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President Gloria Arroyo has named long-time personal publicist and Manila Times publisher Dante Ang as senior presidential consultant on public relations. He will receive P1.00 (two cents) a year for his services.

Philippines President Gloria Arroyo went scuba-diving at the Tubbataha Reef, a National Marine Park off Palawan seas, southwestern Philippines early yesterday.

Washington facilitated a $300,000 ransom payment to the Filipino Abu Sayyaf terrorist group for the release of a U.S. couple kidnapped 10 months ago, The Washington Times said yesterday.

Press Secretary Rigoberto Tiglao yesterday married long-time girlfriend and Inq-7 editor-in-chief, Gethsemane Selirio, in simple civil ceremonies in Pampanga.

President Gloria Arroyo bowed to pressure of several labour groups and decided to revert the Labour Day back to its traditional date of May 1, instead of April 29, which she earlier ordered in an executive proclamation.

President Gloria Arroyo said she is better off as "Sis Glo (Ate Glo) than the country's mommy (Inang Bayan)," adding that she looks more of a sister than a mother.

A year after the arrest of the ousted president Joseph Estrada for the trial of his plunder case, a majority of Filipinos now favour the idea of sending him abroad for the treatment of his knees, the recent survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has sent Presidential adviser on special concerns Norberto Gonzales to Indonesia to check reports that two Indonesian bomb suspects released Friday are planning to sue Philippine authorities.

Some private groups are negotiating for the release of three hostages who have been held by the Abu Sayyaf group in Basilan for a year, two senior government officials said.

Opposition Senator Blas Ople has said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo can be impeached for ordering the signing of an agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which, among others, "allows the return of previously overrun camps" to the separatist group.

Malacanang, the presidential palace, has no knowledge of the two intelligence reports which linked charismatic religious lay leader Mike Velarde to a reported coup plot against President Gloria Arroyo, a senior official said.

Despite the Presidential Palace's repeated claims to the contrary, the political opposition still believes repression of political dissent is on the rise in the Philippines.