President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo indicated today that the government would shift to high gear its peace initiatives to spur economic development of the countryside and to encourage the rebels to lay down their arms and rejoin the mainstream of society.

During her 7th "pulong bayan" held at the Cultural Center in Barangay Sultan Esmael, Dasmarinas, Cavite, the President underscored that the road map to peace and prosperity should be marked by infrastructure development, especially in areas considered as hotbeds of insurgency.

The Chief Executive gave assurance that economic development now being enjoyed by residents of areas formerly held by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) separatist guerrillas would also be felt in Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) territories once a peace agreement has been reached with the remaining Muslim rebels.

"If we want to have lasting peace in the region, we have to end the conflicts. we have to have peace talks, but we also need development in Mindanao to catch up on the economic exclusion in the past years through additional affirmative actions by the government," President said.

She added that MILF members who are ready to return to the fold of the law can also benefit from the fruits of the development in Mindanao.

The President said the completion of farm-to-market roads and bridges in far-flung areas in Mindanao has brought tremendous progress in the countryside, and have been attracting rebel holdouts to negotiate peace with the government.

These infrastructure projects were largely funded by the United States and the official development assistance (ODA) from the Japanese government.

In the same forum, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Deles presented a peace plan approved at the first Cabinet-National Security Council (NSC) group meeting held yesterday at the Palace.

"Under the revised Mindanao Natin (Mindanao National Initiative) program, the President listed 15 major road and bridge projects totaling P3.87 billion," Deles said, adding that President Macapagal-Arroyo has also identified possible funding for these projects from the proposed 2005 DPWH budget and from the ODA.

The reformulated peace plan is designed to achieve "a just end to the peace process" as part of the President’s 10-point legacy.