The Philippine Magazine Vol. 1 No.3 March 15, 1969

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Part of The Philippine Magazine

Title
The Philippine Magazine Vol. 1 No.3 March 15, 1969
Issue Date
Vol. 1 No.3 March 15, 1969
Year
1969
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In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
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DISTRIBUTED WITH EACH COPY Of THE BICOL MAIL I BAG\.110 MIDLAND COURIER I THE BOHOL CHRONICLE / THE CEBU ADVOCATE I THE LEYTE FORUM / THE MINDANAO TIMES / MINDANAO MIRROR / THE MONITOf< (TARLAC) / BICOL CHRONICLE I THE QUEZON TIMES I THE COUNTRY POST (BACOl.OD) / TH~ VANGUARD (DUMAGUETE) I THE NAGA TIMES / THE MORNING TIMES (CEBU) / THE PliNINSULAR NEWS (DAET) I CIVISMO (BACOLOD) / THE MOUNTAINEER 1B..A TRINIDAD) / TJiE BARANGAY (SAN PABLO . CITY) / THE !LOCOS TIMES I THE PEOPLE (DUMAGUETE) I SOUTHERN LUZON TIMES / MINDANAO PIONEER / THE TRIBUNE (CASANATUANJ / THE MAYON TIMES / PALIHAN (CABANATUANl / MINDANAO MAIL / BATAAN MAIL I THE COURIER (DAGUPAN CITY) I THE LOWLAND HERALD (LA UNION) / THE NEWS RECORDER (TACLOBAN CITY) I MINDANAO POST (CAGAYAN Oil ORO CITY) / MISAMIS WEEKLY (OZAMIS CITY) I THE VOICE (PAMPANGAl I ZAMBOANGA TIMES (ZAMBOANGA CITY) / NEGROS CLARION (BACOLOD CITYJ I CATANDUANES TRIBUNE / ISlANO REPORTER (VIRACJ / SOUTHERN TRIBUNE (ZAMBOANGA CITY) I MARANAW TIMES (MARAWI CITY) I THE REPORTER (ORMOC CITY) I EL SUR WEEKLY (ZAMBOANGA CITY) / THE PHILIPPINE OBSERVER (ILOILO CITY) I NEGROS TIMES & REVIEW (BACOLOD CITY) / VISAYAN TRIBUNE (ILOILO CITY) / NANDAU (01POLOG CITY!. VOLUME I - NUMBER 3 MARCH 15, 1969 SAVE A LIFE IN EVERY BARRIO THE BARRIO HIGH SCHOOL ONE MAN'S DREA~1 HEIL HELEN CARTOONS & CHARACTERS LARRY ALCALA LAS MORE than two hundred years ago, which is how old it is, Las Pifias town was just a beach. Fishermen from Parafiaque town used it as a starting point for their nightly fishing expeditions. The Recollects won't even consider the "sitio" a parish although it had some thousand or so inhabitants at the time. It was a poor man's village. Today Las Pifias is not only a rich town, it has become world famous because of an ingenious bamboo organ in the town's Catholic church. Moreover, the town's over 20, 000 inhabitants had during the postwar years energetically trans.: formed this shoretown into an industrial community. It is not infrequent. for example, that one hears of Las Pifias ref erred to as the "jeepney town of the Philippines." There are many other more industries, of the cottage industry variety, that make it among the most "forward moving" communities in the country. Fishing is still a major industry,_ but the hard-working townspeople are also engaged in farming, and other allied and productive undertakings. For a time Las Pifias had even its own townspeople worried over its future. Unscrupulous operators had taken advantage of the peaceful climate in the town for fast-buck activities that tended to destroy the moral fiber of the community. The determined drive of the people to clean their town and to direct their efforts to more productive pursuits prevented its decay and assured its continued progress. The town had seen calamities of all sorts, earthquakes, typhoons, e p i d em i c s, drought, war, prostitution, and vice. For some time, it seemed 2 the town would never recover from these destructive forces. Today, Las Pifias is one of the most vigorous industrial community in lUzal province. Only a quatter of an hour drive from Manila, this town booms with beach resorts a:Qd jeepney building shops. The advent of the· jeepney gave the town the push that moved it forward to _progress. Widely known is the fact that the country's largest jeep and jeepney manufacturer, the Francisco Motors· Corporation, operates from Las Pifias with an assembly plant that sprawls over a 2-hectare lot. Sarao, another name in jeepney-making, is also a Las Pifias based company. There are many more small and independent jeepney builders, and they contribute to the title By MENER FRADES The famous bamboo organ. of Las Pifias as "jeepney town." It is estimated that Las Pifias assemblers alone supply over 70 per cent of the jeepney units now operating in the country. Francisco Motors is a good example of the town's character. The firm's owner, Anastacio T. Francisco, was a farmer before he ventured into the business of making jeepneys and jeepney bodies. ..As a matter of fact it is the only firm in the country that assembles jeepneys, light trucks and cars, in one assembly plant. No other plant has a similar integrated operation. Together with his brother, Fernando and Jorge, Mr. Francisco had helped tremendously in getting Las Pifias better known not only as the bamboo organ town, but also as the "jeepney town of the Philippines." And the town is proud to be called the homebase of the jeepney - the industrial era's "vehicle of burden" just as the carabao was the beast of burden in the early stages of the country's agricultural development. PM WN FMC jeepney assembly is 100% Filipino labor. PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE, MARCH 15, 1969 This issue marks our third since coming out last Feb. 15. The encouragement that has come from friends and the public alike overwhelms our initial aspirations for thiS magazine. Now, more than ever, we are convinced there is a ready audience for a national magazine that presents the positive side of Filipino life. ·said Columnist Teodoro F. Valencia: "The metropolitan newspapers should encourage this little venture and nurse it until it is able to walk by itself. Aot the very least, PM will be doing what the giants of the press have lo-ng ago promised to do for the little cousins in the provinces." Cl IZE I VOLVE ENT Also, there are those with well-meaning .suggestions that we should somehow speak our mind on matters of p~lic interest. Meaning we should mix it up with the me'lee crowd. It iS' stressed the country is growing and progressing in spite of dark forebodings of the dire prophets amongst our midst. But it is experiencing growing pains so acute that the help of every citizen is needed to ease them. "You can help by suggesting for example that good government is impossible unless the citizens want it." "Your publication must contribute purposefully to the task of nation-building." · Who would argue those points? Could there be a Filipino who would prefer otherwise? As for this publication, we believe that any periodical which desires the affection of its reading public must identify its goals with those of the people and the country at large, But how does one help really? We believe the ills afflicting the nation are the concern of everyone, yes. We also believe that these shortcomings are normal to a growing economy and they are not inso1uble. They do not as a matter of fact constitute the end of the world. The Filipino mind is known far and wide for its genius and native talent. Its capacity for innovating things and schemes to solve his problems is enormous. In matters affecting his country all he ha!! to do is get involved. The keyword is involvement. One can help by being involved. Not in the decision-making because that is reserved for those elected to high public trust. But in many small things that collectively help solidly the foundation upon which the country is building its "rock of government." Small things like self-help, living within one's means, engaging in productive pursuits, being good citizens. Small other things like denouncing a traffic cop who accepts a "tong" from a jeepney driver, or refusing to be party to a bribery in the public service and, much less, in private enterprise. Still other things like publicly censuring officials for misdeeds and other forms of malfeasance, or extending public acclaim for good deeds and distinct accomplishments. "If you want a better government, it is your duty not only t!> scold President Marcos and his administration when they are wrong but to support him when he is right." Incidentally, the above quotation was slipped to us in praise of the introduction of a new breed 'of public managers in the government service. Men like Rafael Salas, Alejandro Melchor, Blas F. Opie, Cesar Virata, Gilberto Teodoro, Onofre D. Corpus, and scores of others who brought to their public positions management know-how gained from the private sector. For it is true that more than any other chief executive before him, President Marcos has successfully pursued a policy of attracting to the government service bright and imaginative young men, the socalled technocrats in the art of government. There are many of these men in the public service now. They could bring about efficiency in the government service. And yet one day last week one of these young men, Navy Commander Melchor, got under terrific fire from politicians for suggesting a simple management concept that certain services, like the J:Qilitary, must be professionalized. Instead of scorn these young men deserve better. This is one of the other little things we had in mind in suggesting that the citizens involve themselves in government in order to bring about the government that we want. Non~involvement could become a sin indeed. If it should persist with the majority of the 'P€ople it could brinl!' about the government that all do not want. Always a temppest a brewing in the teapot! PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE, MARCH 15, 1969 AIL PM SUBSCRIPTION I read your advertisement in the Manila Times announcing the publication of The Philippine Magazine. I am interested in your magazine and would like to subscribe to it. FRT. Carlos Martin, SVD. Divine Word Seminary Tagaytay City In the meantime provincial community newspapers are the only subscribers to PM as a S'!tPplement to their own papers. We plan to.accept individual subscriptions in the· future. Ed. CARTOONS I read the maiden issue of The Philippine Magazine and I want to thank you for the cartoons. I think cartoons should be a regular feature of PM. Could you also publish comic strips and humor articles? AMELITA VARGAS Baguio City PM regrets that it cannot publish comic strips because of space limitation. Once in a while, though, we will feature selected cartoons like Yonzon's in our second issue. You'll get the humor articles every now and then. Ed. MISS U.S.A. I am enthralled by the beauty of Miss U.S.A. Dorothy Anstett, whose photo was carried in PM's maiden issue. I think she is the prettiest in the group. Please publish a bigger picture of this angel in one of your next issues. In full color, if possible. EDGAR GARCIA Cebu City PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE is published twice a month by The SPBA and sold as supplement to provincial newspapers throughout the country. Address all oommunications, manuscripts and phofos to The Editor, PM, CCP Building, Magallanes Drive, lntramuras. Telephane 40-81-01. PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE assumes no res!JOnsibility fof loss or damage to unsolicited contributions. Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Editors of PM. Registered with the Bureau af Commerce 8 January 1969. Reproductions in part or in full allawed provided proper credits are given. Pastal permit second class mail still pending. S. P. Bigay, editor & publisher / Nonilon P. So, business & circula· ti on manager. 3 A barrio high school in U rdaneta, Pangasinan The barrio high school ' By MARIO PATRICIO IN THE light of present-day reformist movements, he seems hardly the type who would lead one. One's first impression· of him is of a shy, retiring family man, alien to the fervor that animates organized action or sparks demonstrations. And he is plainly too old to be a revolutionary (as we understand the term today), being well over fifty. But Mr. Pedro Orata has, in his own way, become a harbinger of change among us. Today, he is at the forefront of a revolution that is quietly transforming and enhancing the life of the barrio folk. The transformation is happening in makeshift high school classrooms, where thousands of barrio residents, young and old alike, are trying to complete the secondary education course. These makeshift schools have since been called "barrio high schools,'' but they are makeshift only in the sense of being without regular buildings and regular faculty members of their own. The classes are mostly held in elementary school classrooms, when they are not being used (mainly in the evenings) ; and the instructors are mostly elementary teachers who happen to be also qualified to teach secondary courses. Otherwise, these schools are every bit real high schools, complete with prescribed courses for study, grading system and even administrative personnel. As founder of the barrio high school movement, Pedro Orata 4 PEDRO ORAT A, founder of the barrio high school movement. DREAM has, indeed, reason to be proud today. At present, there are over 1,200 barrio high schools all over the country, with an estimated enrollment this schoolyear of over a hundred thousand students. This record of growth is phenomenal considering that the movement began, under Orata's leadership, with only four barrio high schools in Pangasinan and a total enrollment of 352 students only. "It all began really as an experiment," Mr. Orata now recalls. "I thought that the barrios had been long neglected in our educational programs, and · that they would continue to be exiled from the mainstream of national life unless the barrio folk themselves take the initiative. So I convinced some barrio residents in Urdaneta, Pangasinan to form their -own high schools, using the existing facilities of barrio elementary schools. We got the support of the Department of Education in this. When . we opened classes, I was amazed at the tremendous show of interest of the barrio people." To the credit of the Administration it does not only recognize but actually encourages such vital educational programs as Mr. Orata's. In his recent State of the Nation address, President Marcos ijrged Congress to pass a law that will "support the barrio high school and remove any doubts as to its legality as an institution." The President also revealed that under his administration's policy of encouragement there are now "1,200 barrio high schools all over PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE, MARCH 15, 1969 the country, employing some 6,000 teachers and providing instruction to 120,000 students." Orata's pilot schools in Urdaneta, Pangasinan today off er complete secondary courses, and over a hundred students have since graduated from these schools since their opening during the. schoolyear 1964-1965. The curricular offerings of the barrio high school, according to Orata, are the same as the courses in the regular public high schools with only such modifications as to make them immediately relevant to the economic needs of the barrio. Thus, some barrio high schools, cognizant of the problems and needs of their particular barrios, would offer courses related to rice or vegetable farming. Others would offer courses in hog-raising or in the industrial arts. Despite the encouraging success of the barrio high school movement, it is threatened today by powerful opponents. This opposition largely comes from those who own and operate private high schools. They fear that the proliferation of b a r r i o schools throughout the country will cut deeply into their business. "Our immediate concern at present," says Orata, "is to ensure that what we have taken· so long to build will not be destroyed. We want to see the passage qf a Barrio School Charter through the . Congress. Such charter would give definite legal status to the barrio high school. Senator Eva Estrada Kalaw has filed such a bill and I hope our legislators will approve it." To gather support for the-bill, Orata has embarked on an articlewriting and speechmaking campaign. Several of these articles have already been printed by the Manila Times. .At a luncheon-press conference on the Barrio High School Charter, this writer had occasion to meet and hear Mr. Oratl,l. In conversation, he was sof~spoken and reserved, very much like his handshake and his smile which neither ingratiate nor alienate. When he stood up to speak finally, the persuasiveness of the man came through. He felt as much at home in English as in his native Pangasinan. He spoke at length on the story of the barrio high school. We listened, silent and convinced.FM "The students constitute a new force in our society." -President Ferdinand E. Marcos 0 NE of the positive effects of the recent student uprisings in campuses across the nation was the acceleration of th.e move to have a Magna Carta for Students passed in Congress. President Marcos lost no time in certifying to Congress the bills pending in the Senate and the House that would guarantee the rights and responsibilities of university youth. The rights of students provided in the bills include : 1. The right to admission to any school provided students meet academic requirements and are not hampered by regulations on the basis of sex and religion. 2. The- right to be informed beforehand cm the rules, policies, fees, discipline, and other regulations and while in school of any amendments of any of these strictures . 3. The right of due process, including information on any charges pref erred against them. 4. The right to a student government. 5. The right to free research and publication, discussion and exchange of ideas in this regard. 6. The right to competent instruction and adequate welfare services and academic facilities. 7. The right to participate through the student government in setting up activity fees and other student funds. 8. The right of participation through his student government in any curriculum, teaching personnel and policy change. 9. The right to organize on campus for legitimate purposes and to seek recognition for such a student group from school authorities, which recognition may be revoked when the groups• own purposes are violated by the members. 10. The right to use campus facilities as an authorized student group, subject to existing regulations, provided that facilities are properly used. 11. The right to use the name of his school as a member of an authorized group; to hear speakers of his choice invited by student organizations; and the right to publish student-directed publications within the bounds of the law and decency, provided the paper is financed by students. 12. The right to exercise his rights as a citizen off-campus without impairing his school standing, provided that he acts privately. Matched with an equal number of responsibilities, these rights were described as "vital in any society that puts a premium on the search for truth and the total development of the ipdividual human personaljty." Fully endorsed by the Marcos administration, the Magna Carta for Students stands a good chance of passage this session. FM • PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE, MARCH 15, 1969 5 PALLAHAWAN ARADAIN, a Muslim boy with a serious eye ailment was saved from blindness by the First Lady. He is shown at right being welcomed in Malacaiiang by President and Mrs. Marcos. MELETA LOYOLA, a 14-yearold girl from Ragay, Camarines Sur, once lived in fear of the future. Her left eye, afflicted for so~etime, had gone completely blind. Worse, it had bulged so big her left cheek was almost covered. Just when she was about to lose all hope of seeing again, her case was brought to the attention of the First Lady, Mrs. Imelda R, Marcos. Mrs. Marcos- was so touched by poor Meleta's plight 'She arranged for immediate surgery at the Philippine General Hospital. That was months ago. Meleta now lives the normal life of a teenager, vibrant and full of hope. Another teenager, 14-year-old Pilgansa Pandanca, broke a leg while playing with friends in Jolo. His leg was amputated and he resigned himself to a life on crutches. Then, by a fortunate coincidence, Mrs. Marcos spotted him in a crowd that met her in one of her visits to Jolo. She took pity on the boy and through her representation to the National Orthopedic Hospital, he was outfitted with a wooden leg. Pilgansa now moves about like any ordinary boy, his morbid fear of having to appear like the cripple that he is with crutches somewhat assuaged if not erased. all over the country-blind young people, cripples, orphans, homeless old people. All of them have been helped through the "Save a Life in Every Barrio" project of Mrs. Marcos. Mrs. Marcos's social welfare projects began when her husband assumed the presidency. No sooner had she settled herself in SAVE A LIFE IN EVERY BARRIO By AL CUENCA Malaeafiang than she started projects such as the "Share for Progress" (home garden movement), a nation-wide beautification campaign, the establishment of recePtion and study centers for children, of treatment centers for emotionally disturbed children, of orphanages and youth centers, of community centers, and of homes The cases of Meleta and Pilgansa are only two instances. Mrs. Marcos has helped several others A cripple among well-wi~hers of the First Couple. 6 PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE, MARCH 15, 1969 A little patient of the "Save a Life" project. For needy, senior citizens. "Save a Life in Every Barrio" was a result of several requests for aid coming from rural folk. It was only in 1967, though, after helping two Muslim young men (a blind and a cripple) that she decided to make it as a continuing and :nation-wide project. From a modest beginning it now involves several institutions and individuals in both the public and private sectors. The welfare projects of Mrs. ~farcos are so varied that to make them more wieldy and responsive they had to be unified into one single coordinated program - the Integrated Social Welfare Program. The first of its kind in the country, it frowns on the usual handouts and doles which were familiar f ea tu res of past welfare movements. The orientation of th.e program. is toward self-help, with emph~s1s on training, guidance and, if necessary, initial financial assistance, to develop a sense of independence on the part of the recipients. .s?me skeptics,. especially the c.r1bcs of t'he admmistration would h~e to look at all· these as gimmicks to endear the First Lady to the people. But whether or not this is ~o is beside the point. The fact is that she does help the needy, the afflicted and the poor. PM ' PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE, MARCH 15, 1969 UNIDENTIFIED FLYING/WALKING OBJECTS ~By FRED D. MAN AW U F.O ( uni~en~ified flying ob- d~y when an unidentified object ~ects) s1~tmgs are old ha~ did something that stunned her. m the Umted States. Almost According to Miss Diyan, the creaevery day a Y a~kee !eports that ~ure rose suddenly and offered her he. has seen. a yve1rd obJect .o~ some- its seat! The police assured her thing. This 1s not surpnsmg be- that the unidentified object was cause America teems with weirdos merely a passenger who was tryand strange animals. ing to be a gentleman. The most recent UFO sighting Mrs. Pura Lektyur, a schoolwas described by a Chicago po- teacher, said she was walking on !iceman as a "brilliant white ball her way to school when she came that changed shapes and which across a group of strange beings looked like a harvest moon." If whose activities unnerved her and the reporting party was not a cop, ~ade her rush to the nearest pohe could have probably been hauled hce outpost. After a thorough inin for taking LSD. Nevertheless vestigation, the policemen confirm''harvest moon" is a hallowed ed that strange group was a quiet phrase in America and one must ~unch of students who were not take it as seriously as "Mommy" mterested in demonstrations and and "apple pie." were merely studying their lessons. One Jerry Zool, a police depart- There are many report.s of ment di~patcher in Michigan, said h~ppenings ~n our country. Last he received a report from eight mght, a neighbor rushed to our persons who had seen a "red and house shouting she never realized plue an~ green flashing object in ~he had been harboring an alien the sky one morning. Of course m her house. It turned out that ~e ?bject could hav<: been a traf- her son wanted to work as a waiter fl~ bght but Zool failed to deter- but .she ?,ad warned him against mme whether the reporting par- the idea because what would my ties were high on booze or not. f~iends say?" I assured her that In contrast, reports about UFO his son does belong to a strange ~ig~tings ar~ very rare in the Phil- br~,ed kno~ as ~he "New FilipiII?pmes. This is not because Fili- ~o who ~J!eves m hard work and pmos have poor eyesight or are m the nobility of manual labor. ~ess imaginative than the Amer- Perhaps one of the strangest re1cans (remember :Ambassador ports received so far is about the Blair?). Perhaps it's because we man living in the big house near always have clear skies and one the Pasig who had the guts to decan easily distinguish a m.aya clare his earnings and the income from a C-47. tax he has paid in 1968. I underHowever, there have also been stand he has dared his colleagues reports about unidentified objects to follow his example but no one (not 1?-ecessarily in flight). The has responded so far. !ollowmg are some of these sight- There is also the case of Albert mg: Kuyakoy of Slum Village who is Cornelio Komukoy, 35, of 007 still undergoing treatment for B~nd Street, Makati, Manila, sh?ck. It seems that he went to ~aid he got the scare of his this government office to follow hfe when he saw a uniformed up some papers when he was subyveird-looking creature walking jected to one of the strangest exm his neighborhood and talking to periences in his life by one unident~e people. He said it was the first tified sitting object. It turned out t!me he saw su~h a creature in his that a clerk had been very eour!1fe. /i. check .d1sclos~d that the un- teous and polite to Kuyakoy, and 1~entif1ed flymg obJect was a po- th~ e~fect, according to the psyhceman on foot patrol, the first chiatrISt, has terribly affected the cop to pound the beat on foot in patient's psychological balance. that. area.. . If you have seen or heard anyM1ss Allee D1y~n, 21, of 123 Bo- thing strange lately, why not write tac~a, Pas~y City, reported an about it and send it to The Pltileer1e exper1en~e to the police .re- ippine Magazine? The PM wet~ently. She said she was standmg comes such contributions and that m an overcrowded bus the other again is a weird thing to do. FM 7 THERE was a time when she just was another pretty face in just another movie flick, and if fans did remember her at all it was mostly for certain faint resemblances she bore to Amalia Fuentes or to everybody's idea of the girl-I-didn't-get. It was not that she could not act; her scripts never did give her enough to act on. She was the embodiment of the hero's girl-pretty, sweet and unobtrusive-rather like a pretty vase to complement a Picasso original. And then one day, it seems, the vase decided to give Picasso· a run for his money and everything was never the same again. Overnight, 8 the sweet girl came up from behind the hero's pants-and Helen Gamboa was at last a STAR. Where she used to mumble sweetnothings to the handsome leading man, the girl now said it all i.n song. Where she used to .traipsy shyly to his advances, she now did it with soul and body shakes. It was as if the duckling has suddenly discovered her true colors-and she has not stopped singing and dancing since for the benefit of hungry movie fans. Heleo today ranks among the top five names in local movies-male and female-standing second perhaps to the Fernando Poe, Jr.Susan Roces colossus. And she is that kind of star whose box-office appeal relies on the complementary pull of a good leading man. Some movie writers have, in fact, suggested that Helen is most devoured by fans when she stands alone like the Alamo. Movie producers have given trying to make her part of a love team. In the typical Helen Gamboa film, the archetypal boy-meets-losses-getsgirl routine is still evident, but the swinging and the dancing are the essential ingredients. The moment her body begins to move and her voice begins to make music, forget all your troubles and for get all your cares. And listen. Helen loves you. She belongs to any boy or girl or parent who comes in to her parlor. ™ PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE, MARCH 15, 1969 THE B.0.1. A D ECO 0 IC DE ELOP ENT I N his State of the Nation message to Congress last January 27, 1969, President Marcos stressed, among others, one important point: that there is a critical necessity to diffuse the benefits of economic progress outside of the traditional centers of development into the provinces, towns and municipalities. The vigorous support given by the government to the Presidential Assistant on Community Development and the appropriation of PlOO million for rural development projects made by Congress are only two of the more significant efforts towards the pursuit of this objective. In September, 1967 a law was passed which will contribute immensely to the attainment of this objective. This law is R.A. 5186, otherwise known as the Investment Incentives Act. This piece of legislation specifically provides for the development of the national economy in pursuance of a planned, economically feasible and practicable dispersal of industries. No doubt the legislators had in mind the spreading of · economic benefits tQ the other geographical regions of the country when this particular provision was specified in the law. The planned development of the economy was to be achieved by encouraging the establishment of business ventures in certain areas which are to be declared as pref erred areas of investment. The delineation of the pref erred areas is the main responsibility of the Board of Investments, the agency which was created to carry out the intent and purposes of the law. The first delineation of preferred areas termed the Investment Priorities Plan was approved by the President on June 1, 1968 and immediately implemented by the Board. Up to December 31, 1968, a total of 151 applications had been filed. The second Plan for the year 1969 has already been submitted to the National Economic Council prior to its submission to· the President for final approval. The concept of industrialization as envisaged in the two Investment Priorities Plans is one that !Jy G. AVILA links the agricultural and mi:qing sectors to the manufacturing sector of the economy. This policy maybe differentiated from our past developmental policies which had always stressed a particular sector over another in the determination of development objectives. To understand the implications of this divergence from past policies, let us take a quick glimpse of the past. Our Past Development Policies From 1946 to 1950 the Philippines had one overriding economic objective: rehabilitation of the stock of productive resources which were destroyed during the war. This period of rehabilitation was characterized by the presence of several constraints which held back the rapid development of the economy. These constraints among which are the slow recovery of the traditional export products giving rise to a low level of foreign exchange earnings and the continued rise in the demand for imported manufactured consumer items continued to be felt in the decade that followed the reconstruction year. In order to stem the outflow· of the scarce foreign exchange that the country earns, the Philippine government had to adopt, first a policy of import controls and later on, foreign exchange control. The import control policy gave impetus to the establishment of many import substituting ven- LJ tures. Coupled with foreign exchange controls and the tax exemption privileges on certain industries the simple processing, assembly and packaging type of business operations later on became profitable. Thus, that period of our economic development saw the birth of business operations producing galvanized iron sheets and assembling appliances and many commodities which were previously imported. However, these operations which. were spawned by policies of restraint depended heavily on the availability of imported raw materials. As such, decisions on the site d operations were governed more by the presence of auxiliary services like banking and port facilities rather than proximity to the source of raw materials or labor. Since auxiliary services were available only in the traditional centers of trade, new business ventures tended to cluster in these same traditional trade centers. As may be expected, most of the employment opportunities became available only in these same areas, notably the Greater Manila area. This state of unbalanced economic development coupled with the increased migration of the population, particularly the labor force, to the cities depressed agricultural production and ultimately retarded the growth of the rural areas. FM (To be concluded) "Miracle rice." PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE, MARCH 15, 1969 9 CARTOONS & By A.R. NAVARRO 0 NE of the most prolific among our better-known cartoonists today is LAURO (Larry) ALCALA. Since his first comic strip appeared in 1945 in the pioneer comic book Captain Philippines, Larry Alcala has published approximately 6,000 pages of cartoons consisting of about 50,100 frames .•. If his works were compiled and bound, Larry should be able to present about 20 volumes of 300 pages each volume. At Weekly Nation where he works as art director, Larry regularly puts ·out the comic page "Mang Ambo" and, jointly with 10 Er. Flores, "This Business Of Living." Graphic Arts Service Publications is currently carrying Larry Alcala's series: "Project 13," "Congressman Kalog," "Kalambogesyons," and "Barrio Pogspak." Craft Publications carries "Loverboy" weekly while Pilipino Komics, Inc. publishes "Trese Medya." For 16 years, Ace Publications had regularly carried Larry Alcala's "Kalabog En Bosyo" and "Tipin." Both comic strips have been temporarily suspended. Larry's first comic strip which run for more than two years was "Islaw Palitaw" (see illustrations). At the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts and Architecture where he is an assistant professor, Lauro Alcala teaches advertising_ and editorial design. How can a man do all these things and still find time for his family and also play "pekua" (domino)? Larry. wakes up at five in the morning to jog for an hour around the U.P. Village where he has built a· home for his wife (the former Guadalupe Valdez) and his three children. After breakfast, he dresses up and at nine, he is at his drawing board at Nation. He goes home for lunch and from two until seven he meets his classes in U.P. From 9 :00 p.m. until midnig-ht he does his regular comic strins. Sometimes, he puts the fini!'lhing touches to his drawings before jogging the fallowing day. Larry's week-ends are for his family and for fun. "He is the most wonderful guy I have ever known,'' says Mrs. Alcala about Larry. In recognition of his artistic skill, Lauro (Larry) Alcala has received the following awards: "MOPC-SPIC Award of Excellence In Cartooning'' (1962), "SPIC First Prize Award In Illustration," (1963), and "SPIC First Prize Award in Humorous Cartoon" (1965). R-11 PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE, MARCH 15, 1969 OSME~A CLAIM CHALLENGED Senator Sergio Osmeiia's claim of a solid Cebuano support in his bid for the presidency was exposed recently by Pampanga Governor Francisco Nepomuceno as a kind of "distorted statistics." Nepomuceno cited the result of the recent off-year elections in the province of Cebu where the Nacionalista sent:"lllllM.~ ate bets scored an 8-0 victory over their Liberal opponents. That, Nepomuceno .. said, is a virtual repudiation of Osmefia's leadership in his own province. SHIPMENT SEIZED Some P2-million worth of electronics items and high duty suiting materials were seized by Customs authorities late last month; The goods, reportedly misdeclared as "personal effects," were contained in 36 crates consigned to importers whom customs labeled as "fictitious." Customs Commissioner Rolando Geotina ordered the crackdown on the shipment after consignees failed to claim it within the 15-day. reglamentary period starting from their arrival at the port. BARRIO- PROJECTS President Marcos turned over 84 completed infrastructure projects costing about P400,000 to barrio officials of Quezon Prov.:. ince during the convention of barrio captains in Lucena City recently. The projects were designed to inerease income and oroduction as well as to improve health and sanitation in the province's rural communities. THREE NEWSMEN HONORED Three veteran newspapermen were conferred honorary life membership by the National Press Club of the Philippines at the recent NPC Awards Night. The three, Ernesto del Rosario, former editor of the Manila Chronicle, Manuel Villa-Real, former editor of the Daily Mirror and Jose P. Bautista, editorial consultant of the Manila Times, also received the Golden Jubilee Service Plaaue for 50 years of service to Philippine journal• ism. FISHERIES PROJECT A complex fisheries infrastructure project, composed of a 10ton ice plant and cold storage, a shrimp and crab hatchery, a fisheries technological laboratory and a district fishery station will be inaugurated by President Marcos March 16 at· Mercedes, Camarines Norte. Fisheries Commissioner Andres M. Mane said this fishing center in Bicol will greatly bolster the administration campaign for increased fish production. AQUINO BLAST HIT Senator Benigno Aquino's blast on the First Lady and the Cultural Center still continues to gain condemnation in the provinces. In Davao, DXMC's Bobby Montemayor said: "It was unfortunate that by his attack, Senator Aquino turned out to -be a great disappointment to his supporters here." The Mindanao Times asked : "When a gentleman hits a lady, isn't that reason enough why we should establish a cultural center where one may profit from the civilized and cultured ways of our people?" TRAINING PROJECTS Five industrial training projects were concluded last month, according to NAGIDA Administrator Pacita M. Gonzalez. These i n c l uded such courses as dressmaking and embroidery, tailoring, h a t-weav.ing, bag--makinv. bamboocraft, and others. PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE, MARCH 15, 1969 RP ENVOY TO U ~ . President Marcos has appointed Ernesto V. Lagdameo, prominent Manila businessman and financier, as the Philippine ambassador to the United S t a t e s. Lagdameo, who . succeeds Salvador P. Lopez who is now president of the University of the Philipoines, is connected with some 22 commercial and industrial firms. He is also an active civic and social leader. ECONOMIC REFORMS The Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines has completed plans for a convention sometime in May to discuss economic reforms the private sector wants to see taken uo in the forthcoming constitutional convention in 1970. The conference is exoected to be attended by over 300 businessmen from all over the country. A group of "elder statesmen" in the chamber, composed of delegates to the 1935 constitutional convention, is advising the present CCP lead- . ership on important economic statutes overlooked by the first constitutional convention. AID TO FARMERS The Bureau of Plant Industry announced recently the availability of seed testing facilities in its regional offices to heln farmers improve the qualitv of their farm produce. The laboratories scattered all over the country, are geared to enhance the productivity of commercial and domestic farms. RP GETS $30-MILLION LOAN The nation's development program got a big boost recently when the Philippine and Japanese government signed the exchange of notes providing for a $30-million loan to finance the highway from Laoag to Zamboanga City. Officials of both governments hailed the agreement as a milestone in Philippine-Japanese relations. 11 BOOK STORE 701 RIZAL A VENUE CORNER SOLER P. 0. BOX 193', MANILA CABLE ADDRESS:-"NABOST', MANILA TEI.& 3-7'1..'il, 4.fl.57 IMPORTER • WHOLESALER RETAILER • PUBLISHER BOOKS ELEMENTARY HIGH SCHOOL COLLEGE Y eu are invited to eur second O..r display of ltestsellers and a complete selection of paperbacks 11cc Hottt.e oj Ele9atif GREETING CARDS F.r AU OCCASIONS ,.,_... .,,_ PHILIPPINES GERMANY '"°"' U. S. A. ~ ~ §mstm . ' . 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