary in Lubao. She also facilitated the National Electrification Ad-mi­nistration as the 8th Million household to have electricity under the said project.

Starting September 23, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo embarks another state visit, this time to Saudi Arabia and London. According to DFA Secretary Alberto Romulo, the President has accepted the invitation to make a state visit to Saudi Arabia as well as an invitation to speak before an international forum organized by the London-based magazine The Economist. He also added that preparations are underway to ensure a successful state visit in the oil-rich Arab country which hosts and employs close to a million OFWs. This would be the seventh foreign trip that the President will be making this year and her last trip was a very controversial one.

Budget and Management Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. and PhilHealth senior Vice President Melinda Mercado denied reports that PhilHealth could face bankruptcy by 2016 because of the government’s supposed failure to pay the premiums for its employees amounting to P19.2 billion since 2001. Andaya explained that the arrears only came about because of the resolutions unilaterally passed by the PhilHealth board hiking the rates to be paid in the course of the fiscal year. He also stressed that the amounts to be paid to PhilHealth are contained in the General Appropriations Act or the national budget every year, that means there are alloted funds for that healthcare agency. On the other hand, Andaya noted that PhilHealth recorded a net income of P10 billion for 2008 alone, compared to only P5 billion in 2001 and has a reserve fund of P63 billion to meet PhilHealth requirements.

A meeting was held in Malacanang as U.S. Senator Bill Nelson visited President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday. According to Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, the meeting discussed trade matters with Mrs. Arroyo invoving budget, finance and commerce committees.  Nelson arrived in Zamboanga City from Brunei and is expected to leave on Friday where he met with National Intelligence Coordinating Agency director general Pedro Cabuay Jr. and Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command chief Maj. Gen. Ben Dolorfino. Sen. Nelson’s visit is part of the continuing series of exchange of visits of senior Philippine and US officials.

Republic Act 9711 was signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to empower the newly created Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to seize health products found violating the law without any court order. The new law also renamed the Bureau of Food and Drugs with the FDA. It is also stated that under the new law, The Undersecretary can declare in direct contempt any person who disregards any of his or her orders. It authorizes the FDA to retain all its income from various sources, apart from having an annual budget from the national government. According to FDA director Nazarita Tacandong, RA 9711 would help eliminate unregistered and unsafe products in the market and can strengthen our pharmaco-vigilance. For now, FDA has some 400 inspectors in Metro Manila.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo went to Laoag City to unveiled the country’s first coconut biodiesel project that would be jointly undertaken by Filipinos and Japanese in more than 1,000 hectares of grassland in the northern town of Pagudpud. The project includes the establishment of a P500-million coconut processing plant in nearby Pasuquin town, jointly undertaken by Philippine BioEnergy Northern Luzon Inc. (Benlinc) and its Japan-based partner, Pacific Bio-Fields Corp., led by Moriaki Hayashida, its President. DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Gabriel Claudio and Deputy National Security Adviser Luis ‘Chavit’ Singson were also there to accompany the President. According to Ilocos Norte Rep. Roque Ablan Jr. and former Ilocos Sur Rep. Salacnib Baterina, the joint venture would give a long-term economic benefits in terms of investments and livelihood opportunities.

An online news report in New York has reported the expensive dinner of President GMA and her contingents during her US Trip and meeting with President Barack Obama . BAYAN, a militant organization referred to the story of the New York Post that was posted August 7. Richard Johnson wrote the brief report in the Page Six “Eat and Drink” section of the NY Post online edition. According to Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes Jr., the Malacañang has a lot of explaining to do about the latest allegation which came out in an American paper. The lavish dinner menu included caviar; such appetizers as lobster salad, wild burgundy escargot and soft shell crab tempura; main courses of black cod, halibut, Dover sole, saddle of lamb and prime dry-aged strip steak; and Krug champagne at $510 a bottle.

President GMA formally appoints Lani Mercado – Revilla as one of the board directors of San Miguel Corporation, who has 15 members now. It was in 2007 that Senator Ramon Revilla Sr. filed her name to Malacanang where she was recommended to fill in for the position. Lani replaced Sivestre Bello who is now a cabinet secretary. The government has 27% shares in the company that’s why they have the privilege to assign people who will post to their 5 seats in the company. Lani joined GSIS chairman Winston Garcia, Estelito Mendoza and GMA-7 major Stockholder Menardo Jimenez on the said position.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has already named 7 of the most prominent people in the country as the New National Artist for this year. The award was based on the category and their achievement as an artist and their contribution in preserving our Filipino culture and heritage. Here they are;

Lazaro Francisco – (Literature, Posthumous)

Federico Aguilar Alcuaz – (Visual Arts, Painting, Sculpture, Mixed Media)

Francisco “Bobby” Mañoza – (Architecture)

Jose Pitoy Moreno – (Fashion Design)

Cecille Guidote Alvarez – National Commission on Culture and the Arts Executive Director (Theater)

Manuel Conde – (Film and Broadcast Arts, Posthumous)

Jose Carlos Caparas – (Visual Arts and Film)