Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye issued the statement after Sen. Manuel Roxas had belittled the continued appreciation of the peso as meaningless to the poor whom the Arroyo administration, the senator said, has hooked to government doleouts through subsidized food such as rice and noodles.

"To dismiss the strong peso as no big deal is to demean the sacrifices and heroism of our OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) who are tirelessly working beyond our shores to provide economic security to their loved ones," Bunyesaid in his official statement yesterday.

Official government figures showed that the OFWs remitted last year about billion that allowed the peso to recover and appreciate against the US dollar.

"This alone is a bid deal for Filipinos who dream of a better life, a dream that the administration shares with every Filipino family amidst the stiffest odds. National survival borne out of collective effort and synergy in the hardest of times is a big deal," he added.

Roxas, who once served as trade secretary under the Arroyo administration before running and winning a Senate seat in last year’s election, had belittled as "no big deal" the strengthening of the peso against the dollar.

"We do share the concerns raised by Senator Roxas, and we assure him that the payback on economic reforms is already here in terms of the multi-billionpeso pump-priming program as well as larger, strategic programs to fight hunger and poverty," Bunye said.

The presidential spokesman said that the subsidized rice and noodles were just part of the "immediate relief measures" against hunger that the government is complementing with other "long-gestating initiatives."

He said these measures include moves to jumstart jobs, lower the cost of food, increase access to cheap quality medicine and health insurance, broaden education and housing opportunities, and expand infrastructures to push productivity.

"The centerpiece of the President’s economic reform agenda is anchored on cutting down the incidence of poverty and hunger in the soonest possible time," he said, apparently referring to a recent survey showing that majority of Filipinos think they are hungry.

Bunye said the R35 billion ordered released by Mrs. Arroyo will pump-prime the economy as the fund will allow more spending on public works, housing, education, health and food whick will benefit the already-burdened Filipino families.

"We shall continue to endeavor to make the economic gains felt by the poor in terms of adequate food on the table, decent jobs and broader access to basic social services," he said.

At the same time, Malacañang welcomed the plan by the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) to gather five million signatures nationwide to convince senators of the grassroot clamor to amend the 1987 Constitution.

Bunye also called on senators and other opponents of Charter amendments to throw their support behind the draft Constitution submitted by the Consultative Commission (ConCom) to Mrs. Arroyo.

"The reported moves of the local government authorities to gather millions of signatures in support of Charter Change (Cha-Cha) should be welcomed as a constructive democracy exercise in support of overall political reform and change," he said in an official statement.

Earlier, ULAP announced its plan to launch a signature campaign to introduce amendments or revisions to the Constitution through the "people’s initiative," one of the legal means enshrined in the Constitution to introduce Charter change.

On the ongoing Cabinet revamp, Bunye said it will also affect other presidential appointees to form a strong team that will assist President Arroyo succeed in the fight against massive poverty in the country.

Last week, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita had admitted that last year’s performance of Cabinet officials is currently being evaluated by a select team put up by the President to guide her in forming a strong team that would help her achieve her targets.

After keeping intact his economic team led by Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, the President is now looking for a possible replacement to Environment Secretary Michael Defensor, who is expected to be appointed as her chief of staff this week.

The lobbying and jockeying for Defensor’s post have started late last year with External Affairs Secretary Edgardo Pamintuan said to be a front-runner due to the important role and contributions he played in Mrs. Arroyo presidential bid during the 2004 elections.