Diosdado Macapagal

“ We confess only to one offense, if it be an offense, which is that we love our country and people dearly. Since we have only this opportunity of a life­time to help our people attain a better life, we are grimly resolved to sacrifice friendships and everything and even our own self, our own comfort, security and happiness, for the dedicated pursuit of bringing about the prosperity and hap­piness of our people in the quickest possible time. ”

“ In the event, God forbid, that Malaya succumbs to the potent communist threat on the Asian mainland, with North Borneo under Malaya, there would be created a situation in which a communist territory would be immediately at the southern frontier of the Philippines, which would pose a grave and intolerable threat to our country. Against such a threat, we know that our people will fight to the death, for they will rather die fighting for freedom than live in slavery. ”

“ The Administration has unequivocally committed itself to the mission of alleviating the plight of the common man. It is explicitly one of the major goals of the Socio-Economic Program that the less fortunate masses are provided a larger and increasing portion of the Nation’s economic and social benefits, and that the transition to a free market is done as helpfully as possible to the common people. ”

“ On our part, as shown by our position in the Cuban crisis, we stand ready to stand by the United States as the leader of the free world in any crisis involving our common security and the defense of mutual ideals and interests. ”

“ Nothing worthwhile can be achieved without tremendous effort and sacrifice. To break the manacles that hold our people chaired to misery in order that they may, at last, enjoy a prosperous life cannot be done without supreme energy and self-denial. ”

“ The test will be whether one will refrain or will courageously support those measures needed for the success of our economic program and for the good of the economy and the country but which may not be instantly popular with segments of the people. For those who are faithful to the country and those who are sterling leaders of the people and statesmen, there can be no choice except to support what is needed for the attainment of our goal of rapid economic growth and social progress despite momentary dis­approval from the public. ”

“ Although it was not our pledge to lower the prices of commodities but to stop their inordinate rise, the objectives of our socio-economic development program once attained will in truth result in the equivalent of lower prices. As the real incomes of our people rise due to increasing production and greater employment, our people will be able to buy more goods because of larger incomes, even though prices may be somewhat higher in peso terms. ”

“ Aside from attending to the pressing problems of restoring stability to the economy and providing for the immediate needs of the people, we addressed our efforts to the third goal of the nation’s socio-economic program of providing a dynamic basis for the future growth of our economy. ”

“ It is our fervent longing that one such matter and occasion that should be regarded as meriting united national action is the successful implementation of our socio-economic development program because of our conviction that it is only through the resultant general pros­perity that our masses can share the boon of a good life. ”

“ It is the responsibility of the Government to formulate and execute policies that would establish the proper climate, as well as to provide a framework of legal and administrative precepts that would attract the private sector into channeling its resources into those enterprises that are most desirable from the national viewpoint.
The promotion of high-priority private industries under a system of free enterprise is the most challenging task that faces the Government. It is a task that demands imagination, sensitivity to the businessman’s problems and goals, and de­dication. ”

“ We bear no resentment against anybody. If it were possible, we wish all to be our friends. To say that we are vindictive is to trample upon the truth. There is abso­lutely no touch of vindictiveness in our being. The truth is, we have a task to pave the way for the improvement of the livelihood of our people within the span of our mandate and we intend to do this task in the best and most effective manner within the sanction of the Constitution and the law. ”

“ An over-all program to abolish tenancy, as well as to assist farm laborers and wage earners, the free settlers of public land and farmers owning private land of less than family size, will bring about an overdue readjustment of our social struc­ture; it will correct the present imbalance in our society, where there are enormous concentrations of land, wealth and political power in the hands of a few. ”

“ In laying claim to North Borneo in pursuance of the legal and historic rights and the security interests of the Philip­pines, we recognize the cardinal principle of self-determination of which the Philippines has been a steadfast adherent. In the prosecution, of our valid claim, it is agreeable to us that at an appropriate time, the people of North Borneo should be given an opportunity to determine whether they would wish to be independent or whether they would wish to be a part of the Philippines or be placed under another state. ”

“ Partisan conflict is perhaps unavoidable in a democracy like ours which is operated on the party system. At the beginning of our labor, we had wanted to avoid participation in partisan strife. Without now dwelling on the responsibility for the change, we have been lately constrained to take part in partisan activity within proper bounds in the conviction that without an increased political preponderance in our favor, we face frustration in the task of bringing about a sufficient degree of economic and social progress for our people during the period of our trust. ”

“ Our seeming im­patience is over unduly prolonged argumentation about the law because we believe that whenever there is legal controversy, which is unavoidable among lawyers, the best step in the public interest is to elevate the controversy to the Supreme Court, in the meantime go about our tasks, accept the decision of the Supreme Court when it is handed down, and then proceed in our ways of serving the people along the lines indicated by the Supreme Court decision. ”

“ Having passed successfully through the crucial period of transition from a controlled economy to free enterprise, it is time that decisive action be taken to effect the now long-delayed land reform. Land being our most valuable resources, salutary changes is imperative in the land system. Our agricultural productivity has tended to be static; farm incomes have re­mained below subsistence level. ”

“ The Administration has accordingly maintained relentless vigilance in combating the infiltration of communism in vital sectors of the Government and our society. Through our suc­ceeding program of economic and social progress under the aegis of democracy, the communist enemy is being pushed into retreat and defeat. ”

“ Workers as Proprietors
In addition to opportunities to have food, shelter, clothing, income and higher education, we likewise opened the oppor­tunity to the common man to become a proprietor and to be­come acclimated to the responsibilities of such station. It was for this purpose that the Administration sold the National Development Company textile mills in Manila to the labor unions. This bold experiment, which is an unprecedented case in Philippine labor history, is a manifestation of our pro­found desire to improve the lot of the common people. ”

“ The obvious and indispensable solution to our country’s myriad problems was to develop as rapidly as possible our natural resources in order to increase the food on the Nation’s table, thereby enabling more of our people to partake of the wealth that God has bestowed for the use not of a few but of all. ”

“ This is a time of supreme challenge for all of us. To push through to advantage the gains made in the Nation’s economic effort, we are called upon to adopt implementory measures that are unprecedented in magnitude. ”

“ We dismissed public officials for dishonesty, dereliction of duty, official irresponsibility, and grave abuse of authority and other similar violations of the code of upright public service. We have not spared even the closest friends—people whom we have long known and who had done much for us—because we believe that our duty is not to serve friends but to serve the people. ”

“ But the law can be justly merciless, too, in its retribution on those who believe that they are above the law. We will be fair even to those who will be unfair to us, but we will act resolutely against those who betray the trust of the people. ”

“ While the Nation has been undergoing a population explosion, the food on the Nation’s table available for distribution for the people’s needs have been too scanty to provide adequately for ail the sectors who are entitled to the essential services of the State. ”

“ In this moral drive to which the Administration has de­dicated itself, the innocent need not fear, for they will not be molested. The well-to-do need not feel apprehension, for the drive is aimed not at them but at the unscrupulous oper­ators who, using unfair and illegal means, have amassed ill-gotten wealth to the detriment of the general welfare. ”

“ In the context of the cold war, the Philippines had firmly aligned itself against Communism. There have been some questions raised about our uncompromising stand on the matter, but we cannot afford to succumb to the ever-present temptation to relax on our stand. Although we strive so earnestly for economic progress such ideal will be futile if our free and democratic way of life is subverted and lost through lack of vigilance. ”

“ We are gratified that in the past year, keen interest has been shown by businessmen in America, Europe and other parts of the world for the investment opportunities in the country which were opened by the Administration’s policy of private enterprise. We must continue in an even more vigorous manner to welcome foreign capital and investments in. our country. Domestic capital is inadequate to sustain economic enterprises to the extent and magnitude required for the needs of our fast-growing population. ”

“ We ardently wish that more and more of us who are representing and leading our people will more and more recognize the occasions and matters where partisan attitude must end because there the national interest which requires united action begins. ”

“ We are so convinced in the very depths of our soul about this that we venture the appraisal that if we fail our people in this opportunity, it would have been preferable that we had not gone into their service at all. ”

“ Indeed, we confess to one impatience—to the impatience which we believe to be the impatience of our people that measures be taken immediately to enable our impoverished people quickly to have a better life. ”

“ It is not easy to lift our masses out of poverty but we will do what can humanly be done within the period of our mandate to succeed. Having attained the highest honor that a Filipino can dream of, especially for one of our very humble origin, we have no more interest in the discharge of our office except the interest of our country and the prosperity of all our countrymen. ”

“ As long as the President of the Republic abides by the decisions of the Su­preme Court, there can be and there will be no dictatorship in this country. Like all Filipinos, we are lovers of freedom and we are against dictatorship in our country, and whether now or in the future, we are with those who will fight the establish­ment of a dictatorship in our land. ”

“ Not to undertake this push or to attempt it half­heartedly and without the mighty exertion required would be a crime to the Nation which future generations will surely condemn. The mighty effort expected entails unprecedented sacrifice on the part of the people and on all of us. ”

“ To strengthen our democracy and bolster the effective exer­cise of the political rights of the people, we must decisively undertake electoral reforms in this session of Congress which could be applied in this year’s local elections. Action on this matter has long been overdue. These electoral measures should effectively reduce and eliminate election frauds and irregular­ities which tend to defeat the popular will and reduce campaign expenses to the minimum in order to expand the chances of meritorious but unmoneyed citizens to be elevated to elective public office and leadership. ”

“ In our mission to build a better future for the common man, we did not confine ourselves to helping him acquire the food, shelter and clothing that he needs, and the income with which to obtain such needs. ”

“ Half-measures will only endanger the success of the critical endeavor to attain an adequate degree of economic and social progress which our people urgently need and which, if we act courageously and patriotically, is now within their reach. ”

“ We took positive steps to re-establish the moral identity of the Filipino. Our people are inherently a race of honest men and women. With a view to enhancing these qualities, we took official cognizance of acts of honesty, respect for the law, simple living, punctuality, courtesy, cleanliness, de­votion to the people in public trust, frugality, discouragement of gifts, discontinuance of large official retinues, patronage of native materials, and the like. ”