Cultivate the habit of using goods made in the Philippines. Patronize the products and trades of your countrymen

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

Title: Cultivate the habit of using goods made in the Philippines. Patronize the products and trades of your countrymen
Language: English
Source: Code of Ethics submitted to the President of the Philippines
Year: 1940
Rights
Fulltext: to serve. He should take interest in the affairs of his government and of the community in which he lives. · Civic conscience is a feeling of responsibility, courage and pride. E:izal said "Man's object is not to satisfy the passions of another man; the object is to seek ha-ppiness for himself and his kind by following the road of progress and perfection." Our Constitution ordains the ''promo, tion of social justice to insure the wellbeing and economic security of all th.e people." (Sec. 5, A1·t. II, Constitution.) Social justice is a vital principle in 'human relationship. It implies square deal and fairness. in our social and economic relations with our fellowmen. It means human sympathy and concern for the welfare of others. It is against exploitation, oppression1 , extortion or plunder. · . Luis R. Yangco shared his profits with his employees in addition to giving them regular 'Salaries. The Reverend Valeriano Malabanan, beloved teacher of Mabini, who left a legacy of cultured and useful citizens to his country, admitted poor students to ~iis school free of charge. In the administration of the Centro Escolar, Lib1·ada Avelino established a reputation for boundless generosity by contribuJ;ing out' of her personal funds to the education of poor but deserving students. It is our duty to help in the promotion of social justice so that every Filipjno may have the opportunity to acquire, through toil, his necessities in food, clothing and shelter, together with reasonable comforts, and a leisure which will permit cultural self-improvement and a participation in the blessings of an enlightened, civilization. xv CULTIVATE THE HABIT OF USING GOODS MADE IN THE PHILIPPINES. PATRONIZE THE PRODUCTS AND TRADES OF YOUR COUNTRYMEN. It is important that we develop ~ur local industries with the aim in view of diminishing our imports, retaining our wealth withi1 n the confines of our country and increasing the earning capacity of our people. Enterprising men and women have heeded this call to develop domestic production, and as a result, factories have sprung up fa our 1 towns, and even in the barrios we witness . the expansion of household industries. But unless we patronize their products, the efforts of these men and women are doomed to failure. We should coopei-ate in the building up of our national economy and where we can not actively produce we should at least, as1 a matter of patriotic duty, buy locally-made products in preference to im. ported' goods. ... Roman Ongpin, whose love for things Filipfoo was ·so ardent that throughout 'his ~vh~le lifetime he wore no other garment than the 'simple barong' tagalog, on his deathbed asked his children to dress his body in Filipino apparel. Lorenzo Guerrero was required to wear a European coat on the occasion of the award to him by the Spanish Government, of the medal of civil merit for services rendered during the cholera epidemic of 1882, but he declined to obey the order, saying: "Let them pin the medal on my pechem (Filipino dress). Why, isn't my !Filipino .shirt worthy to wear a medal as any European coat?" Rizal realized the necessity of patronizing the trades of our countrymen as a means of insul'ing 10ur econo"mic advancement. During his exile at Dapitan, in order to. supplement his medical practice which, although extensive. , was not remunerative enough because most of his patients were poor, he established a co1nmercial house for the purpose of offering competition to the Chinese who monopolized the i·etail trade in Mindanao as elsewhere in the Philpipines. His letter to Blumefitritt, dated August 29, J 894, describes his venture as follows: "Here I )have become half physician, half merchant. I have fol!nded a commercial firm 'here. I have taught the poor inhabitants of Mindanao to unite and engage in commerce so that they may become independent a:nd free themselves from the Ohine'Se and thus be less exploited. But I have to talk much to the local Governor who, in spite of being a good man, is, however, in favor of the Chinese. and he prefers the Mongols to the inhabitants of Mindanao. Fortunately, ' the company is prospe1·ing; we gain something, and the poor people of Dapitan become active and contented." PAGE. 22 THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT REVIEW SUPPLEMENT The problem which confronted Rizal 'still · confronts us today. His attempt to break foreign monopoly of local trade may be regarded as the foq•runner of the producers and consumer; cooperatives now being organized by the Government all over the country. The elimination of middlemen, whether supported by domestic or foreign capital, will banish profiteering and thus insure to our farmers : and artisans adequate return for their, products and services and give to our · consumers maXimum purchasing ,power. This is neither unprincipled selfishness nor vain idealism. It is nothing less than an enlightened mode of self preservation. Charity begins at home and we .should first set our house in order before we think of helping strangers stand on 1 their own feet. We sI10uld, ther efore, cultivate foreign trade only insofar as our products~ mhy be exchanged for goods which we cannot produce locally. We are already producing ,locally-manufactured textiles, embroidery, hats, shirts, ties, shoes, slippers, cosmetics, cigarettes, canned goods, foodstuffs, toys, paper, office , and school supplies, ceramics, building mate-, rials, kitchen utensils, and various househo1d gadgets which we used to import before in large quantities. - Our e~tensive and continued patronage of these local products will help bolster our infant industries ' and lead to national economic self-sufficiency. We would thus contribute in a large measure to the economic stability of our people and thereby promote thei1· happiness and contentment. XVI USE AND DEVELOP OUR NATURAL RESOURCES AND CONSERVE THEM FOR POSTERITY. THEY ARE THE IN - ALIENABLE HERITAGE OF OUR PEOPLE. DO NOT TRAFFIC WITH YOUR CITIZENSHIP. Real freedom must go hand in hand with economic prosperity. Our vast domain and natural resource's constitute the inalienable heritage of our people. 'We cannot alienate them. We are at most usufructuaries thereof ... They belong to the generations yet unborn. It is, therefore, our duty to conserve and develop. them. As early as February 7, 1781, a 'Spanish Governor.-General, . addressing the Sociedad Econ6mica de Amigos del Pais which was organized pursuanj; to ' a rural decree convoking local talent to devote themselves to the economic development of the Islands made the following glowing inventory of our resources: "Of what will the Society of Manila not be capable when it extends its glance over the pleasant fields of the Philippine~ to investigate the b!'auties which Nature has deposited in them; to' combine upon the important branches of agriculture, industry and . commerce all that may 'lead to the advantageous establishment, and to save them from the chaos of poverty to which they are being reduced by alien commerce on the one hanll and by inaction and indolence on the other. Is the cause perchance, that the Philippines lack the raw materials ' to meet the necessities of life and all our supplies? Certainly not. The Philippines are rich in the three vegetables, animal and mineral kingdoms. They merely await the law of wise application in order to make delivery of the treasures they contain · in kind of clove, cinnamon, pepper, and nutmeg; in exqut~ site cotton, abaca, lanotan, tonduque for textiles; in indigo and bonga sibukaw dyes and other drugs; in rice, wheat, corn, kidney-bean and other grains; in abundant wax, cacao, S1:!,g'ar, tobacco, tea, coffee, edible birds nests, slug, coconut and sesame oil's; in abundant lumber for construction and other purposes; -in many precious pearls, mother-of-11earl, tortoise shells, sigay or snails that serve as . coins in some kingdoms pf India; in amber, civet and many exquisite kinds of' fishes; in domestic cattle, carabaos, cows, sheep, goats and horses, and also wild mountain game, as the wild boar and deer from which three trades are d~rived from their skins, beef and tendons; in many placers and mines of gold, copper and iron; in diverse medicinal plant's, resins, and gums used by us, our learning not having, up to the present, succeeded in investigating the entire riches and beauties of the Phil'ippines, for ladk of Natural · History." Nature has richly endowed our country in the '':ay of natural resources and wealth. Our principal• natural treasure vault is our wide expanse of fertile arable land without which the abundant agricultural products enumerated in the preceding description would THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT R'EVIEW SUPPLEMENT PAGE 23
pages: 22-23