In a bid to allay fears of foreign investors, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has vowed to go ahead to crush the Abu Sayyaf rebels and urban kidnapping syndicates.
Arroyo said that a military offensive against the Abu Sayyaf rebels, who are holding scores of hostages in the southern Philippines, would see results Before too long While a new anti-crime council established recently has started a crackdown against urban kidnappings.
" We are determined to step up action against violent crime in the country, especially kidnappings," Arroyo said in a video-linked address from Manila to the World Economic Development Congress, a forum sponsored by the private sector, in Kuala Lumpur.
Arroyo said that the Abu Sayyaf threat had been confined to Basilan and two other islands off the southern province of Mindanao and assured businessmen that the rest of the country is safe and secure.

Bureau Report