Fidel V. Ramos

“ Political fanatics no one can reach through reason and compromise. This is why I ask this Congress to pass an Anti-terrorism Act which defines terrorism as a heinous crime and penalizes it with life imprisonment or death. On still another front -- in our war on criminality -- we will be just as unrelenting. Crimes against women and children are particularly abominable. I ask this Congress to pass without delay bills which impose harsh penalties for rape and for child prostitution, pedophilia and child pornography. ”

“ Our social reform agenda focuses directly upon the 19 poorest provinces and on specific sectors who are the poorest of the poor.
We are a long way from wiping out poverty. Right now, our more realistic goal is to prevent poverty from perpetuating itself. Our war against poverty must be fought by a strong army of citizens. We must mobilize not only government but the entire citizenry on the rallying cry of self-help and self-reliance. All hands -- not just government's -- are needed to win this war. ”

“ I turn now to the key legislative reform I commend to this Congress for 1995 which is tax reform. As we move toward the Twenty-First Century, we must establish a Progressive Tax System capable of funding the inevitable requirements of development and modernization while simultaneously relieving the burden from our poorer sectors. We must simplify our tax system, broaden its base, lower its rates, make it more progressive, economically efficient, and socially equitable ”

“ Our work is far from over. The suspension of civil conflicts is not peace. The containment of crime is not order. Two years of growth do not add up to modernization. And the free-market economy does not necessarily work like the rising tide, which equally lifts all boats.
Over these next three years, we have six major tasks. One -- we must adapt to the competitive world economy. Two -- we must reform our electoral system -- to cut down the power of money politics and to bring together, in the words of Pope John Paul II: "The realms of private conscience and of public conduct." ”

“ In practice, the "equality" the Constitution guarantees becomes a mere abstraction without a minimum amount of economic equality in terms of housing, of health care, of basic education. The poor are the focal point of government's social services -- which are of course financed through the taxation of the more comfortable and affluent among us. Those of us who still regard the state as no more than a night watchman -- whose only duty is to safeguard private property -- live in an era long gone. ”

“ We seek legislation to improve the urban poor's easier access to decent and affordable housing. And I ask this Congress to continue its predecessor's work of setting the framework of agrarian reform and modernizing agriculture -- as the foundation of industrialization and sustainable, broad-based development. I ask you to give maximum legislative support towards the increase of the Agrarian Reform Fund, and to pass the Irrigation Crisis Act, if we are to make our small farmers competitive in the world. ”

“ But let us not forget that the democratic way -- by enlarging the latitude for debate and dissension -- also demands harder work, greater cohesiveness -- and social responsibility -- from every one of us. If our democracy is to adapt to the dynamism -- of society, culture and politics -- which is the wave of the future, then it must become more pervasive, more participatory. ”

“ Finally -- let me say a few words about the importance of good governance which is the foundation of sustained development. We have turned around precisely because we first put the house of government in order -- and created a better climate for cooperation between the legislative and executive branches. I cannot overemphasize our need to improve government's capacity and effectiveness. Our ultimate object is to assert the rule of law -- to replace privilege with effectiveness, and establish the social cohesion and legal equality that characterize a working democracy. ”

“ Our economy is growing. This time, growth is driven by investment and exports -- not by consumer-spending. Inflation we have kept at single-digit levels and interest rates are decreasing. And for a change, we see the peso rise -- instead of decline. Political stability underpins our turnaround. We held two successful elections these past three years -- proving Philippine democracy is no longer fragile as it once was. And we have gone some way in placing the common tao at the center of our development efforts -- both as agent and as beneficiary. We have made diplomacy a tool for development. ”

“ Ladies and Gentlemen of the Tenth Congress: In the drive to make our democracy work, we of the Executive Branch and you of the Legislature must lead and achieve. I also urge those in media to enhance public awareness of our reform programs while they continue their support and impartial reporting of national issues. Let us remind ourselves that to achieve great deeds, we must not only plan and act -- we must also believe in a shared vision towards which all our energy, talent and time must converge. ”

“ God helps those who help themselves. Our economic turnaround is an achievement created -- with God's help -- by our people's labor and will. All that government can justly claim is that it has begun to create the environment in which business can flourish, and workers can create wealth, and secure for themselves a just share of it. ”

“ Our Muslim communities we must bring faster into the nation's mainstream by providing a greater share of the resources for infrastructure and human resource development. On environmental protection, I ask this Congress to enact the proposed codes on forestry, the environment and land use. We must institutionalize our common conviction that nature is not something to be abused -- but God's blessing to be enhanced. God intended man to live in harmony with nature -- not to ravage it. ”

“ Our difficulty in achieving political reform arises not only from the lack of enabling laws, but also from the weight of our traditional culture of "palakasan" and "palusutan". Most of the rich and powerful still demand -- and often receive -- preferential treatment in the transactions of daily life -- beginning with exemption from traffic rules to tariff walls for their monopolies. This focus on special privilege and special treatment we must remove from our culture. We cannot enter the Twenty-First Century with one foot stuck in the feudal era. ”

“ Thus, our approach to eradicate poverty is founded on three major interventions: One -- we need to build up the absorptive capacity of the poor by enhancing the capability of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and People's Organizations (POS) -- such as cooperatives, livelihood associations and self-help groupings -- that are dedicated to them. I ask Congress to formulate innovative ways to provide resources for training, organizational development and capacity building of NGOs and People's Organizations focused on poverty alleviation. ”

“ We can efficiently enforce or modify existing ones, rationalize our convoluted incentives system, improve collection efficiency, and strengthen our capability to prosecute and put behind bars tax cheats and tax frauds.
Tax reform will also generate a recurring flow of funds we need to invest in human capital -- in improving the health, housing, education, skills and productivity of our workpeople. Families stranded in low-income occupations cannot prepare their children to be the productive citizens of tomorrow. We must help those children gain access to opportunities for self-improvement. ”

“ The Ninth Congress passed into history without acting on the bill on emergency powers to streamline the entire Executive branch. I trust this Tenth Congress will have the will to do so. Management teachers remind us that there is a difference between efficiency and effectiveness. The public agency and the public servant can be efficient for as long as they fulfill their mandate within the law -- even if that law is already outdated. Effectiveness, on the other hand, has to do with meeting objectives at the appointed hour. Effectiveness is doing the right thing at the right time. ”

“ Together with our friends in the world, we must work for the reform of the United Nations system -- to make it a more effective instrument for multilateral peacekeeping. We seek the Senate's concurrence on various treaties -- all aimed at enhancing our economic, social, political, technological and cultural contacts in the global community. ”

“ Furthermore, I urge Congress not to pass any legislation exempting more lands from the coverage of agrarian reform. I also ask Congress to pass the Fisheries Code, a law long delayed and eagerly awaited by our fisherfolks. We must also reach out to our indigenous peoples -- so they can take part in our communal effort at development without losing their cultural identity. ”

“ Next year, we shall host the leaders' summit of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) , at which venue, we will continue to champion the development of the human resources of our 18-member economies, believing that every economy should make human beings the center of its concerns.
The Armed Forces Modernization Program enacted by the Ninth Congress enables us to improve our capability to defend our national territory -- and to enhance our influence in promoting regional security cooperation. In undertaking the program, self-reliance will continue to be our guiding principle. ”

“ Those who deride our economic performance and social programs as not having improved the lives of the poorest Filipinos use one of the oldest logic tricks in the book -- building a straw man only to knock it down. ”

“ With this further economic liberalization, Metro Manila can now compete to become a financial and trading center in Southeast Asia and our archipelago can aspire to become a landmark in the borderless world of the future. Let us not delude ourselves: it is a brutally competitive economic order emerging out there. ”

“ Clean up the electoral system, so citizens can be sure that their votes are counted. Open the positions of political power to all who aspire and are willing to compete. And, ensure that the wielders of power are accountable to the electorate. ”

“ If we fail to adapt to new economic realities, we will lag even farther behind. Worse, we may fritter away the gains we have already won. How then do we squarely face this challenge? how do we stay on track and accelerate our advance? ”

“ Ultimately, the pace of growth will depend on how solidly we build our platform for takeoff. That platform will be stable only if it is built on the rock of peace, civil order and social harmony. This is why we have offered peace with honor to the military rebels, radical insurgents and Southern secessionists. ”

“ As we pursue our economic development efforts, we will also improve the delivery and coverage of basic services to provide the minimum basic needs of our people -- water services, electricity, housing, jobs and livelihood opportunities, credit support, among others. ”

“ But far more than merely acquiring or installing the latest equipment, the development of our human resources is the most meaningful component of our defense modernization. We need dedicated soldiers and highly-trained, forward-looking men and women in the ladder of command. ”

“ The ability to create knowledge is rapidly replacing manufacturing power as the crucial factor among competitive economies. Information Technology (IT) is the highway of the future, which compels the enactment of laws to promote this new sector of opportunity and challenges our science and business leaders to create our export niche for Information Technology products. ”

“ We cannot remake this country without tearing open the old blinders and throwing away the old formulas. We will continue to develop only if we adapt and innovate continuously.
Many so-called "thinkers" make a profession of predicting the collapse of all our endeavors. the best reply to these prophets of doom is the continued success of our programs. ”

“ In Japan, far-reaching economic changes seem imminent -- which should further open its markets to our products and bring a fresh wave of Japanese investments into our country. In Southeast Asia, recent events carry forward our hopes for the eventual integration of its 10 countries. Vietnam is poised to become a member of ASEAN. Laos is already an ASEAN observer country. ”

“ Many lean and hungry peoples are being integrated into the global economy. Competition is particularly fierce for trade and investments. And the countries most likely to capture these investments are those that set out the appropriate policies. ”

“ As a founding member of the World Trade Organization, an urgent task of Congress is to further harmonize our trade, investment, agricultural and industrial policies with our commitments under the Uruguay Round Agreement. ”