Be industrious. Be not afraid or ashamed to do manual labor. Productive toil is conducive to economic security and adds to the wealth of the nation

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Part of Code of ethics submitted to the president of the Philippines

Title: Be industrious. Be not afraid or ashamed to do manual labor. Productive toil is conducive to economic security and adds to the wealth of the nation
Language: English
Source: Code of Ethics submitted to the President of the Philippines
Year: 1940
Rights
Fulltext: heritance which he i·eceived f1·om his parents into vast property holdings. He never boasted of his riches and with exemplary modesty' he presented himself with the same eimplicity and poverty to which he was accustomed before he became rich. · In common with Rizal, Mahini, Arellano, and Librada Avelino, we should lead .a life of modesty and moderation; and like Julian Mercado, Mariano Pamintuan and Juan Sison, a life of frugality and simplicity. x. < LIVE UP TO. THE NOBLE TRADITIONS OF OUR PEOPLE. VENERATE T~E MEMORY OF OUR HEROES. THEIR LIVES POINT THE WAY TO DUTY AND HONOR. · A nation will not long endure if it is wrought in the midst of foreign and , exotic · ideals. Just as a tree will not grow up straight, 'strong and luxuriant, unless it is native to the soil and air so a nation will not assume girth and strength unless its roots are planted deep into its own past and its soul is nourished by its own tradition's. This does not mean that we should reject everything that is · not Filipino but it does mean that we' should discard that false concept that everything foreign must be good and, therefore, must be imitated. We must u'Se discrimination and prudence in adopting foreipi models. If we have to follow foreign ' patterns, we should blend them with our own customs, traditions and ideals, purifying them first of .whatever grossness or imperfection they may be afflicted with. Paraphrasing the language of President Lopez of the Federated Government of the Bisayas, asserting the authority of the Central Government of Malolos in defiance of the forces of Ame1~ican occupation on January .'9. 1899: Filipino nationality is founded on the sacred bonds . of blood, customs, ideals and common sacrifice·s. _ The possession of a common imperishable tradition is' the most poten,t of all factors in nation-moulding. The essence of nationality is sentiment. It is pride and glory in a common inheritance \Vhich strengthens the bonds of union. Our national heroe'S embody the character and ideals of our country. Their memory should thrill us with the spirit of emulation. The recollection of their glorious deeds should ser ve to rekindle. in our hear ts the love for freedom. The veneration of our heroes implies our recognition that in playing their part, they did with courage and wisdom what their patriotic duty dictated them to do; it means also that in playing our part we assume the obligation to do in the light of present condition's what our heroes would do if they were alive. Each epoch has its own i·esponsibilities. It behooves us now to discharge ours, with the same honor and dignity with which our ~eaders of the past discharged theirs. With virility and courage and with unswerving resolve, we must safeguard our magnificent national heritage, for our future li~s not in slavish imitations of ·foreign ideals but in our native qualities, and in the "composite voices of our great heroes that once trod our soil."• XI. BE INDUSTRIOUS. BE NOT AFRAID OR ASHAMED TO DO MANUAL LABOR. PRODUCTIVE TOIL IS CONDUCIVE TO ECONOMIC SECURITY AND ADDS TO THE WEALTH OF THE NATION. L:fe is work. . Man perfects himself by, working. Man reinforces himself by industry. Great ends· necessarily demand great labor. There is virtue in the spade and in the hoe. There is a'S much nobility in plowing the field as in writing on philosophy. . Labor leads the m'ind of men to serious things; it sharpens the mind of men by study; it inspires manly vigor by exercise and discipline; and, it leads to the intense cultivation of land, so essential to the life of an agricultural nation. By labor, by work, by industry, jungles are cleared, barren lands are made to yield, fair fields arise, and stately cities born. Emilio Jacinto said: ... Many are ashamed to work, principally the wealthy, the powerful, and the learned who make a vain show of that which they style the comforts of life or corporal well-being. "And they finish in the mire, leading a miserable and abject life that tends to bring about the destruction of the human race. PAGE 16 • T '1TI" THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT REVIEW SUPPLEMENT "Whatever is useful, whatever tends to make life easier, that let us support because it is a l'esult well worthy of our efforts. "He who toils keeps away from , a life of disorderly and bad . habits and boredom, finds diversion in labor, and becomes strong, prosperous, and cheerful. "God wants .us to . work, because if we see ourselves surrounded with all we need and swim in abundance, it is the result o~ our efforts, hence, without doubt, work is neither punishment nor a · penalty, but a reward and .blessing bestowed by God upon man through the grace of his great love." Bonifacio said in his -Dnties, of the Sous of the People: "Diligence in the effort to earn means of subsistence is. the genuine love of one's self, one's wife, son, daughter, brother sister, and compatriot." Jose Acosta after many years pf continuous hard work was able to acqui1·e large tracts of land and leave a legacy which constituted one of the biggest fortunes in the province of Ilocos Norte. "Work unceasingly," he · Was wont to tell lhis children, "for if a man does not work, the soil will produce only weeds and thorns." Esteban Manalo of Riza l, who wa:::; ahl<' to· eke out a 'competence from the humble business of duck-raising, i11ustrated patience, 1 assidu~ty and love of wol'k . To save what he would otherwise have paid for wage:.., he did the odd iobs in his business whenever he could. . More~ver, he employed' his stlldent sons during vacations to accustom them to t~1 e habits of work. General Migu"l Malvar of Batangas, famed revolutionary hero, exemplified in his private life the dignity of labor. Said Villamar of him: "Since his childhood he showed a love of work, even going as far as to mow grass which he himself carried on his shoulders to sell in town. Far from giving him'self up to leisure and entertainment during the long vacation he employed his time in the purchase and sale of articles, the proceeds of which he gave to his mother. In order to make his occupation more profitable he employed himself in the care of domestic fowls. " Such was hi• s industry that after the revolution he devoted himself anew to agriculture and commerce with fervor and enthusiasm that he was ahle to leave his children extensive farms at the time of his death. Dr, Pardo de Tavera offers us the following keen analysis of the Filipino soul : "Our very concept of h'appiness in life is erroneous: it seems as if we base it on the ideal of tranquility, and 0want to conquer peac~ by always fleeing away from the struggle, from all worl< that signifies bodily 01· mental exertion. We want a carefree life; a livelihood that ,banishes away all worries of penury; a tutelar an<l . kindly government composed of just and wise men into whose hands we can commend everything so that they 1nay take charge of punishing malefactors, destroying locusts, extinguishing fires, mai.nt~in ing roads, repairing bridges, training men, establishing hospitals, extending railroad lines, lowering taxes, improving our conditions of · living, chas,tising our enemies, and at the same time acquitting us when the Penal Code catches us in its toils. We also want lucrative sinecures so that we may be able to earn more l:emuneration with less work. W ~ cannot atta ill true welfare by this mode of thinking. The dignity, utility and necessity of labor; a life of activity for the maintenance of intellectual as well as muscular suppleness, for the conservation of peace and order, for t!le increase of our ·material welfare, and for the extension of mutual help for the benefit of all - these are the elements that ought to characterize our mentality." Not alone a·mong the rich ·few, softened by luxury and devitalized by idleness, but also arnong the poor multitude, resigned to a life of misery and want, should the gospel of work be taught, and taught hard. W e must live by the sweat of our brow. Brain and brawn must join together in productive enterprise. ~ The meagerness of our national wealth pl'oduction and national income js <lue to· the fact that the Filipinos do not work enough, and what is worse, many Filipinos , do not work at all. We sl1ould bear in mind that only by hard and sustained work can 'men and na~ons live and survive. And in work lies our salvation as a people. Indolent people are doomed to extinction. It is, therefore, extremely impoitant that we develop the natural resources of our land, bring forth its hidden powers and wrest from the bowels of the, ea'rth the treasures that await the calTHE LOCAL GOVERNMENT R"EVIEW SUPPLEMENfr PAGE 17 loused hands 0£ labor. We should not allo.w our muscles to be atrophied by ·· indolence. Men are sent to this world not to stand the whole day idle, but to go forth to work and to l~bor until evening, not the evening• of a day only, but the evening of life. XII. RELY ON YOUR OWN ·EFFORTS FOR YOUR PROGRESS 0 AND HAPPINESS. BE NOT EASILY DISCOURAGED. PERSEVERE IN THE PURSWT OF YOUR . LEGITIMATE AMBITIONS. Our life is ·what we make it. If we are . to ·succeed, it is necessary that we possess self-reliance, courage, and perseverance, for out of these qualities, new "trength is •born which will enable us to overcome adversities and cpnqiter difficulties. _ Even a bend~d tree finally succeeds in asc~nding .the sky and resisting the winds by its own selfsufficiency. Therefore, trust yourself, be courageous, and persevere -in you1· t8.sk. Jn the life of Apolinario Mabi~i, we see a shining example of the triumph of selfreliance and perseverance over dire poverty and physical infirmity. B0orn of poor parents, his life wa·s ·a constant struggle against untold hardship and suffering. His studies were repeatedly interrupted for lack of funds and · yet by dint of hard work and sheer tenacity and self-denial! he was able to finish his Jaw course, which though belated, was attained ~ith highest honors. IFtiends and admirers offered him financial assistance during l)is student days but he consistently refused theii; proffer . of generosity. He feared that if 'he owed favors to any!iody he might be forced later on to do an act against his convictions out of gratitude to his benefactor. He was thus able to fnaintain an unshak'eable firmness of purpose and singular independence of thought and action to the end of bis life. Stricken with paralysis in his later years which deprived him of the use of both legs, his physical handicap did not deter him from taking an active part in the r evolution, first as propagandist, then :ts principal adviser to General Aguinaldo and later as Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Prime Minister of the Revolutionary Cabinet, which positions he discharged with such earnestness and brilliance that he is known to this day as the Brains of the Revoiution. He was fip~Uy appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, which office he was not able• to assume ,beca,use of the success of American arms and the consequent defeat of the ephemeral Philippine RepuJ!ic._ In his biography of Mabini, Rafael Palma aptly said: "The study of the llfe of Mabini a;fords ve1·y important teachings. It shows how poverty, far froin being a sign of malediction, is a strong stimulus which goads a man to improve his condition; how labo1· and study contribute to the formation of charncter, open to a man all the opportunities to rise and reach the heights, and help him maintain himself with digri\ty in any Teverse of \fortune, whether it be lucky or unlucky; how perseverance and determination win over difficulties and obstaclell, and how success in all cases is the i·eward of consistency, perseverance and firmness , of determination." Teodoro M. Kalaw said the following of Mabini: "Agree with m:i in that a' great part of his life was a life of poverty, of sufferings and of abnegations. The inspiration of a poet would find (in it) a theme for an elegy. Rarely would the fragic picture of pain be found hovering above man and endeavoring to dominate the vision of his future. Rarely would privation be found intimately connected with sickness, until it ends in a horrible death. But agree with ·me also in that poverty of origin and life's misfortune'S were 1 not insurmountable ob,.. stacles to the. attainment of that humal) greatness, that extraordinary frame of mind, that we admire in Mabini. Mabini triumphed over his century, and he triumphed not only' as a patriot a11d statesman, but as a man as well. Fate persecuted him ·from his birth and he triumphed against Fate. Through his own efforts, he made a career, by fighting against such obstacles, a thing which few in the world would · have been able to do. He was a real self-niade m~n.". Ignacio Villamar was ,another youth who rose from obscure poverty to positions of honor and 1·esponsibility in three distinct epochs of Philippine history, namely : the Spanisl\ regime, the Philippine r egime, and the American occupation. BecaUse his parents lacked the means to defray his education, he enrolled in the Seminary of Vigan, Ilocos Sur, as an ag'raciado. In the Colegio de San Juan de · Letran at Manila he worked his way' first by helping his casera in her household and religious duties PAGE 18 THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT REVIEW SUPPLEMEN'('
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