On the other hand, mining output increased 6. Most encouraging of all, manufacturing production rose by Production trends are, therefore, very satisfactory. The first area of priority was the improvement and expansion of our highway and land transport networks.
From to , the Bureau of Public Highways undertook the construction and improvement of 7, kilometers of national, provincial, city and municipal roads at a total cost of P In alone, P13 million was spent for the construction of kilometers of feeder and secondary roads and the paving or improvement of another kilometers; while P, was expended for construction and improvement of lineal meters of small bridges.
During last year, a total of 27, kilometers of combined national, provincial and city roads and 31, lineal meters of bridges were maintained and repaired with total expenditures of P52,, under the Highway Special Fund.
The construction of an underpass in P. The completion of this project requires the concreting of 3, kilometers during the period The second urgent objective was the expansion of flood control and drainage and irrigation facilities. These projects which are estimated to protect , hectares of valuable land involved an expenditure of P Construction of 13 other national irrigation projects, servicing an additional 60, hectares, are underway.
In communal irrigation, projects have been completed as of the end of , with 25 others soon to be completed. These communal projects would add 60, hectares to our irrigated agricultural lands. Necessary to the program of socio-economic development is the task of power conservation and the scientific utilization of power for general well-being and public convenience. Aside from increasing the power for the Luzon Grid especially during the dry season, this project will also serve the energy requirements of the Bataan Peninsula.
These consist of surveys, investigations, project planning, geologic studies and design. In alone, the NPC surveyed six areas, investigated 31 rivers, planned four large-scale projects for development and assessed an additional power potential of 80, kilowatts coming mostly from small streams. Complementing the activities of the National Power Corporation in bringing the benefits of electricity to our rural populace is the Electrification Administration. The capacity of the Electrification Administration to assist and encourage the establishment of a sufficient number of electrification systems has been seriously handicapped by the inadequacy of available funds.
This performance, although it underscores a conscious direction of efforts in pursuance of desirable goals, is still insufficient to meet our total requirements. Obviously, nothing short of a nationwide crash program could forge a major breakthrough in this particular field.
This initial equipment outlay, refunds, will be adequate to install electric systems in about towns. Additional equipment would be installed in subsequent stages of the program.
But we are not yet satisfied with the above infrastructure development during the past three years. We are aware that there are still many projects which have been carefully planned but as yet not implemented due to lack of funds.
There are projects involving a school building program, irrigation, rural electrification, road construction, airport and air navigation, and waterworks and artesian wells, the total cost of which would amount to about P million. But we regret to say that without any substantial increase in government income, we may not be able to start on many of these projects due to the non-availability of funds.
Proceeds of this bond issue will be channeled to the NWSA expansion program and other priority development projects. The success and the relative ease which characterized our foreign borrowing negotiations are strongly indicative of the soundness of our international credit position, the respect of other nations in our financial capabilities, and the confidence of these nations in our ability to adhere to our international commitments.
In the promotion of industrial growth, the government has provided a healthy investment climate through protection, incentives, and varied forms of financial assistance. The most significant of the tax exemption laws, however, is the Basic Industries Law. At present, about 50 basic industries have availed of the exemption privilege.
The magnitude in absolute figures of the assistance given to these industries in terms of tax savings amounted to P46 million from March, to June, For the past three years, NACIDA has conducted researchers in foods, ceramics, fiber craft, wood, bamboo and rattan craft which have encouraged cottage industry activities along these lines. We are happy to report that the investment placements as of the end of of the member financial institutions have reached P3, million, an increase of Most of these funds have been used to finance vital agricultural, industrial, and commercial development requirements.
The existence of the Council has also made possible syndicated financing by the member institutions for very large projects, where it might not have been possible for one institution along to bear the risk. Ines Steel Corporation and the Kreditanstalt of Germany. These two major projects when completed will supply the economy with , tons of steel products annually and will reduce steel importations by 80 per cent.
The pace of industrialization will be substantially accelerated with these projects. Corollary steps are now being undertaken on the development of metallurgical coal, refractory bricks, the necessary technical services, as well as geological investigations and serial surveys. In a country of scarce resources such as ours, it is imperative that public finances should be scrupulously administered so as to avoid situations where serious inbalances occur as a result of great disparity between income and expenditure.
From P1. These figures show an increase of During FY , additional taxes and duties collected at the port of Manila from technical and pure smuggling amounted to P8. The performance of the other major collecting arm of the government—the Bureau of Internal Revenue—was also noteworthy.
These figures represent a notable increase of P1. Significantly, collections from all major internal revenue sources registered increases thereby attesting to the efficiency of the administrative reforms implemented by that office. In a developing country like the Philippines, the Government has the major responsibility of providing increasing service and social overhead projects designed to spur economic development. For alone, a total P2.
We must add that the expenditures of the National Government have been increasing over the years, and they will continue to increase as the population increases and the economy develops.
In contrast, our income, even as it increases during the years, has not been of such magnitude as to cope with actual and programmed expenditure. Unless revenues are adequately augmented, it is estimated that from FY to FY , a recurring revenue deficit averaging P million annually is likely to occur. This projected deficit is based on the revised Five-Year Fiscal Program covering FY of the operating departments and agencies and projections of revenues from existing sources.
The gap would even be larger considering the new exemptions and use of funds for other purposes as contained in legislation passed during the last session. Furthermore, if all the existing appropriations under the General Fund for this current fiscal year were taken into consideration, and considering that intensified tax collection has already raised collection by 17 per cent, the disparity between expected revenues of some P1.
In the light of this situation, we would stress again our resolve to pursue sound and prudent fiscal policies. In turn, it devolves upon Congress to tap new sources of revenue.
When appropriation measures are passed by Congress, the Executive considers them not decisively from the availability of revenues but from the essentiality and importance of the service provided. It is the duty of the Government to provide and to find ways and means of financing such services which promote the public welfare.
Real property tax collections for FY were P26 million more than the collections made during FY The total gross income from general fund sources of local governments in FY was P54 million more than the income for FY In addition, local governments received, as their share from internal revenue collections of the national Government, P million during FY , representing an increase of P million over what they received in FY The role of government corporations in the realm of economic development lies essentially in undertaking ventures in new and untried fields where the risks involved may inhibit private enterprise.
In this sense, therefore, government corporations play a pivotal role in the attainment of our development objectives, particularly in the areas of production and industrial development and social amelioration. It has laid the groundwork for the establishment of a coking plant in Malangas, Zamboanga del Sur. Moreover, the GSIS has decided to sell its preemptive shares in PAL to the private sector as it is still considering the eventual liquidation of its shares in this airline company.
The expansion projects of the Philippines National Railways formerly the Manila Railroad Company would extend its lines by kilometers from Nueva Ecija to Cagayan in the North and the existing lines in Southern Luzon by kilometers. Progress of these projects has been slow in view of financial stringencies being faced by the PNR. At the root of the difficulties being faced by any developing economy is the problem of self-sufficiency in food, the ultimate necessity for life.
The magnitude of this problem may be properly gauged when one considers that with our population increasing by 3. These considerations have spurred the Government to intensify its efforts in achieving greater productivity in food, particularly rice, corn, meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products.
During the crop year , assistance under this program was extended to , rice farmers with an area of , hectares and to 21, corn farmers with an area of 49, hectares.
As a result, rice production in assisted areas increased from This represents an increase of almost per cent in yield per hectare. This was participated in by fourteen cooperating agencies headed by the administratively created Rice and Corn Authority, with each agency taking charge of a specific function, from farm planning, fertilizer and cereal distribution, soil analysis, research, irrigation to administrative and statistical coordination.
The crash program covered , hectares in 42 provinces with 77, farmers involved. Although only about 20 per cent of the area was fertilized and 33 per cent chemically treated, the yield per hectare amounted to From the above results we can draw the assurance that, given the necessary implements and the means for carrying out far-ranging programs of this kind, the Philippines can eventually achieve self-sufficiency in rice.
We are still stumped by the same problems—fiscal, organizational, logistical and other problems. More than anything else, the habitual typhoons and floods in the country have done much to negate our efforts. More funds than are currently available would be required to achieve the ultimate goal of self-sufficiency and thus enable us to depend on our own resources. Our per capita consumption of meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products stands among the lowest in the world.
In recognition of this deficiency, the Government has embarked on a long range program of propagating and improving our livestock and poultry population under the auspices of the Bureau of Animal Industry.
Likewise, the number of existing propagation stations was doubled in three years from 36 in to 72 in We note with satisfaction that these activities by the Government are being augmented to some extent by private projects which are our prime hope for economic growth.
There are now 24 feed manufacturers, three more than in Distributions of feed products are being facilitated with the increase in the number of retailers from in to as of last count. We have also seen the number of cattle ranchers increase in the last three years, from to1,, and the number of meat packing plants from 45 t o Not only have these increases cut down our import requirements of meat and poultry, but more important, they reflect a discernible breakthrough in our aspirations to bring our consumption of superior nutrients closer to Philippine nutritional standards.
With these measures, the intensification of various fishery projects ensued in the following years. Assistance was also received from the U. Since , a total of fishpond applications has been received and processed, with an aggregate area of 34, hectares. Demonstration and experimental fishponds for bangos culture and other fresh water fish culture have been established in 36 areas.
The use of purse seine for deep-sea fishing has been emphasized; from only 6 in , there are now 23 purse seine in use, with sixty more expected to begin operation at the start of We see in these the chance of achieving sufficient supply for our domestic requirements and the beginning of a thriving export industry for fish and fishery products.
Our forest resources continue to play a dominant role in the economy, being one of its traditional major dollar earners and a natural protection from the destructive effect of floods. Hence, the Bureau of Forestry has instituted a system of sustained yield management through the selective logging method which has evoked favorable reaction from various sectors as an effective measure of conserving our forest resources.
Between and , some 88, hectares were reforested and , hectares placed under maintenance. During the same period some 2,, liters of seed stock were sown in the plantations where now stand some million living trees.
Were it not for the damage wrought by strong typhoons in , the results would have been much more. The development, exploitation and wise utilization of the mineral resources of the country are a continuing responsibility of the government. From these surveys were discovered the aluminous laterite deposit in Bucas Grande, Surigao, the magnetite iron beach sand deposits along the Luzon coastline, and the asbestos deposits in the Zambales-Pangasinan region.
Exploration work disclosed substantial additional reserves of coals, asbestos, nickelliferous laterite, nickel ore and alumina laterite. In recalling the crusade of the Administration to promote the welfare of the common man, we must necessarily make reference to the enactment of the Land Reform Code for we consider this event as the milestone of our endeavors. The welfare of the common man has been and continues to be our central concern. Despite the elimination of the Land Tax provision in the code, which could have provided adequate revenues with which to speedily implement Land Reform, we are happy to announce that the Government has been able with the meager finances available to gradually carry out its objectives.
Visible implementation, however, has been limited due mainly to the inability of present government finances to provide the fund requirements of the Land Bank amounting to P million. This program involves settlements and estates, having an aggregate area of , hectares which accommodate 48, families.
As a result, agreements to sell and 29 transfers of rights were issued, while deeds of sale and 29 transfers of rights were issued, while deeds of sale were released.
Furthermore, sales applications were processed and investigated and 80 orders of award were given to applicants. These land reform districts involve some 7, farmers cultivating an aggregate area of about 17, hectares of land. They should allay all doubts on the feasibility and certain realization of our ambitious and goals.
But these activities, heartwarming as they may seem, cannot be used to validly excuse the neglect and failure in providing the Government with additional funds which could have been channeled, among other vital needs, to accelerate land reform activities. To render the program fully operational, a total appropriation of P million would be required.
There have been marked improvements in sanitation, community water systems, drainage systems, refuse collection and waste disposal. In our effort to improve the nutritional deficiencies among Filipinos, we are continuing to implement the Rice Enrichment Program with inspectors being sent to the provinces to assure its success.
In he was second secretary to the Philippine embassy in Washington and in became counselor on legal affairs and treatises in the Department of Foreign Affairs.
In he was elected representative of the first district of Pampanga Province on the ticket of the Liberal party. In he was the only Liberal party member to win reelection. Macapagal attained worldwide distinction in , when, as chairman of the Philippine UN delegation, he conducted a debate with Soviet foreign minister Andrei Vishinsky.
In November Macapagal was elected vice president, receiving , more votes than the total received by the elected president, Carlos P. In December Macapagal became the titular head of the Liberal party.
In spite of his rank as vice president and because he belonged to the opposition party, Macapagal was treated as a complete outsider; he was barred from Cabinet meetings and was assigned routine ceremonial duties. Consequently, Macapagal denounced the graft and corruption in the Garcia administration and toured the country campaigning for the next election. On Jan. Rallying the masses in the villages and towns, he elaborated a familiar motif in his speeches: "I come from the poor…Let me reap for you the harvest of the poor.
Let us break the chain of poverty…". Macapagal became president on Nov. In his inaugural statement he declared: "I shall be president not only of the rich but more so of the poor. We must help bridge the wide gap between the poor man and the man of wealth, not by pulling down the rich to his level as Communism desires, but by raising the poor towards the more abundant life.
He canceled the inaugural ball and issued a decree forbidding any member of his family or of his wife's to participate in any business deals with the government. He dismissed corrupt officials and started court action against those who could not explain their sudden acquisition of wealth.
He changed the date that Filipinos celebrate their independence to June 12 from July 4. Macapagal aimed to restore morality to public life by concentrating on the elevation of the living standard of the masses. Addressing Congress in , he formulated the objectives of his socioeconomic programs as, first, the immediate restoration of economic stability; second, the alleviation of the common man's plight; and third, the establishment of a "dynamic basis for future growth.
He devalued the Philippine peso by setting its value according to the prevailing free market rate instead of by government direction. He lifted foreign exchange controls and reduced tariff rates on essential consumer goods. Seeking to remedy the problem of unemployment, he took steps to decentralize the economy and at the same time encourage commerce and industry in the provinces.
It also makes us realize the importance of history to really help us remember the important people and events that shaped our present. We may know that once a certain Diosdado Macapagal became president, but even history teachers may miss who he really was and the important things he did. It was good he lived long and left a substantial amount of writings about himself. After the presidency, he actually went back to teaching. The beginning of his journey is reflected in the title of his autobiography, From Nipa Hut to Presidential Palace.
On Sept. He topped the bar in Not many people remember that he had a first wife, Purita de la Rosa, who died during the war. His daughter with her, Ma. He only spoke to me alone and quietly when I made a mistake. After I saw him searching for it in vain, I finally confessed. Never tell a lie and never take anything that does not belong to you.
Honesty is the best policy. After the war, he married Dr.
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