[CentOS] Building PHP PECL modules

I'm attempting to build some PECL modules on fully updated CentOS 4.2 
system.  Preferably pack them into nice RPM packages.  However, seems 
I'm missing something.  For example, this is what I get for sqlite module:

$ pear makerpm SQLite-1.0.3.tgz
`phpize' failed

The php-devel package is installed (so I do have phpize command).  It's 
just that it is failing.  If I unpack the files into directory, and do 
"pear build" or "pear install", I'm getting a bit more verbose error:

$ pear build
running: phpize
configure.in:9: warning: underquoted definition of PHP_WITH_PHP_CONFIG
   run info '(automake)Extending aclocal'
   or see http://sources.redhat.com/automake/automake.html#Extending-aclocal
configure.in:32: warning: underquoted definition of PHP_EXT_BUILDDIR
configure.in:33: warning: underquoted definition of PHP_EXT_DIR
configure.in:34: warning: underquoted definition of PHP_EXT_SRCDIR
configure.in:35: warning: underquoted definition of PHP_ALWAYS_SHARED
acinclude.m4:19: warning: underquoted definition of PHP_PROG_RE2C
configure.in:65: error: possibly undefined macro: AC_PROG_LIBTOOL
       If this token and others are legitimate, please use m4_pattern_allow.
       See the Autoconf documentation.
`phpize' failed

I do remember being able to build and install couple of PECL modules 
some time ago on different CentOS 4.2 system.  Howerver, I'm failing to 
see why the builds are now failing.  The two systems look more or less 
the same (except hardware, the old one was i686, the new one is i586). 
I'm not an automake/autoconf expert, the above message looks to me more 
or less like names of Spanish vilages (in other words, I'm completely 
culeless here).

While on the topic of PECL/PEAR, packaging PEAR modules into RPMs kinda 
works.  The "pear makerpm" produces unusable spec files most of the 
time, but with a bit of editing of those spec files, I got my RPMs. 
Mostly documentation, "ugly" package names, and by default files get 
installed outside of PHP/Pear search path (easy to fix manually in spec 
file).  Known bug in pear or am I doing something awfully wrong?

Anyhow, any help would be geately appriciated.