President Quezon and Business

Title

Identifier

Editorial

Language

English

Source

The American Chamber of Commerce Journal Volume XXIV (Issue No.7) July 1948

Year

1948

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

So-called foreign, * especially American, business is no more "adventitious” than is the form of government and the public service and welfare systems introduced here,— harbors, roads, post offices, schools, hospitals, etc. Under present treaties between the United States and the Philippines, a practically free trade is to continue for several decades. Any attempts by short-sighted per sons in or outside the Government to damage American business interests here and its agencies, are as unwise as it would be to attack official American agencies. Both represent, in their different ways, American interests, —and American and Filipino interests, from historical causes, are mutual to a high degree. The natural and rightful concern of the American Government in the continued advancement and prosperity of the Philippines after independence, is being very defi nitely demonstrated not only by the grants, in various ways, of sums running into billions of dollars of American tax-payers’ money, but by the initiative the American Gov ernment assumed toward maintaining a "parity” of rights between Americans and Filipinos in the development of the country’s natural resources and the operation of public utilities; by its requirement that war-damage payments made to Americans be reinvested in this country; and by its care in writing clauses providing for non-discrimina tion in the new treaties between the two countries. All this was and is being done not so much in the interests of America and Americans, but in the interests of the Philip pines and the Filipinos. American business interests, far from being "adventi tious”, are highly integral. For the Filipino people to permit certain men among them (they are the truly adven titious ones), to damage and destroy these interests, is plainly to damage the country and themselves. For the Filipino business group as a whole, it would be, in the words of the old saying, "cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face.” Work of the Philippine Congress We regret that the promised review of the work of the third session of the First Congress of the Republic of the Philippines could not be included in this issue of the Journal because copies of many of the bills passed, both during the regular session and the special session which followed it, were still unavailable when the issue went to press. Readers will find partial reviews in the column, "Leg islation, Executive Orders, Court Decisions”, in this and past numbers of the Journal. President Quezon and Business THE reception in honor of President Quezon given by the American Chamber of Commerce early this month in its new quarters in the recently completed Heacock Building, was a grand success. The President was in fine fettle and delivered a sparkling, impromptu address that plainly filled every one present with joy. He said the Government of the Commonwealth is not a "communist” government and does not look upon business with prejudice. On the contrary, he affirmed, the social justice program of his administration is intended not only to benefit the masses, but also, indirectly, busi ness, for when the purchasing power of the masses increases, business benefits. He expressed his gratitude to the busi ness men who show their faith in the country when the future is not so certain by putting up such edifices as the Heacock Building, and pledged that "as long as respon sibility and authority lie in the hands of the Filipino people, we are going to treat you all justly; we are going to support you in all your legitimate enterprises”. He was applauded to the echo. Despite his social justice program, which continues to be considered in some quarters as decidedly radical, Pres ident Quezon has appeared before various business groups on previous occasions, always expressing similar views, and this is no doubt one reason why, in spite of political un certainties, war conditions, and discouragements of one sort or another, business has on the whole forged forward since the inauguration of the Commonwealth Government. There can be no question that President Quezon is following a wise policy in this respect. Such evils as plague the Philippines in the social-economic sphere are those of surviving feudalistic conditions rather than of the new capitalism. In fact, as in other countries in this stage of development, reformers and buildets such as President Quezon will find a powerful ally in business against the feudal influences which must be further broken up if the country is to develop a stronger middle class without which progress in the modem sense is impossible... —From the March, 1940, issue of the Philippine Magazine 238

pages

238

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