Ferdinand Marcos

“ Only a few weeks ago, we sat down in friendly consultation with dignitaries from Libya, Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Somalia on how the Islamic nations can help in our effort to lift up the Muslim areas.
At the root of all these is a new sense of vitality and discipline, a new sense of pride that has taken hold of our people. Here at last is a people, who will obey the law not because they fear punishment, but rather because they know that by supporting order and government, they are building with their own hands the future that they want. ”

“ The sheer momentum of our reforms so far has thrust our country forward on its journey toward full national development. But, compared to the long way we still have to go, we have taken only a few steps.
And we cannot afford to linger on the road. If we do, we risk being overtaken by a re-assertion of old habits, a relapse into complacency and indolence.
Then also, development generates its own dynamism. Our very gains have created new problems, vastly more complex than the ones we have surmounted. ”

“ We ratified a new Constitution that has given a firm and formal basis to the sweeping reforms that we instituted by decree.
All the social and economic reforms that had been denied us by the old legislative process are now enduring features of the law of the land.
The sanctified concept of private property, which permitted the rise of an exploitative oligarchy, has been displaced by a democratized concept of private wealth.
The new Constitution declares as national policy the need to democratize wealth and spread social justice. ”

“ But we shall also remain eager to negotiate, to conciliate the grievances of those among us who are disaffected, who feel left behind by the level of living that others of us have attained. We shall extend the government’s hand, in friendship and respect, to all those who desire it. And the state shall continue to make its primary concern the task of spreading the benefits of development equitably among all our people. ”

“ We must vigorously check any backsliding on the part of the civil service and the national bureaucracy;
We must complete the land reform program that we have begun;
We must propel the national economy to new feats of productivity;
We must democratize wealth, and make labor a full partner in development;
We must broaden the social services, particularly in housing and education ”

“ But there is a common experience we share as a people and as a nation that survives to record the real change in our country. This experience is our collective effort in laying the foundations of a new society. ”

“ Our basic strategy is to balance the optimum growth in national product—utilizing both national and foreign capitals to the fullest extent—with the largest-possible expansion of employment. Toward this end, we are paying particular attention to the encouragement of small- and medium- scale industries, which are characteristically labor-intensive.
We do not intend to neglect our youth in this generative process. Our out-of-school youth, particularly, must become committed to development: they too must share in the proceeds. ”

“ Our primary area of interest is productive Philippine participation in ASEAN and the creation of an Asian Forum as a meeting-place of the diverse ideologies, cultures, religions, political orders and national interests of the Asian national stales, which must share a common interest in peace and prosperity in the region.
The agenda before us is full. Hard work awaits us. But the future we face is bright, for national development is within our grasp. ”

“ Man­power and youth training continues to occupy a high priority in our human resources program. Some 13 public employment offices have been set up all over the country to gather labor market information, match available skills with available jobs and work out employment generating schemes in cooperation with local governments, civic groups, and the private sector. Women and minors, and the long-neglected domestic help, all got their due from our labor reforms. ”

“ To whom much is given, much will be expected by the New Society. We shall propose to national business and industry the creation of a social ameliora­tion fund that will encompass housing, education, medical and pension plans for their workers.
This acceptance by the rich of their social responsibility must include their willingness to democratize the crucial sectors of the economy. We shall urge corporations engaged in the public utilities and the exploitation of natural resources to broaden their ownership. ”

“ The man who once surrounded himself with hired guns has been put in jail or reduced to insignificance. Those who used to seek his influence can now go to government offices on their own and be sure they would be served. The small man who did not dare to raise his voice can now speak and be heard. Poverty is no longer the solitude of the poor. It has become the concern of all. ”

“ As an earnest of our determination to develop the economy, we have in the past year drawn up a variety of incentives for business and investment. We shall continue this policy. The tax on dividends declared by corporations shall be reduced from the present 35% to 15%.
We shall continue to protect foreign investors from harassment, confisca­tion, or expropriation. The government regards them as partners in Philippine progress and solemnly guarantees the free repatriation of their investments and their profits at any time.
In government, we shall continue to give priority to development. ”

“ Despite the lessons of the past, there still is a tendency among some of the affluent and economically-powerful in our society to amass wealth indiscriminately and to corner scarce commodities. The government has no desire to create new oligarchies in place of the old: we shall take every opportunity to encourage the rich in the fulfillment of their civil responsibility. ”

“ Easily the most meaningful reform in the society is the emancipation of the fanner from his age-old bondage to the soil. This means the liberation of about a million farmers who have tilled without owning the land. ”

“ And in place of this monopoly of power by the rich, there has been a resurgence of the power of the people to determine their future. Sovereignty has passed from those who claimed to represent the people to the Filipino people themselves.
Today, what began as a movement to ratify the new Constitution by the direct and open exercise of initiative by the people, has become the mainspring of political power and decision-making. Through the barangay, the voice of every citizen has found a direct channel to the citadels of government and the heart of the Presidency. ”

“ The cornerstone of this policy is the land reform program. This has touched the lives of many Filipino workers on the land. But the implementation of the program has been hampered by a lack of funds, by resistance from vested interests, and by administrative deficiencies. In some cases landowners, in the ways of the old society, are once again trying to use their “connections” to preserve their landholdings.
On the problem of food production, the next harvest should enable us to more than meet our minimum domestic requirements in rice and other food crops. ”

“ We have redressed the most urgent popular grievances. We have established a pattern of social, political, and economic stability. From this new level of stability, we must now launch our nation towards a new height of development. ”

“ Part of this enlistment of our youth in the developmental process is the reform of the educational system that we have initiated, to transform our schools from sterile ivory towers into vital centers of modernization. ”

“ In the last 12 months, we have started to shift the thrust of the economy from imports to exports. In this effort, we have had initial success—which is reflected in the favorable balance of trade, the unprecedented level of our foreign reserves, and in the influx of foreign investment. Our exports increased by 57%, 27% of which are new products. ”

“ As for the laborer, we sought reforms that contribute to his dignity as a working man. We have just finished a Comprehensive Survey for Employment by world experts. Through the National Labor Relations Commission, we instituted a system of swift arbitration and conciliation between labor and management. ”

“ The result of all these social programs, whether directed towards the achievement of social justice or the broadening of social services to the people, has been to increase the chances of every man, woman and child of this country for a long and productive life, for a living place in harmony with their hopes, and for an equal share in the benefits of progress. ”

“ It is this reaching out to one another, to do something ”extra” for the country and for one’s fellowmen. It is here that our democratic revolution inscribes its greatest virtue, its most important gain. For it is that makes an age, a culture, a civilization. ”

“ In housing, we instituted a more reasonable and effective rent control law, increased the housing allotment to P970 million, with eighty per cent to be borne by the private sector. The capitalization of the National Housing Corpo­ration was increased to P250 million to make it a more effective agency for low-cost housing. At the same time some 45,570 squatters were moved to government resettlement projects.
In education, we began a reform that seeks to improve the relevancy of the curricula to the building of a society of enlightened and productive men. ”

“ Every citizen now has a chance to speak on the issues that affect the national community, to harmonize his interests with those of the community, and to act directly on matters that touch deeply his individual and communal life. ”

“ State support for early education has been broadened by the new Constitution to include high school education in cases where funds are available for the purpose. Various means to reduce the cost of learning tools, including books, have also been adopted.
We have not overlooked the care of the health of the population. Govern­ment health services and Medicare have been broadened and expanded, parti­cularly in the rural areas, where health conditions, in spite of our efforts, often determine life or death. ”

“ In a memorable metaphor, the historian Toynbee compared human societies to climbers on a cliff. Some have found poor niches in the rock—and are content to rest where they are: static, petrified, unwilling to venture any higher. ”

“ Ford has begun construction of a body stamping plant in the export processing zone of Mariveles at a cost of P257 million. General Motors is constructing a P137 million transmission plant in Muntinglupa. Delta Motors has just completed us engine block plant.
There was no letup in our effort to support the growth of the economy with infrastructure. We have increased capital expenditures to P5.3 billion—an increase from 15% to 45% of the budget. The integrated development approach allowed us to concentrate on a number of area development programs, including the Manila Bay Project and Mindanao. ”

“ Our relations with our neighbors and the outside world have been marked with civility and friendship, with a deepened understanding on the part of our allies of the new decisions we have had to take in pursuance of the society we are trying to build. ”

“ In energy exploration, we have made it highly attractive for domestic and foreign investors to join the search for oil and other sources of energy. A Petroleum Board has been created, and the Oil Industry Commission has been attached to the NEDA, signifying the high rating given to oil in our priorities. ”

“ Neither has insurgency completely subsided. In some parts of the southern islands, in Northern Luzon and Bicolandia there is still occasional righting between our troops and rebellious bands. Although the government has broadened its effort to develop the Muslim regions through a broad-based, integrated program of economic and social development, and our negotiations with leaders of the disaffected communities have been productive. ”

“ The farmer who feared for his cattle can now sleep.
The man whose father tilled another man’s land will no longer sire children who will till the land of the landowner’s sons. Together they will have their own lands to till. ”

“ Our economic performance in the past twelve months has raised our credit rating at the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. As a result, we have been able to ease our debt-servicing burden and to generate more development capital through foreign loans. ”

“ Our reforms have won the respect and confidence even of those who were skeptical about the prospects of our success immediately after September last year. We have won new friends without losing any of our old ones. ”

“ Toward this end, I have ordered the creation of a Human Settlements Commission to oversee the establishment of satellite towns and cities distinct from the Metropolitan Manila region, and to study the implications of changing population patterns and new modes of social organization. ”

“ Employment reform also continued, and we succeeded in cutting down the unemployment rate to five per cent. By requiring certain agencies of the government, and encouraging the private sector to give priority to labor-intensive projects, we were able to generate more jobs for our people. ”

“ This tourist influx has not only given us an evolving major dollar earner for the economy, but has also given impetus to some of our environmental programs, like the cleanliness and beautification drive and major historical reconstruction projects. ”

“ Not only have we sought to open up the rural areas to industrial development. We have also begun to develop as many tourist attractions in these areas, as part of our tourist development program. After September, the Philippines became a favored tourist destination, and for the last 12 months, we posted an increase in tourist traffic of 107 per cent. ”