The Philippine Magazine

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Part of The Philippine Magazine

Title: The Philippine Magazine
Issue Date: Volume I (Issue No. 2) February 28, 1969
Year: 1969
Language: English
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extracted text: Tl-£ PHILIPPI~ ~ AZI~ DISTRIBUTED WITH EACH COPY OF THE BICOl MAIL I BAGUIO MIDLAND COURIER I THE BOHOl CHRONICLE / THE CEBU ADVOCATE I THE LEYTE FORUM/ THE MINDANAO TIMES/ MINDANAO MIRROR / THE MONITOk (TARLAC) / BICOL CHRONICLE / THE QUEZON TIMES I THt1 COUNTRY POST (BACOl.00) / THE:. VANGUARD (DUMAGUETE) I THE NAGA TIMES / THE MORNING TIMES (CEBU) / THE PENINSULAR NEWS (DAET) I CIVISMO (BACOLOD) / THE MOUNTAINEER µ TRINIDAD) / THE BARANGAY (SAN PABLO CITY) I THE !LOCOS TIMES i THE PEOPl.E (DUMAGUETE) I SOUTHERN LUZON TIMES / MINDANAO PIONEER / THE TRIBUNE (CABANATUAN) / THE MAYON TIMES / PALIHAN (CABANATUAN) I MINDANAO MAIL / BATAAN MAIL I THE COURIER (DAGUPAK CITY) I THE LOWLAND HERAlD (LA UNION) / THE NEWS RECORDER (TACLOBAN CITY) I MINDANAO POST (CAGAYAN D& ORO CITY) / MISAMIS WEEKLY (OZAMIS CITY) I THE VOICE (PAMPANGA) / ZAMBOANGA TIMES (ZAMBOANGA CITY) / NEGROS CLARION (BACOLOD CITY/ I CATANDUANES TRIBUNE / ISLAND REPORTER (VIRAO / SOUTHERN TRIBUNE (ZAMBOANGA CITY). VOLUME I - NUMBER 2 FEBRUARY 28, 1969 ~ribi~ THE MOVIE ACTRESS Expanding the nation's exports PHILIPPINE FRUITS, HANDICRAFTS IN FOREIGN MARKETS SMALL Filipino farmers have caught on with the administration's drive to expand the nation's exports. Fr.esh fruits, like mango, banana, papaya, guayabano and pineapple, have found markets in many southeast Asian and European capitals. So far the quantities have been limited but the potential for increasing their volume is great. Even one-man cottage industries, mostly assisted by NACIDA, are now aware they can sell their products for a little bit more profit in foreign lands. Makers of leather shoes from Marikina, abaca bags and slippers from Bicol, woodworks from Laguna and Baguio, brass products from Min· danao and Sulu, capiz and shell processors from Visayas, have succeeded in finding their markets abroad. There are many more PhiliPpine products finding their own markets outside the country. These bring in dollars to help stabilize the foreign exchange reserves. In the previous year, for example, .the country's income from exports amounted to 812 million dollars. Of course, 84 per cent of this were contributed by the ten principal exports of the country, namely, logs and lumber, copra, sugar, copper concentrates, coconut oil, desiccated coconut, copra meal or ' cake, plywood, abaca, and canned pineapple. Lately, rice, as a result of the extensive production program of the administration, opened new and bright prospect for export development. In all these, however, it is the food products that attract more interest because they reach out to the farmer tending small lots of fruit-bearing trees. Fruit farms do not require large amounts of money to establish. There are a few large plantations, like the Stanfilco in Mindanao which grows and export large quantities of hananas, mostly to Japan. Another grows pineapples for exports. But the great bulk 2 of producers are scattered all over the land. Large incomes stand by their small farms. What are these produce that command good markets abroad ? Mushrooms, for one. Mushrooms grow well in the PhiliPpines. The country's climatic conditions are ideal for raising it. rt has excellent export potential. Last year the United States alone had about 20 million dollar demand unfilled. Europe has more. Taiwan, a neighboring country with more or less similar climatic conditions as the Philippines, grows mushrooms. It exports 25 million dollars worth per year. quirements. Some enterprising exporters have even tried successfully to ship bananas and mangoes to Japan and found the venture profitable. · Asparagus holds great promise. It is not at present grown in commercial quantity here but could be developed since climatic condi'tions are ideal. There is a large unfilled demand for asparagus in western Europe. Taiwan, which produces asparngus in fairly large quantit~s. exported 10 million dollars worth of canned asparagus in a previous year. Besides fruits, there are other cottage industry items for export. These include frozen shrimps and tuna, other fish of all types, tomato paste, canned or frozen spinach, pickles. Many handicraft merchandisers have established outlets for their products abroad. Even children's clothing, hand tools like hammer and scissors, paintings and frames, chicken and chicken . eggs, leather shoes and travel bags, have ~port · potential. There is now an opportunity for the country to reverse the trend in its trade imbalance. There is a growing mushroom Heretofore the country has been farm near Baguio which, accord- buying more from other countries ing to reports, tries to fill the and selling less. With a more delocal demand. It can expand to termined export drive, the countake advantage of the flourishing try could sell more. The small market for mushrooms in foreign businessman, farmer and cottagemarkets. industry operator, could be assistIf a local sottrce of beans in aP- ed to form a strong base for the preciable quantity can be devel- nation's economy. Toward this oped, there is a good potential for end, the Marcos administration it abroad. Beans can be grown had drawn the framework for a easily in the Philippines. One breakthrough in foreign markets. company has tried to export this Like establishmg a national exitem to Indonesia in small quan- port commission which had retities. It has found that market duced the more than 30 steps in promising great dividends. the export licensing procedure of There is a firm that now packs the government to a dozen or so. mango, papaya. guava and guaya- Organizing the institute for small:.. bano juices anrl has succeeded in scale industries at the University exporting these products. Be- of the Philippines to help train cause of demand, this firm finds small operaU>rs in management the irregular fruit supply a big and techmcal know-how. And problem. Small farmers might strengthening ·and expanding the find it profitable to increase their operations of Nacida. All these yield and help fill the firm's re- point i<> a concerted move. ™ PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 28, 1969 The lead article in this isi®E9J sue covers the student demonstrations that erupted at last month's end. The sud- n~-tdenness with which the stu- f'~ 0 . dents hav~ ta~en . to the By s. p. Bigay streets to air their grievances has taken aback even the keenest of observers of the Philippine scene. And why not? . The studen*8 were asking, amonp other things, f()r lower tuition fees at a time when the universities were already preparing to close doors on the present school term! Were the fees right at the beginning of , the school year? . Whatever the real motives that precipitated the recent demonstrations, it now seems obvious that the schools as. well as the country's educational system are confronted with a crisis of management. Worse, what seems to ail the educational system ails the. economy too. The real manifestations of this crisis have long been evident although not seriously recognized and dealt with by those concerned. Past administrations had in fact sensed this problem and President Marcos, particularly, had responded to it by increasing the share of the educatio~ system to approximately one-third of the total national budget. Actually, we don't have to look far to discover to what extent we have erred in the management of our resources in educating the young. During the postwar years the educ~ tional mill produced none too flattering qualities and quantities of graduates, so much so that we are today faced with the spectre of a scattering legion of trained unemployed. Sad still, we have a growing pool of manpower skilled mainly to man typewriters, practically none to man machines and tools. And since the growth of the economy, even with the tremendous strides in infrastructure and food sufficiency programs of the Marcos administration, has not kept pace with the output of our diploma mills, the crisis of management in our educational system becomes gigannc. The uneconomic use. of available resources for education is reflected in the large number of school dropouts and in the alarming number of ill-prepared students in colleges and universities. Many of those in college have no business being there since they ne:ither have the training for higher disciplines nor the aptitude necessary to meet the challenges ahead. And yet the public and private investments in education represent the biggest portion of our national expenditures. This is rwt arguing against the high rate of investment in education. On the contrary, we should invest more but wisely. Especially in areas that can contribute most to meeting the problems of today, or help yield higher dividends for the country as a whole - in the training, for example,. of more management men, engineers, scientists, agriculturists, technicians and vocational graduates. The student demonstr~ tio?UJ have shown where we can start. Let us consider giving the students incentives by: 1. Lowering the tuition fees wherever possible and charging more reasonable prices for the food served at school canteens. !!. Improving library facilities and exerting greater effort to meet the textbook tthortage. 8. Employing more competent teachers and professors by offering better pay and giving other inducements as will discourage the "brain drain" that has affected adversely the professions and vital business enterprises. 4. Granting to students rights and privileges as are compatible with the prerogatives of their school's management, but asking of them in return to observe discipline and to recognize their responsibilities to society. So let there be reforms in the educational system, in the body politic, and in our society, as has been clamored. But let there be discipline and restraint too in the exercise of the so-called "student power.'' Otherwise the movement that has started in the campuses might turn into chaos and anarchy in the streets, beyond anyone's control, even by the students, themselves. A tempest in the teapot. PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 28, 1969 AIL Dear Sir: I am an avid reader of newspapers, both local and national. I buy the provincial papers because they provide me with local news and the national publications for the variety of information of national int~rest they offer. However, I have yet to find a publication that offers both local and national news until The Philippine Magazine came into the scene. Now I can have our community paper without really missing the national news. Congratulations. RA UL B. RAYMUNDO . Lingayen, Pangasinan * * * Dear Sir: The Philippine Magazine comes at a refreshing ingredient to provincial journalism. I feel that provincial newspapers carrying it will now be able to come up to the standards of the metropolitan papers: Lon! live PM. ROWENA V. CERVANIA Davao City PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE la publlohecl twlcie a month by The Sl'IA and said Cll ouppl-11t ta pravlncial new1papers throughout the country. Addren all mmmu11ications, manu&eriptl and phofet1 to The Editor, PM, CCP luildlng, Magalla,,.. Drive, 111· tramuret1. Telephone 40-81-01. PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE assumes llO respo111ibility for loss or damage to u111alicited co11trlbutiolls. Opinions expr91Sed in algned articles are tho .. ·of the outhors and do not -sarily reflect those of the Editors of PM. Regi1terecl with the lureau of Commerce 8 January 1969. Reproductions. i.n part or in full allowed provided proper credits · are given. Postal permit MCond class mail ~till .. pending. S. P. ligoy, editor & publisher / Nonllcin P. So, business & circulation manager. 3 w weeks. HAT WAS regarc\ed as impossible in the Phflippines came true in recent For the first time, students in many universities and colleges in the Greater Manila area and throughout the country turned inward their campuses and demanded reforms within their schools. Student demonstrations have been common particularly since the early sixties, but these have been directed at matters outside the schools : graft and corruption, American imperialism, Congressional allowances, crime, and so forth, but this time, students . have discovered there have been many things wrong on their own campuses and quadrangles. The recent student strikes were apparently inspired by the move of the public school teachers in Manila to walk out of their classrooms for failure of the city government to release their safary differentials. The public school teachers themselves set a record by striking for the f~rst time when they saw that while they had been denied their just due the city mayor Over at the Diliman campus the University of the Philippines students declared a ·strike which was joined in by ordinarily apathetic elements such as the faculty and non-academic personnel. For the first time in the his .. tory of the U.P. students succeeded in bringing the university into a grinding halt. Students in red arm bands were stopping vehicles and urging occupants to join them. The original 77 demands of the students ranged from student autonomy to smoking outside the classrooms, but after a series of negotiations with the newly installed president, Salvador P. Lopez, who had just left his post as Philippine Ambassador to the UN, the demands were compressed into about twenty which were discussed with President Marcos in an unusual confrontation with U.P. students. Before the meeting at U.P., President Marcos met with student leaders at Centro Escolar University where he: 1. Ordered Secretary of Finance Eduardo Romualdez to use his visitorial powers and see if he can make· the private educational institutions reduce their tuition fees to the 1966 level. 2. Constituted an ad hoc committee to study the creation of a youth and student affairs office through an administrative order; 3. Authorized the release of P5 million from unprogrammed appropriations for the improvement of the facilities of state colleges and universities. 4. Said he would certify to Congress a bill providing for a Magna Carta for students. 5. Announced he was setting aside P3 million as a trust fund for student welfare projects and civic action programs. Students On The March and councilors had been enjoying fat allowances. In no time, students in Manila universities and colleges' were staging sympathy demonstrations, and made their own demands, particularlY. reforms in their schools and the lowering of tuition fees. At the Lyceum, students demanded the readmission of several students and press freedom. In a few days students were provoked into breaking practically all the glass . windows of Lyceum while student leaders and the university officials tried to negotiate the end of the strike. The student unrest spread to Far Eastern University, University of the East, Philippine College of Criminology, Manila Central University, Mapua Institute of Technology, FEAT!, University of Manila, Philippine Maritime Institute, and the University of Santo Tomas and other schools across the countrY,. 4 PRES. MARCOS meets with UP students. PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 2S, 1969 6. Ordered the rev1s1on of the manual of information issued by the Bureau of Private Schools so that it would be more effective in giving the students the means to establish stability in schools. 7. Set aside P2 million for scholarships in technology and science for needy but deserving students effective next school term. 8. Ordered the immediate processing and award of land titles .to claims of state educational institutions. At his meeting with U.P. students the President also : 1. Directed the restoration of fraternities and sororities outlawed by the university. 2. Ordered Executive Secretary Rafael Salas to constitute and head a committee which will meet periodically with student leaders to thresh out their problems. 3. Ordered the release of ne- , cessary funds for the improvement of university facilities. The strike in U.P. was however far from over and the students continued with their strike until they said all their demands were satisfied. The strikes easily spread to U.P. in lloilo, U.P. in Los Banos, U.P. in Baguio. More Manila campuses such as Manuel L. Quezon University, Arellano University, felt the rumblings of students on the march. It has been felt however that what would have been a truly explosive situation was defused when President Marcos himself went to the students to conduct a dialogue unprecedented in Philippine educational history. As the President himself told the students : "I have opened this dialogue, and I hope that it will continue. Feel free to see me; you have a standing invitation." By the time the student unrest simmered down, President Marcos has certified to Congress the bills proposing a Magna Carta for Students. The bills stressed the rights of students in matters of admission, due process, free publications, competent instruction, student government, use of campus facilities, academic freedom, and respect of the rights of others. The President also formed by executive order the youth and student affairs office that will act as a liaison between students and the government and serve as a clearing house for student demands and grievances. Pl\,1 PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 28, 1969 A MONUMENT TO FILIPINO GENIUS When the Cultural Center of the Philippines opens this summer it will be the culmination of long years of frustrations. For the first time since the war, the nation's artists will be given a place of honor, and a place where they can be honored. Too long, have our artists suffered the humiliation of having to perform in commercial and cinema houses, often under the sponsorship of foreign foundations whose primary interest is to impose their idea of art or culture on a people still seeking their place in the world. The Cultural Center of the Philippines, built through funds raised by Mrs. Imelda R. Marcos, rectifies these shortcomings. Last .-nonth, Senator Benigno Aquino attempted to make a political issue out of. the Cultural Center, saying in eff~ct that it is for the elite and not for the masses. Senator Aquino's attacks, delivered in a most unkindly manner, have lofl.9 been dismissed as political moves (to test Mrs. Marcos's public support?) but questions still linger on whether it was really neces- . sary to build a center for the arts. If national leaders were developing not men, but machines, then perhaps all that is. needed is oil. But national construction means the development of the whole man, as well. Great men throughout the world were steeped in the humanities. It is the task of national leaders to see to it that citizens have a chance to prosper both materially and intellectually. The arts and commerce should go hand in hand. In an interview with The Philippine Magazine, Mrs. Marcos declined to pursue the political issues raised by Sen. Aquino but requested critics to be patient. "In a few months we will inaugurate the Cultural Center," she said, "let's see if we built it for the elite or for the people." Mrs. Marcos said that the public will be admitted free to many of the exhibitions at the Cultural Center. "If we have to charge for some presentations to compensate the artists, I assure you the fee will be within the reach of all art lovers." The Cultural Center of the Philippines stands on a piece of reclaimed land along Roxas Boulevard in Manila. When finished, it will be one of .the country's tourist attractions. The view from the boulevard, at sunset, with the silhouetted Cultural Center building in the foreground, is simply breathtaking. To think that less than two years ago, this was a bare patch of land. What never fails to amaze visitors, especially Americans who are themselves proud of their Lincoln Center, is the speed with which the Cultural Center was built. It took the Rockefellers 15 years to build the Lincoln Center; dedicated Filipinos build theirs in two years. · In grateful recognition of her efforts, the nation's artists trooped to Malacaiiang last month to thank Mrs. Imelda R. Marcos for constructing the Cultural Center of the Philippines. -SPB 5 MORE THAN A MARKET By AL CUENCA, JR. T HERE are more or less 67 major public markets in Manila and suburban cities and municipalities. What passes for markets, however, are merely marginal buildings housing stalls where agricultural produce, meat and dairy products are haphazardly sold. The premises are congested, disorganized, unsanitary and they lack adequate storage, refrigeration handling facilities. They also do not have enough parking space and facilities for shippers, truck operators and travelling merchants. Even more reprehensible is the existence of undesirable elements who prey on the traders and customers. Growing Needs Crammed in some 38.3 square kilometers of. land, these mArkets · can hardly cope with the growing needs of the more than 2 million consumers living in the area. Studies show that starting this year, people living in the area will be consuming 589,213 metric tons of fruits, roots and vegetables comprising 18.25 per cent of the total Philippine supply of that food group; 548,412 metric tons of cereals comprising 8.5 per cent of the country's total cereal supply; 101,066 metric tons of fish, or 11~83 per cent of the total fish supply; and 61,211 metric tons of meat which is 22.76 per cent· of the total supply~ Should the present natural population growth and migration continue, th.ere will be 3,109,000 people in the Greater Manila area by 1970 and 4,452,000 by 1982. The country therefore has to expand its marketing facilities to cope with this population growth. 6 Then there is the role of agriculture in the overall economy to consider. Agricultural Sector The agricultural sector in 1966 contributed 38.8 per cent to net domestic products compared with 18.6 per cent contributed by the manufacturing sector, and 25.8 per cent contributed by services. The 10 principal exports are agricultural products and it is estimated thaf two-thirds of the population is dependent on agriculture, with 57 per cent of the labor force engaged in it. More than one-half of the agricultural activities are devoted to raising food crops and livestock. These factors have led to low incomes for farmers and producers, depriving them of the incep.tives to produce more, thereby perpetuating the imbalance responsible for the spiraling of prices as population growth outpaces production. Vast Storage The Greater Manila Terminal Food Market, Inc.~ hopes to solve this chaotic condition and provide an immediate answer to the marketing requirements of the people in the greater Manila area. Occupying 120 hectares of the Fort Bonifacio reservation the farmers' · m a r k e t will also be an entrepot - a vast storage and wholesale distribution center for the produce of, initially, some one million farmers from 27 principal supplier-provinces in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. DBP Aid The DBP is at present negotiating with a foreign firm to supply equipment and materials for the construction of the market structure through or jointly - with a local contractor, install the necessary equipment and pro. vide technical services on either a long term or def erred payment plan. Not too long ago, Liberal Senator Juan Liwag charged that the establishment of the market complex was a "cover up" for a landgrab of 120 hectares of choice land, and that the establishment of a subsidiary corporation was a violation of the DBP charter and the Anti-Graft Law. Teehankee Ruling R£sponding to the charges, then Justice Secretary Claudio Teehankee ruled that Senator Liwag's opinion "is plainly untenable," and that the provision of the Constitution, which the Senator cited to have been violated, was a prohibition directed against Congress and not at other government agencies like the DBP. The provision, argued the justice secretary, does not "preclude other methods of organizing a government owned or controlled entity, such as, for instance, by the acquisition of all or a majority of the shares of an existing private corporation to be owned or controlled by the government or its subdivision or instrumentality." FM Proposal Notwithstanding this ruling of the justice department, President Marcos, to resolve tlie issue once and for all, proposed recently in his State of the Na ti on message that Congress pass a law to define guidelines for the creation of private corporations for a public purpose to erase all doubts as to the legality of these corporations, such as the Greater Manila Terminal Food Market and the National Housing Corporation, and to enable the executive department to plan freely and systematically the set-up of such corporations. The market complex will provide for the first time a central and systematic marketing and distributing center for agricultural and other food products, with the aim of stabilizing prices, standardizing quality, and increasing the income of producers by removing middlemen. PM PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 28, 1969 Sec. Eduardo Romua/dez: THE ONCE AND FUTURE KIN By MARIO PATRICIO WHEN President Marcos first named the men who were to compose his Cabinet, Finance Secretary-designate Eduardo Rornualdez had seemed at once to be an unfortunate choice, not because of any failing for the job but ironically because he happened to be related to the President. Many of the President's close advisers feared then that it was nolitically unwise, but the President named his cousin (by marriage to the First Lady) any- WITH PRES. MARCOS, Sec. Romualdez and way, certain that Rornualdez's discuss a vital administration project. some government officials qualifications and his subsequent that Rornualdez would "insist" on performance in the job would his resignation. blunt the critidsrn. This drew another disclaimer In the three years since his ap- from the President who stated pointrnent, Secretary Rornualdez curtly that Rornualdez would stay not only blunted the criticism but as finance chief. But the allegwas cited as well for his perform- ed conflict had been fanned by ance by the press and public alike. ·rumors and speculations, and the This, while other members of the men who had once seemed an &nCabinet became the butt of critic- happy choice for the finance portisrn, and of ha,.rassrnent by the folio now hugged the limelight opposition. And for awhile, it had because he did not want it. seemed as though the public and When interviewed at his office the President's perennial critics at the Beneficial Life building in had forgotten that he was a Ro- Intrarnuros, Secretary Rornualdez rnualdez. seemed puzzled and dismayed by It came then as a surprise to the fuss over his resignation. A many when the national dailies big and apparently shy man, he headlined recently the news that seemed an unlikely man to hug Rornualdez · was "irrevocably re- the headlines. signing" from the Cabinet. The "When the President first rnennews report mentioned no more tioned the projected Cabinet rebeyond saying that the Finance vamp to me," he began, "I exSecretary was quitting for reasons pressed to him my desire to reof health. But corning as it did turn to private life. I told him in the wake of the President's that· my health was beginning to Cabinet · revamp, the press and fail me. I have previously expublic alike speculated that Ro- pressed this wish to him on past rnualdez was resigning because of occasions, and I asked that he a conflict of policies with . the give the same his renewed conPresident. sideration. The President rejectThe President immediately is- ed my resignatiOn and r.equested sued a statement saying that he that I continue as Secretary of was rejecting the secretary's re- Finance. I took his wish for me signation. But this did not quiet to stay as a command, and so I down the fuss over the issue. An- left him thinking that the rnatother story made the headlines, ter of my resignation was closed. and this time it suggested that "You can imagine my surprise the finance chief had tendered when I found my name in the his resignation because he (Ro- headlines a few days later, along rnualdez) "was displeased by the with my reported insistence and President's alleged support of BIR my alleged conflict with the PresCornrnissioner Misael P. Vera in ident. I believe that there has the reorganization of the Revenue been too much speculation and Office." The same story added conjecture on my resignation." PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 28. 1969 With regard to the so-called conflict over the BIR, the Secretary hastens to point out that the President has practically supported him in all his actions. He admits, of course, to an occasional difference with the President over certain questions, but · he says: · "This is to be expected. Members oP. the Cabinet are not blind followers of the President." Does his kinship to the First Lady make him uncomfortable as a member of the Cabinet? "It's not that I feel uncomfortable," he answers. "I realize only too well that I am related to the First Lady. But I believe that when the President asked me to serve the government in 1966; it was because he felt that I can contribute to the work of nationbuilding." He admits to a fear that the President's political rivals might just use his presence in the Cabinet as issue in the corning Presidential elections, but since the President has insisted that he stay as Finance Secretary, he will continue to serve in that capacity. He declines to comment on his oerf orrnance as Finance Secretary beyond saying simply that he has tried to perform his work to the best of his ability. His record would seem to speak for it-self. Indeed, a review of that record would reveal too much that is significant and would be wasted if he should resign simply because he happens to be a cousin of the President, or because his health is slightly failing him. Pfv1 7 M Y KUMPADRE had that look in his reddening eyes that suggested he was about to cry. This was the fifth time he had persuaded me to take the cursillo and I always had a way out. This time he was more persistent: My name was already registered. I was expected at the cursillo house. It is difficult to make the quota but this time he managed to get me in. I could not back out now. This is the sign that I have been "called." All I had to do was take a threeday leave, pack my clothes and meet my Maker in the glorious course that is called the cursillo. I was still drinking on my way to the cursillo house. I was not prepared for this. I did not want to get in. My compadre was driving for me, gaily whistling De Colores. I was glad there were only two of us in the car. I must have- looked like someone who was going to jail. Between swigs, I thought of the reasons why I had avoided taking the little course. I remembered the cursillistas I had known. I recalled my reservations against them: showiness, religious showmanship, an attitude that seems to declare that they had- a monopoly of holiness. I was staggering when my name was called by the cursillo rector. When I was asked to take off my watch, I knew I was really cooked. And well-done was the way I turned out during the course. It was an experience. I enjoyed it. My compadre who thought I was going to be another "Brother Carlos," was pleased. I was pleased. So this was the cursillo. It was inevitable that friends and "brods" would know about my having taken the course after I left the CH. Some shook my hands and said congratulations and I said thanks. The others embraced me effusively and yelled "De Colores !" as if we were miles apart. I was utterly embarrassed. I never wore the pin because I have nevel' been a pin-wearer or a card-bearer. Also I did not want to display my new-found affiliation and be spotted by the showy "brods." My eardrums were about to split from the shouts of "De C - - - !" dinned into my ears. I was again to become unhappy, not for the cursillo but for some of the cursillistas. Their show8 iness was again to nauseate me and the flair for public rituals began to unnerve me. Suddenly I was the insider trying to get out in the company of the sisters and "brods." · Charity, brod? But consider: A graduate returns home from the course. He is bushed, physically and emotionally. He expects to go to bed after dinner and a brief reunion with his family. Instead, he finds a gala gathering prepared for him. The scene is like this : the sisters and "brods" have assembled in his house before his coming. The whole community knows about this because of their merry, if disturbing, singing. And by this time, even neighbors and curiosity-seekers have joined the crowd. In sala has been constructed an improvised altar, propped by a portrait of "The Eye." In front of the altar is a cross made of flowers, lighted candles surrounding the cross. In the kitchen, the goings-on approximate the bustle of a party for a debutante. Enters the graduate. Someone leads him to the altar and makes him kneel and stretch his arms. The group starts singing. And the singing goes on forever. The graduating body begins to heave not only because he is in the throes of deep emotion, but also because his badly-bruised knees are about to ·cave in under him. But he goes through the ordeal prepared for him by the sisters and "brods." Meanwhile, the cursillistas sing while the outsiders gape and wonder. I can write of this scene because it did not and it does not happen in the cursillo house. It takes place in almost every home where a graduate stays. I believe they call this ritual the "Palanca Offering" but it is cei:tainly not a part of the cursillo. Some crackpot invented it, probably to announce to all and sundry what goes on inside the cursillo house or to "complete" the candidate's course. After the ordeal, more songs, jokes and then the eats. After the treat and the treatment, the cursillistas leave. The whole show is called the manaiiita, which is again not a part of the course. The institution of the maiianita has been so abused that it is now used to serenade members during their birthdays, anniversaries and other social functions. Sometime ago, the Bishop of Tuguegarao was reported to have issued an appeal to stop this practice. While he did not say that this form of maiianita is not sanctioned by the cursillo hierarchy, he did say that the expense and effort' expended during the maiianita could be diverted to other more meaningful areas. Who could disagree? The next demonstrations may be against J!Ursillistas who rouse the quiet neighborhood from their sleep by their boisterous songs and spirited yells. If my sisters and "brods" would insist on this practice, may I suggest that they limit their numbers to one or two songs? Charity to people, brods ! Anything carried to excess invites contempt and derision. This could break the cursillo and nobody's to blame but the showbiz-minded de coloristas. At an office party recently, the office cursillo group had a number scheduled in the program. They sang their first song with gusto and the crowd enjoyed it. But they did not stop there. They exhausted all the cursillo songs, snake-dancing and yelling. Quietly and slowly, the people sneaked out one by one. "The world is too much with us," wrote William Wordsworth in a famous sonnet. The practice of many cursillistas echo the poet's line everytime they do their thing. End of gripe. PM PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 28, 1969 By TONY BELRICA 0 NE of the highest paid singers today in the Philippines has just joined the complex and fabulous world of the movies. Pilita Corrales emerged from a wounded life into a new field which offers a wider opportunity for the development of her creative talents. She never dreamt that one day, offers will come to her to appear in the movies. She knew her limitations and she knew that acting required a lot of· courage and a lot of talent. Although she is fluent in rendering Tagalog melodies and Spanish baBads, Pilita has not really mastered Tagalog. Her Cebuana accent is a persistent handicap. This prevents her from being a first-rate dramatic actress. For one of the most important qualities of an actress of dramatic roles is the mastery of the language of her art. Pilita knew this so that in selecting her movie parts, she chooses smaller roles as a preparation for the future bigger parts. Pilita's involvement in a rising movie career does not however prevent her from pursuing her first love, singing. She stars in a weekly musical show which, for years, has been adjudged the best on TV by the Citizen's A wards for Television. In addition, she recently began to emcee and to perform in the noon-time extravaganza, "Stop, Look and Listen" every Wednesday. Her recordings are consistent best sellers. She is a definite success in this field~ In the movies, she invariably points to the RVQ Productions as the most sympathetic studio. She said that the people in that studio are patient with her. Gossips link her romantically with handsome actor, Eddie Gutierrez. However, she doesn't confirm or deny these rumors. She simply says that she likes Eddie. "He is a gentleman," she declared. PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 28, Pilita is a new and exciting movie actress. It used to be that one can be an actress merely by bulging in the right places. Now the world of the movies has changed. Faye Dunaway and Sidney Poitier have changed the rules of the game. From now on, no idiot can hold for long a preeminent place in the world of entertainment. Thus, the local movies so shrewd in their imitations of for eign trends invariably follow suit. This trend is good for e industry, good for the people, d · good for the country. The try of more Pilitas will definit y revive the flagging movie i ust . An<l there are reasons t her e that this trend will tin the years to come. 1969 ,, I t J J ) I J Ji r 9 CARTOONS & CHARACTERS HUGO C. YONZON, JR. 10 What are the best works of Hugo C. Yonzon, Jr.! Art lovers would point to Yonzon paintings in their collections. Others would pick Y cnzon's mural on "Philippine Life" which graced the Philippine Pavilion in the 1964 New York World's Fair. The Art Association of the Philippines would release an impressive li'llt of awards won by Yonzon in painting, caricature, photography, and advertising layout and design. Yonmn ed to them by cos. McGraw Hill in New York would show some of its technical manuals and reference books containing illustrations done by Hugo C. Yonzon, Jr. of the Philippines. State visitors to the Philippines would exhibit their portraits by Yonzon which were presentPresitlent Ferdinand E. MarTl.e Daily Mirror and the Ma1!ilai Times would unfold a combined 13-year file of the daily comic strip "Sakay and Moy" while the Saturday Mirror Magazine would present its spot cartoon series "Little Toto" by Yonzon. Named after one of his thirteen children, "Little To~" (shown in half a dozen 'llamples on this page) has faded away. The best of Yonzon! Ask Yonzon the same question and he says: "I'm still working hard with pen and brush. And I still shoot a few pictures. It's hard to say. Really hard !" Yoozon started drawing on old notebooks of his father. That was before ·he entered grade school. A winner of the Ramon Roces Scholarship award, he studied at the U.P. School of Fine Arts. He landed his first job as staff artist ol the Evening News in 1947. Philprom hire him assistant art director. Adcraft made him art director. Later, he moved to Philippine Advertising Counsellors and Hontiveros, also as art director. After 20 years, he returned to the Evening News but this time as its art director. He is ah10 a consultant on cartoons at Graphic. On the side, he has done illustrations for Asia Maga.«ine. McGraw Hill continues to give him assignments. For the moment, Yonzon find'll joy in diversity. H!l has not yet decided which medium will best express his temperament. But once Yonzon finds that medium, he will mature as an artist.™ Editor'• Not.: Cartoons and Characters starts as a series with this issue of PM. PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 28, 1969 - . . • ~ . ~ I • - - - . NEWSFRONT FM TO LOWER TUITION FEES President Marcos declared his determination to lower school tuiMarcos tion fees to the 1966 level during a meeting with student leade r s at Malacaii an g recently even if such move will require the closure of some recalcitrant schools in the country. At the same time the President expressed his confidence in Secretary of Education Onofre D. Corpuz whose handling of the student unrest was earlier denounced by some members of Congress. UNDERGROUND WIRES, CABLES Manila's municipal board recently approved a resolution requiring aerial cables and wires, including telecommunications lines, to be placed underground within five years, and providing fees for the use of streets for telecommunications. The proposed ordinance was sponsored by all twenty councilors of the city. CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION Bishop Mariano G. Gaviola, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, revealed recently that the CBCP is for a non-partisan election of delegates to the f orthcoming constitutional convention. Gaviola . Bi s_h o P Gav10la cited the result of the recent plebescite as the people's wish on the composition of the convention body. CIA POLL PLOT The American Central Intelligence Agency was exposed recently as planning to meddle in the Philippine presidential election this year. The expos~ written by Manila Times columnist J. V. Cruz, mentioned Senator Genaro Magsaysay as the one being groomed by the CIA-as the standard bearer of the Liberal Party to oppose President Marcos. JOB OPENINGS Civil Service Commissioner Abelardo Subido announced recently that 46 ranking positions in the local governments of provinces and cities are open to deserving and qualified applicants. Subido said that nine of these positions carry a salary of Pl2,000 or more each year. RAT CONTROL West Germany has offered to help solve the local rat inf estation by sending technicians to help Filipino specialists engaged in the program. The off er which was accented bv the Philippine government in simple rites at the Foreign Affairs Office recently calls for a program that will be conducted in an 80-hectare lot . in Munoz, Nueva Ecija. The Germans will sunply equipment and reading ·materials. SALARY INCREASE President Marcos said that steps have already been taken to implement the five per cent salary increase of government employees starting March 1. Such increase which was provided for in the appropriations measure for the current fiscal · year under W APCO will entail P4 million a month. MALAYSIA WARNED General Services Secretary Salih Ututalum warned Malaysia to desist from further 'mischief' in the face of rei>orts that Kuala Lumpur has advocated the annexation of Sulu to the Federation of Malaysia. Ututalum said that such provocations could bring severe consequences to the Malaysians from the natives of Sulu. PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 28, 1969 FIVE FINANCE MEN SACKED Five key employees in various offices under the Department of Finance w e r e suspended recently by Secretary Eduardo Romualdez for alleged c o n n ection in malversation cases involving some P485,010.94. Those suspendRomualdez ed were a municipal treasurer, a customs examiner, a provincial cashier and two collection agents of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Investigation is now underway. BUSINESS ADVISORY COUNCIL A business advisory council of the·. 'blue ribbon' type was proposed recently by Teofisto Guingona, Jr., president of the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines. 'Composed of re-· presentatives of different sectoral groups in the priGuingona vate .sector, the council c o u 1 d meet periodically with the President to discuss the country's economic problems, Guingona said. Guingona emphasized that his proposal is the response of the private sector "in aid of government" so that the growth of trade and industry might move forward at a faster and sound pace. COCONUT TRADE Philippine copra and coconut oil are in danger of being eased out by substitutes and synthetics if the European Economic Community decides·to levy a countervailing tax on the coconut trade. With such prospect on hand, local authorities are planning retaliatory measures such as banning Philippine importation of products of nations which are members of the European Common Market. 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