RP to get aid from Canada

OTTAWA (via PLDT) — Filipinos and Canadians imprisoned in Canada and the Philippines can now serve their prison terms in their home countries.

The arrangement is contained in a treaty which Filipino and Canadian officials signed here yesterday in the presence of President Arroyo and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

Known as "Transfer of Sentenced Prisoners and Cooperation in the Enforcement of Penal Sentences," the treaty was initiated by Canadian Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) David Kilgour and Ambassador to Ottawa Francisco Benedicto.

As Mrs. Arroyo began her two-day visit to Canada yesterday, she and Chretien also witnessed the signing of five bilateral agreements in which Canada promised at least CAN$25 million in official development assistance to the Philippines.

Of the five agreements, two were memorandums of understanding (MOU) and three were letters of intent (LOI).

Benedicto and Kilgour also signed an LOI on co-hosting a seminar on the implementation of the United Nations Program of Action to Prevent Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons.

The seminar will be held in the Philippines in April and will involve non-government organizations and officials from Southeast Asia and other interested countries.

Following bilateral talks between Mrs. Arroyo and Chretien at Parliament Hill, Filipino and Canadian officials signed six agreements on reform programs and projects in the judiciary, information and communications technology, and small business development.

At a joint press conference with Mrs. Arroyo, Chretien said: "The signing of these agreements signals the increasing importance and broad scope of our relationship with the Philippines. They reflect the high priority that we both place on good governance, security and the growth of small business."

Signing the agreements for the Philippines was Economic Planning Secretary Dante Canlas.

Three of the agreements are:

• The $10 million MOU on Private Enterprise Accelerated Resource Linkages Project II over the next five years to help small and medium enterprises contribute to Philippine growth.

• LOI for the $8-million assistance over the next five years on the E-Governance for Efficiency and Effectiveness Project to promote cooperation on ICT between the government of Canada and the Philippines.

• LOI for the $7-million assistance over the next five years to support the Philippine Action Program for Judicial Reform which aims to foster transparent and accountable governance through a more effective judicial system.

Chretien assured Mrs. Arroyo that the funding for official development assistance is already contained in Canada’s December 2001 federal budget.

Benedicto and Kilgour also signed an MOU on the reciprocal offer of scholarships for Filipinos and Canadians with high academic standing to take up graduate studies, post-graduate studies, or post-doctoral studies in the other country.

Accompanied by First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and her official entourage, Mrs. Arroyo was met at McDonald-Cartier International Airport by Benedicto, Philippine-born Canadian member of Parliament Rey Pagtakhan, and Canadian Ambassador Robert Collette.

Chretien and his wife, Alice, hosted a dinner for Mrs. Arroyo last night.

Mrs. Arroyo later met with the Filipino-Canadian community at the Crown Plaza Hotel.

From Ottawa, Mrs. Arroyo and her party will fly at noon to Toronto for the second leg of her visit to Canada.

Before leaving Ottawa, Mrs. Arroyo will have a "working breakfast" with Canadian business leaders at her suite in Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel.–Marichu Villanueva