The Republic Vol. I, No.13 (1-15 July 1976)

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Part of The Republic

Title: The Republic Vol. I, No.13 (1-15 July 1976)
Issue Date: Vol. I, No.13 (1-15 July 1976)
Year: 1976
Rights
extracted text: " JUL 27 197S THE REPUBLIC Isang bansa, Isang diwa___________ / For Government Managers 1-15 July 1976 The calesa and skyscrapers: traditional virtues must be preserved. Strengthen the moral fiber PRESIDENT Ferdinand E. Marcos recently pointed out the weakening fiber of the Filipino people as . “one of the battles confronting the nation.” Before the general assembly of the Veterans Federation of the Ohilippines late last month, he explained the reinvigorated drive to clean up the smut in the movies, magazines and other forms of mass media. “Why did I accept all the resignations of the members of the Board of Censors?” the President asked. “Why did I order the arrest of all the exhibitors and corruptors of our young? Why do I go after the dishonest in the public service? Why did I ground the ASAC? And why do we keep cleaning up the armed forces?” The President explained that all these moves were “necessary (to) strengthen the moral fiber of our people, (to) infuse into our people the character demonstrated by the veterans in the war.” Soldiers lead the fighting in war, but in peace, the vanguard of progress could only be the people in government The public servants, particularly the officials, are entrusted with the authority and the funds to promote the well-being of the people. It was indeed unfortunate that the recent spate of immoral films directly reflected some of the worst aspects in our bureaucracy. The continuing moves of the Pres ident -to clean up the ranks of government people indicate that the there are still backsliders in our ranks. It regulate relations between workers and employers.” Seems that the September purge of last year has not deterred some officials in pursuit of their interests at the sacrifice of the people’s welfare. Again, people in government should take heed of the “tenet of public leadership” laid down by the President in his book Notes on the New Society of the Philippines. He wrote: “There may still be old elements in the bureaucracy, overlooked in the sum mary process, either “lying low” or still engaging in the old ways, safe in the false thought that the reorientation is over. It is not yet over: those who serve with me must accept the most ruthless dis cipline. They must work hard and observe the highest standards of service, otherwise they have no place in the leadership of the New Society. “At this point, we must take note that the President has been upgrading the salaries of government employees and officials. Reforms in the civil service include the recognition of the paramouncy of merit in promotion. These continuings efforts to improve the working conditions in the government should therefore suffice to keep us from the “temptation.” Unless, of course, greed overtakes some (of us. But to those who fall, they can be certain that the full might of the law will seen catch up with them. THE First Lady, Mrs. Imelda Romualdez Marcos recently pointed out the primal link between factions and actuations of government officials. In her keynote speech to the 14th annual convention of the Bureau Directors’ Association Inc. <BUDIRAS) last July 8, she said: “The plans that we conceive, the projects that we implement—whether it be the creation of new settlements or the improvement of the en vironment—are all designed to establish a society fit for human beings. We are not serving statistics but people. It is not enough that the people we serve are just satisfied; far more than this, they must Achieve fulfillment derived from a quality of life made more meaningful.” What does this mean? The First Lady explained that we need a “strict code of conduct from the government bureaucracy that demands enlightenment, honesty, trustworthniess, moral strength to resist in dolence, graft and corruption, and the courage to venture into the elevated zones of sacrifice, humility and dedication to the people. In a word, a bureau cratic ethic." The First Lady stressed the need to counter the unfortunate trend of the bureaucracy sinking down from its previous position of prestige and popularity. She said: “There was a time when to be a bureaucrat was to belong to the elect and elite, for the bureau crat was honored by the people he served with com passion, and excellence. But through time, service was corrupted by privilege, and the bureaucrat be came the captive of rigid rules rather than the servant of society.” What must we in government do fully to regain the trust of our people? Mrs. Marcos pointed out that “the President needs responsive conduits to the people. The bureaucracy can be this responsive con duit only if it becomes infused with a sense of civic purpose and love.” She added that “if your trust the basic wisdom of the people, you self-consciously will make yourself the vehicle of their aspirations. She warned that “if you cannot develop this basic trust, you will find that you have only become another burden, a new imperial master—whom the people in time of reckoning, will cast aside and destroy.” □ 2 1-15 July 1976 The Nation THE REPUBLIC PROGRESS REPORT □ Metro Manila The vision of a humane city THE vision of a habitat worthy of men inspired the creation of Metro politan ManUa under Presidential Decree 824 dated November 7, 1975. Against the rising skyline of tall buildings and high-rise hotels, apartments and con dominiums, the grand design calls for an environment characterized by equality and dignity for every human being, where each man can develop his full potential. What is envisioned, however, is not a settlement of individuals in isolation but of a “creative, productive and interacting human community.” Metro Manila, on the brink of decay and death before, is now undergoing a process of revival, of renewal. Problems of pollution, floods, peace and order, squatting, transportation crises, garbage, housing, population growth, communica tions, education and youth are being dealt with by an integrated government entity-the Metro Manila Commission. Vested with the powers of a cor poration, the Commission has jurisdic tion over the cities of Manila, Quezon, Pasay and Caloocan and the municipal ities of Makati, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Las Pifias, Malabon, Navotas, Pasig, Pa teros, Paranaque, Marikina, Muntinlupa and Taguig in the province of Rizal and the municipality of Valenzuela in the province of Bulacan. Organizational Structure THE Commission is composed of a chairman or governor, a vice-chair man or vice-governor and three commis sioners or board members (for planning, finance and for operations), all appointed by the President ~ ■•■f-adteninistration has the rirst Lady, Imelda Romualdez Marcos on top as Metro Manila governor. Next to the governor is DLGCD Assistant Secretary Eduardo Soliman as ^executive secretary whose office is the clearing house for coordiation and implementa tion of plans and policies of the Metro Manila Commission. Directly under the governor are several action officers in charge of different aspects of the pro gram to be implemented. They are Gen ftiority areas: transportation and the cleaning-up of the environment, eral Gaudencio Tobias (NHA) for housing/squatters; Undersecretary Aber Canlas (DPWTC) for infrastructure and flopd control; General Prospero Olivas for peace and order and traffic; Atty. Jose Crisanto (Metro Manila Transit Corpora tion) for transportation; Dr. Gabriel Carreon (DOH) for health and sanitation; Director Silvestre Sarmiento (Budget) for finance; Onofre D. Corpuz for educa tion; Atty. Rogelio Quiambao for garbage control; Assistant Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora for legal and youth affairs; Marita Manuel for informa tion; and Joan Fang for cultural program. Government agencies are being tapped by the governor to help out in the formulation of plans, policies and programs vital to the Commission’s op erations. Four coordinating agencies are undertaking studies for Metro Manila. These are: the Planning and Projects Development Office (PPDO) of the De partment of Public Works, Transporta tion and Communications; the Human Settlements Commission (formerly Task Force on Human Settlements); the Uni versity of the Philippines Law Center, and the Development Academy of the Philippines. Next in the line of authority are the Metro Manila mayors, with the barangay zone chairmen, barangay captains and barangay councilmen under them. Still in its infancy, the Metro Manila Commission does not yet have a working diagram of their structural organization. The three commissioners as provided for in the decree has not yet been appointed by the President. In charge of administration, opera tion and coordination is the Office of Secretary Eduardo Soliman. He has seven special executive assistants responsible for various aspects of administration. Arthur Acasio is in charge of Plans and Research which takes care of the proces sing of plans, statistics, research and proposals from the public sectors; Marceliano Ganay Jr. is in charge of com plaints, correspondence and public ser vice; Dominador Perena takes care of general administration and approval of subdivision plans; Hector Punzalan coordinates special projects; Rosalina Guer rero is in charge of exemptions from municipality and city requirements and Atty. Adriano Apostol and Atty. Luis Rivera handle the legal problems. The Metro Manila mayors are: Ra mon D. Bagatsing (Manila); Adelina S. Rodriguez (Quezon City); Pablo Cuneta (Pasay City); Alejandro Fider (Caloocan City); Felimon C. Aguilar (Las Pinas); Nemesio R. Yabut (Makati); Maynardo Espiritu (Malabon); Renato R. Lopez (Mandaluyong); Osmundo de Guzman (Marikina); Maximiano Argada (Muntin lupa); Felipe A. del Rosario (Navotas); Florencio Bernabe (Paranaque); Emiliano R. Caruncho (Pasig); Nestor U. Ponce (Pateros); Joseph Estrada (San Juan); Monico A. Tanyag (Taguig); and Gero nimo S. Angeles (Valenzuela). With a total land area of 636 sq. kms., Metropolitan Manila’s estimated population is 4.9 million or roughly 10 percent of the total population of the Philippines. This figure does not include the transients-students, employees etc. who commute from the provinces on those staying in boarding houses. When they are included, the population es timate will increase by three million. Population per city and municipality is as follows (as based on the residency): Manila — 1,454,352; Caloocan-393,251 Pasay - 186,920; Quezon City - 960,341; Paranaque - 155,358; Las Pinas - 83,703; Malabon - 174,091; Navotas - 96,926; Valenzuela - 150,057; Taguig - 73,650; Marikina - 165,266 - Pasig - 210,839; Makati - 331,613; Mandaluyong - 180,904; Muntinlupa - 91,909; and San Juan - 121,419. Barangays THE mayors under the Metro Manila Commission, in addition to his reg ular duties, also presides over the Sang guniang Bayan in each city and munici pality. The Sangguniang Bayan >s com posed of as many barangay captains as may be determined and chosen by the Commission and such number of repre sentatives from other sectors of society as may be appointed by the President upon recommendation of the Commis sion. The Metro Manila Sangguniang Ba yan or Katipunan ng Mga Sangguniang Bayan is composed of all the members of Sangguniang Bayan in the municipal ities and cities who had been elected by the Association of Barangay Captains as well as those elected by their respective sectoral groups (capital, professional, industrial labor and agricultural labor) appointed by the President as of Decem ber 31, 1975. This form of Sanggunian is not the legislative authority of the area. It is a recommendatory body that submit legislative proposals to the Com mission. The total number of barangays for Metro Manila is 1,835 broken down as follows: Manila — 913; Quezon City — 134; Caloocan City - 350; Pasay City - 200; San Juan - 21; Las Pinas - 9; Malabon - 21; Marikina - 11; Navotas — 14; Mandaluyong — 27; Makati — 32; Pateros - 10; Pasig - 29; Taguig - 18; Valenzuela — 32; Paranaque — 6; and Muntinlupa — 8. Vision and Reality METROPOLITAN Manila has always been the vital nucleus of the na tional government. As such, the enor mity of its problems casts a reflection upon the country’s conditions. It be comes imperative then to keep it alive for-the decay of these primate cities is sure to affect the rest of the nation. The appointment of the First Lady, Imelda Romualdez Marcos, as Metro Manila governor, augurs well for the task of restoration, reforms and recon struction. Her dynamism and vitality has spelled brilliant and certain triumphs in her many various projects that required great managerial skills. This same energy energy directed towards Metro Manila brings hope to the dying city. Tapping the expertise of individual administrators in an integrated program. Mrs. Marcos has already made great strides toward the metropolis’ renaissance. To insure Metro Manila’s survival, major steps are being taken with regard to the three priority problems: a) floods; b) public transport and traffic; and c) garbage collection. The flood problem is being solved through opening up, cleaning and dredg ing the waterways. The funding of an integrated flood control structures was assured under a Presidential mandate; squatters are relocated from the esteros to settlements. The transportation problem is be ing solved through the integration of land, rail and water transport facilities to provide efficient service to city res idents, minimize fuel consumption and distribute goods and products systema tically to keep prices low. Related to land transport is the traffic problem where about 400,000 of the country’s 700,000 vehicles ply over only 2.8 percent of the country’s entire road network. Traffic experts are now working on the problem. Additional buses the being provided by the Metro Manila Transit Corporation. For the garbage disposal problem, the Metropolitan Manila governor plans to recycle garbage into fertilizer. Within the next two years, five composting plants planned for Metro Manila will make the Philippine self-sufficient in fertilizer. This will save the country some 200 million dollars annually in fer tilizer imports. Recycling will solve the garbage provlem permanently, clean up the surroundings and make the effort profitable. Another recycling plan is the the procession of water lilies, which clog up rivers and lakes, into starch, alcohol and fertilizer. A Metropolitan Manila Refuse Man agement Operations Center has been es tablished under the Metropolitan Manila Action Center which coordinates all operations by virtue of Executive Order No. 1 of the Metro Manila Governor. The Refuse Management Operations Cen ter will coordinate, supervise, monitor and report on all refuse management operations and activities in Metro Man ila. Refuse management involves the collection and disposal of refuse and waste materials, the general cleanliness of public thoroughfares, streets, pas sages, markets, buildings and the like. All refuse management operations are under the control and supervision of a single public services department, bureau or office in each Metro Manila city or municipality. Another related measure is the crea tion of a Metro Manila study committee on vendors and hawkers; it is under taking comprehensive study on the op erations of a flea market This will solve the problems that result from the prac tice of numerous vendors and hawkers in plying their trade in the sidewalks of the Metro Manila area. A flea market can also serve as a tourist attraction. The rapid rate of population growth has outpaced the capacities of existing public facilities in Metro Manila. The Commission is evolving ambitious plans to meet current and future needs of the population. To decongest overcrowded hospitals, the Commission is planning to set up a clinic in every district to attent to cases that do not require hos pitalization. Schools are being encour aged io expand outside the crowded commercial areas. A land reclamation program will add 4,000 hectares to Manila from the Manila Bay. The Com mission is also promoting the expansion or urban development: in the south toward Tagaytay and in the east toward Sierra Madre. Modern centers for con ventions, trade, government, sports and recreation, as well as for resettlements and new industries are scheduled to be constructed on the relatively undevel oped areas of Metro Manila. As Metro Manila sets the pace for the whole country’s development, trans lating the dreams and visions for a pro gressive Metro Manila into actual condi tions is a task not only of the First Lady and her assistants but of every citizen as well. □ The Nation 1-15 July 1976 3 PROGRAMS □ Housing Pooling resources in the housing program "Success for us holds only one meaning: the well-being of our people. We en vision a society where the human person will be able to realize the fullness of his potential without having to go through the maiming influence of a hostile en vironment, both physical and psycho logical. ” -The First Lady, Mrs. Imelda Romualdez Marcos WHEN President Ferdinand E. Mar cos signed into law the decree creating the National Housing Authority a year ago, the most significant sector of our people-the urban and the rural poor-finally found fresh hopes for ob taining decent housing. With a median income of less than P300 a month, the poor has seen the cost of buying a lot and building a house running beyond their means. The government has now decided to launch an integrated effort to alleviate the common problem of mass housing. Presidential Decree No. 757, signed by the President last July 1975, con solidates all functions and powers, in cluding financing, of government agen cies into the National Housing Authority (NHA). Before the decree, at least six government agencies were directly in volved in the low-cost housing program, inevitably leading to duplication of efforts. The decree set in concrete terms the policies of the government on lowcost housing: □ Recognition of the Constitu tional provision that housing is a prime responsibility of the state “to guarantee the enjoyment of the people of a decent □ Housing is to be adopted through appropriate management of the total environment; □ Priority is to be given to law income groups; and □ The encouragement of private participation in capital, expertise and financing to promote low-cost housing into a self-sustaining program. The problem of housing the poor has been engendered by the burgeoning growth of urban population fueled by continuous migration from the country side, the rising cost of land due to speculation, and the galloping prices of construction materials. The Human Settlements Commis sion reports: “Most families are unable to provide themselves adequate housing without some form of government assis tance. Cost of land, labor and building materials put heavy burdens on the gov ernment in terms of subsidy cost. Where housing credits are available, they are usually accompanied by strict require ments which majority of families can not meet. The cost of houses is, more often than not, higher than what fam ilies can afford to pay.” Government efforts in alleviating the problem, ac cording to the Commission, had been “fragmented.” It added that: “No clearcut policies on the locational priorities and volume or targets of housing pro jects are yet laid down to efficiently allocate the rather limited financial and physical resources of the country.” The President’s move to streamline the government housing program comes at a most propituous time. By the year 2000, according to the Department of Public Works, Communications and Transportation, the Philippine urban population would be around 80 million. A. race between people and houses. Relating this with another trend, the housing problem is expected to get worse. According to the National Cen sus and Statistics Office, the rate of housing construction is only 2.37 per cent a year as compared to the annual multiplication of households which aver ages 2.79 percent. About 80 to 90 percent of housing construction is being carried out by the private sector. Where is the money? The cost of financing the low-cost housing program is obviously great The housing decree, therefore, granted broad powers to the NHA so that it can obtain funds through the floating of bonds and other forms of securities. To simplify matters, the NHA will only be involved in two major markets: the social market (whose monthly in come ranges from P270 to P593 a month and who can devote at least 20 percent of their income to housing) and the eco nomic market (whose monthly income ranges from P743 to Pl436 a month and can devote at least 25 percent of their income to housing.) Correspond ingly to each of the target groups, hous ing benefits are approximated to range from P10,122 to P24.150 with an aver age of P17,178 for social housing; and a range of P25.919 to P5O.O8O, with an average of P25.685 for economic hous ing. No profit for NHA is assumed, but for funds which the NHA will invest in higher yielding ventures such as com mercial areas, etc., earnings have been set at a minimum of 12 percent over 15 years. * Housing is commitment to total development1 The following interview with re tired Major General Gaudencio V. To bias, general manager of the newlycreated National Housing Authority, re veals a man with a high sense of social orientation. Taking on the civilian job following a bemedalled military career seemed only natural. Until his appoint ment to the NHA, General Tobias was chairman of the task forces on the Development of Sapang Palay and the Rehabilitation and Development of Min danao, director of the PHHC, directorgeneral of the Tondo Foreshore Develop ment Authority, chairman of the Central Luzon Development Program, and con sultant of the Tahanan Foundation; he was also involved with the Carmona Resettlement Project. General Tobias is concurrently action officer on housing of the Metro Manila Commission and Executive Vice President of the National Housing Corporation. What is the government's perception of the housing problem/needs? It views the problem as composed of three dimensions; namely, the in crease of households, substandard dwel ling units, and the resettlement scheme. Notice here that the attention is pri marily directed toward the households and secondarily only to the number of units constructed. Housing achievement must be gauged by the number of house holds benefitted whether in terms of units built or simply in terms of im provement of current residence or sur roundings. We will build dwellings not necessarily in terms of the number of households but in the context of the ex tended family system inherent in our culture. Our housing need has a cultural constraint. What is the conceptual framework of the NHA ? Our approach is principally environ mental—the development of communi ties with all the necessary amenities so that people may enjoy the quality of Gen. G. V. Tobias life they rightfully deserve. Housing, therefore, is a commitment to total development-the provision of shelter, development of man, and the improve ment of environmental conditions. One of our corporate objectives is to mobil ize private resources in keeping with our view that housing is the problem of both the government and the private sector. Under our concept of “joint ven ture” we shall draw into the NHA the resources of the private sector in .the form of capital, management, talent, manpower and technical expertise. Our housing approach embraces both de velopmental and investment aspects. We will build dwelling units as well as invest in industrial estates to ensure our cor porate life. The NHA board of directors’ think ing is that the agency has no reason for being if it cannot address itself to the socially inadequate sector of society. This is also what most people think. Could you comment on this? The thrust of our program is toward the very low income groups, the socially inadequate—the workers and the masses whose housing need is a large part of our problem. We shall reverse the sit uation in the past when the very low income groups were the ones supporting the middle and high income groups in meeting the latters’ housing needs. Un der our concept of cross subsidy, we shall make those who can afford to share in carrying the burden of providing adequate shelter to those who cannot You will note that in our development program we are alloting 38.29 percent of our total resources to social and in digent housing. What are the figures behind the need for a massive housing program? Based on statistics extrapolated for 1980, new housing will be needed for Metro Manila’s 276,000 households, and for other urban areas’ 280,000 house holds, or a yearly requirement of 27,600 households in Metro Manila and 28,000 households in other urban areas. A total of 55,600 households could therefore need new housing units each year. It is known that the average achievement of government-built or financed housing is around 11,000 units each year. As the NHA now assumes this responsibility, the total need will go up to roughly 6,6,000 units each year up to 1985. The rural housing need is about 93,200 units a year. However, NHA recognizes rural housing to be different from urban housing due to different parameters, such as population, availability of ma terials, etc. With respect to rural housing, NHA intends to provide planning assis tance to local government entities. It has been found that those deserving of gov ernment resettlement number around 22,600 households. Could you project our housing sit uation for the next 50 years? We hope that by year 2000 we would have been able to cope with the problem sufficiently. The way our eco nomy is behaving, we should be able to solve the many problems of human settlements. Of course, housing every single Filipino is an impossible dream but we are trying very hard to attain it Fifteen years ago, the whole concept of integrated human settlements did not click. In the coming years. Filipinos will be able to manage their environment better. President Marcos, in his report to the nation on his recent overseas trip, mentioned that Tondo would be the world pilot project for marginal settle ments. Could you elaborate on this? For sometime now, the President has mandated to do something about Tondo. He feels that the New Society and slums do not coexist. When the Dagat-Dagatan project was turned over to him last May 17 by the First Lady herself, the President said: “Tondo is the measure of the soul and conscience of the New Society. It is Tondo that will determine the success and the failure of the quiet revolution initiated in the country.” He said that the government intends to spend P592 million in four years for the development of Tondo, probably the world’s biggest slum dis trict with a population of about 180,000 equaling the population of the whole of Bacolod City in the South. It has caught world attention, including that of the United Nations Environmental Program which has approved a proposed program for Tondo. This program is geared toward coping up with Tondo’s population di mension and environmental situation through appropriate technologies. □ THE REPUBLIC Rules for second half A MAJOR reform in our budgetary process is the recent alignment of the government fiscal year with the cal endar year. Previous to this, a lot of confusion and misunderstanding has re sulted from a fiscal year that covered six months of one calendar year and six months of another (July to Decem ber, and then January to June). Under Presidential Decree No. 904, the public budget will start on January and end in December. This will also streamline the statistics-gathering activities of the government. The budgetary reform became ef fective this year. Since the budget for January to June 1976 was already pro grammed last year in Fiscal Year 19751976 budget, the President has decided to fix the amount of budget expendi tures for July to December 1976 as equal to half of the FY 1975-1976 budget. In doing so, the President issued provisions in Letter of Implementation No. 41 which would govern the disburse ment of the budget. The reader will note that the Letter of Implementation imposes constraints on extravagant use of public funds. This is in line with the austerity policy of the government. In Part I of the Letter, the President is "authorized to use any savings in the appropriations provided in the National Appropriations Act for the Executive Departments for the settlement of .. . obligations” including the following: "^J&lfffhuFttidn of terminal leaves of gov ernment employees; payment of hazard pay to officials and employees assigned to dangerous areas; and salary adjust ments of officials and employees. The other provisions of Letter of Implementation No. 44 follow. The gov ernment manager should find them use ful guidelines in the performance of their duties. Part II. - Organizational Changes Section 9. Maximum number of permanent positions in a burea i or of fice. Except as otherwise provided by law, the maximum number of permanent positions in a bureau or office shall not exceed the number of permanent posi tions included in the approved staffing patterns and in the itemization of per sonal services or in the approved special budgets for the said bureau or office. Section 10. Adjustment of appro priations for reorganized agencies and salaries of personnel thereof. The appro priations provided in the National Ap propriations Act for agencies to be re organized in accordance with the ap proved reorganization plans as well as those to be reorganized pursuant to later decrees issued but not yet implemented are deemed appropriated and shall be available for the agencies as reorganized and approved by the President. The Commissioner of the Budget is hereby authorized to make necessary adjust ments in the appropriations to carry out the provisions of this Section. Fur thermore, the department head con cerned, with the approval of the Com missioner of the Budget, is hereby au thorized to make necessary salary ad justment resulting from final selection of personnel to fill the positions in the staffing patterns of reorganized agen cies, to make necessary salary adjust ments resulting from changes in the staffing patterns authorized by the Com missioner of the Budget, to correct mis takes, discriminations or injustices that may in his opinion, have been committed in the preparation thereof: PROVIDED, That any such adjustments in the staffing patterns of reorganized agencies which have been or may be authorized but not yet reflected in the National Appropria tions Act shall be given due course by adjusting the corresponding appropria tions herein authorized. Part III. — Compensation Section 11. No salary increase un less specifically authorized. No portion of the appropriations provided in the National Appropriations Act shall be used for payment of salary increases or salary adjustment unless specifically au thorized by law, decree or appropriate budget circular; nor shall any appropria tion for salaries authorized in the Na tional Appropriations Act, save as other wise provided by the Classification and Pay Plans, be paid unless the positions have been classified by the Wage and Position Classification Office (WAPCO). Section 13. Prohibition of double allowances or benefits. The provisions in Section 12 notwithstanding, officials and employees already receiving such or similar allowances or benefits granted under previous authorizations shall not be entitled to any increased transporta tion and/or representation allowances provided therein, unless the total of his existing allowances or benefits is less than the total of the two rates fixed in the proceeding section, in which case he may be entitled only to the diffe ence. Section 14. Consultants’ compensa tion. Compensation of consultants who are hired by a department, bureau or office, when authorized in their respec tive appropriations in the National Ap propriations Act, shall paid an amount not exceeding Pl2,000 per annum as the aggregate of salaries, fees, honoraria, per diems and allowances, except as may be authorized by the Commissioner of the Budget in accordance with guide lines issued by the President. Section 15. Per diems outside of the Philippines. No per diem in excess of the equivalent of fifty U.S. Dollars shall be paid to any official or employee traveling outside of the Philippines, ex cept as may be approved by the President. Section 16. Uniform and shoes al lowance. Appropriations for each depart ment, bureau or office, at such sums as may be necessary, may be used for uni form and shoes Allowance of personnel who are already authorized since Fiscal Year 1974 and such other employees who may hereafter be authorized by the President, at not more than Pl50 each per annum. Savings in the appropria tions for each department, bureau or office may be used for this purpose where no amount is specifically appro priated in the National Appropriations Act or at an amount necessary to make the allowance Pl50 if a lesser amount is appropriated. Part IV. - Procurement Section 17. Purchase of locally man ufactured equipment, parts, accessories, supplies and materials. All appropriations for the purchase of equipment, supplies and materials authorized in the National Appropriations Act shall be available only for locally manufactured equip ment, parts, accessories, medicines and drugs, supplies and materials, except when none is available in the market or when the prices of the locally manufac tured article exceed those determined by the Flag Law by fifteen percent Part V — Motor Vehicles Section 19. Officials entitled to government motor transportation. The following officials are entitled to use government motor transportation charge able against the appropriations author ized for their respective offices, except where otherwise provided in the National Appropriations Act or other special laws or when specifically authorized by the President: (1) The President of the Philippines; (2) The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; (3) The Secretaries and Under secretaries of National Government De partments, and officials of equivalent rank; (4) The Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals; (5) The Ambassadors, Ministers Plenipotentiary and Consuls in Charge of Consulates in their respec tive stations abroad; and (6) The Chief ,of Staff, the Vice Chief of Staff and the Commanding Generals of the Major Serv ices of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Section 20. Purchase, use, operation and maintenance of motor transport equipment No appropriation authorized in the National Appropriations Act shall be used for the purchase of automobiles, jeeps, jitneys, station wagons, motor cycles, trucks, launches, speedboats, air planes and other types of motor trans port equipment unless otherwise specific ally approved by the President: PRO VIDED, That all bureaus and offices with previous authority to purchase such motor transport equipment, including those acquired through donations or gifts from private individuals or organi zations, are authorized to use, operate and maintain them for carrying out the official functions and activities of the. agency. Section 21. Proper use of govern ment motor vehicles. The use of govern ment motor vehicles by bureaus and offices shall be authorized only through the issuance for each trip of a serially numbered ticket, duly signed by the Chief or the Administrative officer of the bureau or office concerned. These motor vehicles shall be used strictly for official business, bear government plates only and after office hours kept in the garage provided therefor by the bureau or office to which they belong, except when in use for strictly official business outside office hours. Any violation, of the provisions of this section shall cause withdrawal of the privilege to use motor vehicles from the office or bureau concerned. Section 22. Use of more than one motor vehicle prohibited. With the ex ception of the President, no government official authorized to use any vehicle operated and maintained from the funds appropriated in the National Appropria tions Act shall be allowed to use more than one such motor vehicle except the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who may be allowed to use two motor ve hicles. The Chairman, Commission on Audit, shall issue rules and regulations for the proper implementation and en forcement of the provisions for this Section and Section 12, 13, 19 and 21 hereof. Section 23. Limitation in rental of motor vehicles. No appropriations pro vided in the National Appropriations Act for the Executive Departments shall be used for renting automobiles, jitneys or trucks on the monthly basis nor on the daily basis for a continuous period exceeding fifteen days. Part VI. — Incentives for Economy Section 24. Cost reduction. Subject to the approval of the respective’depart ment heads, every head of the bureau, office or agency shall institute a cost reduction program for his bureau, office or agency for the purpose of reducing cost of operations and shall submit to the Commissioner of the Budget reports on the result of the - implementation thereof. An incentive award not exceed ing one month’s salary may be granted to any official or employee whose sug gestion for cost reduction has been adopted and shall have actually resulted in cost reduction, payable from the savings resulting therefrom. Part VII. — Budget Accountability and Reports Section 25. Failure to submit re ports. - Failure on the part of heads, chief accountants, budget officers, cash iers, disbursing officers, and other re sponsible officers of departments, bu reaus and offices to submit trial balances, financial work plans, special budgets, reports of operations and income, and such other reports as may be necessary and required by the Commissioner of the Budget and/or the Chairman, Com mission on Audit shall automatically cause the suspension of the payment of their salaries until they shall have com plied with the requirements of the Bud get Commission and the Commission on Audit No appropriation authorized in this Decree shall be available to pay the salary of any official or employee who violates the provisions of this sec tion, in addition to any disciplinary action that may be instituted against such official or employee. Part VIII. — Miscellaneous Section 26. Disposition of dona tions, grants, bequests, gifts or contribu tions. The provisions of P.D. No. 711 and other laws notwithstanding, dona tions, grants, bequests, gifts or proceeds therefrom and contributions given in cash by private individuals or entities of foreign governments and institutions shall be used or expended only in ac cordance with the wishes of, and pur poses specified by, the benefactor or donor, subject to the provisions of Sec tion 7-1(4) of C.A. No. 246, as amended. THE REPUBLIC The Nation IE 1-15 July 1976 5 SURVEY □ Barangays Barangays: democracy is what it does ONE MAJOR TASK of the Adminis tration is the promotion of effec tive citizen participation in government decision-making. The achievement of this goal will ensure that legislative and ad ministrative output would satisfy crucial demands of citizens in providing for long range national goals. Preconditions for success. One re quisite for effective citizen participation is the institutionalization of channels of participation. For Filipinos, the baran gay is the main institution for participa ting in government processes. Through the Barangay Assembly, all. Filipinos aged from fifteen years up, can recom mend to their barangay officer^ mea sures to be adopted for the welfare of the barangay. And through the barangay officials, the average barangay member can make his voice heard at the upper most levels of government; this is pos sible because the Sangguniang Bayan and the various barangay -fedeiations (municipal, city, provincial, regional, national), whose functions include re commending measures to the President, are based mainly on the mass of ba rangay officials who are accountable to barangay members. Another requisite for effective citi zen participation is that thd system of representation must also provide for representatives chosen through nongeo graphic criteria. This requisite is ful filled, in the municipal level at least, through the selection of representatives to the municipal Sangguniang Bayan from the capital, labor and professional sectors. A third requisite is that citizen participation must, be possible and es_sential at each level of government This requisite is substantially fulfilled in these ways: a) at each level of government, there is a corresponding group of Sang guniang Bayan officers and barangay federation officers who exercise advisory functions; b) legislative functions are also exercised by the municipal, city and provincial Sangguniang Bayan as semblies. Fourth requisite: the citizens’ lead ership must be equipped with organiza tional and planning skills. This require ment is fulfilled in some barangays and partly or barely in others. This is why the government, through the Depart ment of Local Government and Com munity Development (DLGCD), is giving technical assistance and training such as seminars and workshops to local govern ment officials down to the barangay level. The government has initiated the evolution of a system of local govern ment autonomy and as this goes on, local officials’ initiative will develop. Scope * of popular participation. While the basic channels of participation have been established, the full strength of citizen participation in local govern ment decision-making has yet to be fully realized until the full establishment of local government autonomy. Estab lishing the grounds for effective local government autonomy is now a major activity fo the government The public does participate consi derably in planning and implementing activities geared toward local and na tional development goals. Such planning is done in barangay assembly meetings and in meetings between officials of dif ferent barangays. Some quarters object that the pol itical will of the Filipinos has been sup pressed so that citizen participation now is meaningless. But citizen participation does not necessarily have to occur in political decision-making before it can be deemed significant It is already sig nificant when it occurs in solving the main problems of the i nation i which, according to the average Filipino’s de mands, are: opportunities for economic betterment, more education and health services, better housing, enough police protection, et. ah The most pressing de mands of Filipinos today are economic and social, not pplitical, in nature. A profile of the quality of some barangay operations, according to a UP Local Government Center survey, is as follows. □ The leadership. Most of the barangay officials have much to learn of their role in the total effort for national development The foremost example of lack of capability mentioned by the UP survey happened at the First National Symposium on Good Government held last year. Many lacked job knowledge. They displayed lack of respect for the rules of parliamentary procedure, lack of mastery of basic communication skills. The problem was hampered by the mixed used of Tagalog and English and the lack of mastery of both languages. Besides lack of leadership skills, the UP survey says that lack of incentives and financial resources hampers barangay leaders. The UP survey recommends the following: 1. Elect a new set of barangay officials since the present crop of ba rangay officials are mostly leftovers of the old society. In the old society, the people did not care about barrio elec tions as much as town elections. Poli ticians were then able to easily put up their cronies as candidates. Street cha racters and even ex-convicts became a common breed of barrio officials. And then when barangays were organized out of barrios, not many able and res pected citizens were willing to run for office. Now, however, people are more willing to participate meaningfully in setting up a better set of officials. 2. Provide barangay officials with better incentives, financial and otherwise. 3. In selecting succeeding barangay officials, preference should be given those who have been active leaders of the Kabataang Barangay. Their exper ience in seminars and in barangay meet ings qualifies them for greater involve ment. □ Local initiative. Many projects and activities are initiated from higher levels of government. The common prac Promote self-reliance as community ethic. tice is for barangays to choose from a government listing of projects. This un derstandably includes necessary activ ities like cereal distribution, food pro duction and rehabilitation. Other activ ities are of local scope but since these cover most if not all of community needs, the opportunity for more local initiative will come in the future. □ Community resources. Lack of funds is the major problem of the ba rangays. About 80 percent of the ba rangay officials surveyed mentioned lack of funds as their chief problem. Despite this, a positive character of involvement is shown in the way barangay members recourse to their own pockets for fund ing. In four districts of one city, 62 percent of barangay funds came from contributions of members, 27 percent fro.m private individuals and organiza tions, and 11 percent from the government. The most frequently mentioned sol ution to problems is self-help. This perhaps shows that the government's efforts to promote self-reliance as a community ethic is bearing fruit □ Activities. The frequency of ac tivities of a set of barangay assemblies in one city is as follows: twice a month— 38.64 percent; thrice- 9.09 percent; more than thrice-20.45 percent; once—13.64 percent. Of the barangay officers ques tioned, 70 percent said that their meet ings are well attended and only 20 percent said no. The main activities of the barangays are: promotion of peace and order which includes the control of gambling and excessive drinking and the organiza tion of vigilantes; promotion of health and sanitation which includes clean liness and beautification campaigns, re pair- of drainage systems, and immuniza tion campaigns; encouragement of food production and home industries which includes planting vegetable and root crops, backyard poultry and hog raising, and food perservation. □ Cooperation. There is no sub stantive lack of cooperation among ba rangay officials and other government units. Of a sample set of barangay of ficers in one city, 75 percent had good working relationship with other ba rangays; 93.19 percent said they had meetings with other barangay officials; 91 percent said they consulted with city officials. The barangay officials named the DLGCD as the agency helping them in their projects. Other agencies mentioned were the Department of Education and Culture, Department of Social Welfare, Commission on Elections, Department of Public Highways and Board of Trans portation, and the city Barangay Sec retariat The most frequently mentioned type of assistance coming from these agencies was coordination and facilita tion of procedures. Next was supervi sion of funds. □ Case studies. Two barangays of one city were studied by the UP Local Government Center. The first barangay studied was very affluent, since 20 per cent of its family heads were government officials and the rest were executives or supervisors in the private sector. The second barangay is one of the poorest in the city; almost all of its family heads are factory workers, farmers, drivers, security guards, janitors and laborers in the government The studies confirm this: the rich do still look to the government, but un like the poor, mainly for traditional services like adjudication and protection of civil rights. The poor depend on the government mainly for more basic wants like better economic opportunities and health services. It is in the satisfaction of their respective demands that the govemment-and therefore the barangay-is meaningful to both the rich and fhT^BBr. ‘ The members of the rich barangay value more their private associations, like the homeowners association and a country club, than the barangay as sembly with regards to participation in activities like cleanliness drives, repair of roads, construction of community facilities; in other words, the cleanliness drive of the homeowners’ association would be more participated in than the cleanliness drive of the barangay. More over, the barangay realizes less contrib utions than the homeowners’ association. The barangay assembly’s meetings too are poorly attended; the barangay cap tain, to force the attendance of those who work" in the government, has to threaten the members that their offices will be informed about any absence. The members of the poor barangay, on the other hand, have only the ba rangay assembly as the community as sociation to resort to for collective needs. The meetings are well attended and the members wholeheartedly con tribute money, free labor, freematerials, etc. to barangay projects. Among some of their projects are electrification of the community, improvement of their health center, widening of roads. The barangay assembly, in short, has made it possible for the members to improve their community. If the rich barangay’s members can realize most of their community im provement programs through their pri vate associations, how is the barangay meaningful to them? One instance shows how. The owners of a subdivision had planned to construct a health spa and a commercial complex in the subdivi sion. The homeowners’ association op posed the projects and appealed to the government. After much litigation, the issue was finally settled through a ba rangay referendum which repudiated the two projects. That referendum was a political function not possible among the private associations. - Marcos Agayo 6 1-15 July 1976 The Economy THE REPUBLIC THE ECONOMY □ Gov. Gregorio S. Licaros ~:----------------------Financing for equitable growth ‘The economy is recovering’ THE problems that have faced the Philippine economy have been many and difficult. The setting of inflation and recession that has gripped the world economy is a matter of record. The economy still feels the lingering effects of these international developments. Over the past three years, we have ex perienced high costs, particularly of oil and. petroleum-based products, lower economic activity, depressed commodity markets, employment and balance of trade difficulties. We also face today the problems of rehabilitation occasioned by the recent devastation of Typhoon “Didang.” It is characteristic of the Filipino that in every problem he identifies a challenge, and with every challenge an opportunity. The record of the Philip pines is known as being among the most outstanding in the Third World, in terms of overall economic performance and adjustment to world adversities of the past three years. Under the leadership of President Marcos, we have consolidated our rela tionships in Southeast Asia. We have made new friends overseas among fellow developing nations, and among the So cialist countries. Trade contacts with the Middle East have been aggressively pursued. Credit flows to countryside. CB Responsibilities. The role of the Central Bank is primarily in the deter mination and implementation of mone tary and banking policy. Its primary objectives and the maintenance of in ternal and external monetary stability, the preservation of the international value of the peso, and in general to con tribute towards a balanced and sustained growth of the economy. Keeping these broad responsibilities in mind, it is clear that the mix of credit availability and national financing must be finely regulated to ensure a balance, on the one hand, between the desire of private industry to have full financing for its projects, and, on the other, to ensure that the volume of domestic credit is not translated into excessive import demand and inflation ary pressure. Credit ease is oftentimes incon sistent with economic progress. Finance has no easy solutions. Unfortunately, it is susceptible to simple generalizations. Suggestions are legion on reducing or increasing interest rates, increasing the supply of credit, restructuring loans for certain areas, opening rediscount win dows, changing the peso rate. The basic problem of monetary authorities is not the evaluation of the various prescriptions. It is to strike a balance among the conflicting objectives and, more importantly, ensuring that the final credit decisions contribute towards increased productivity. Rural Credit The Central Bank has gone out of its way to give total support to the food production program, to agrarian reform, to rural credit in general. The issuance of Central Bank Certificates of Indebtedness has been so designed as | to channel funds from urban savers to investors in the countryside, specifically the small rice and corn farmers. This is in due recognition of the importance of the countryside as the main venue of development This is in recognition of the small farmer as a major foundation of Philippine society. This is in support of the national program of land reform. The same thinking has constituted the basis for expanded effort in the financing of small- and medium-scale in dustries, particularly those located in the rural areas. Export financing has also received high priority, cognizant of the need to meet Balance of Trade objectives. To illustrate the magnitude of the financing for this purpose, a total of Pl.8 billion in loans has been directed to various export activities during the first quarter of 1976. The major beneficiaries of this financing have been the com nercial crops sector, including sugar coconut, tobacco, abaca, copper and chrome. Major amounts of credit has flowed I to government, to finance the national | infrastructure and capital program. Proj- J ects in irrigation power, housing, health, ' education, roads, have been developed as direct contributions to the well being of our countrymen and as contributions to the strengthening of economic foun- ; dations. We have defended the international value of the peso, which has actually | shown an improvement during the past j year vis-a-vis the dollar. This is certainly j a far better record than many of the . curren.-ses- ef-ths-Third World_and even of many developed countries. Dollar Ledger. Our balance of pay ments, after registering overall surpluses of US$665 million in 1973 and $110 million in 1974, abruptly reverted into a deficit of $521 million in 1975. This development was the offshoot principal ly of adverse external conditions, most notably those relating to trade. Weak f commodity markets due chiefly to the slowdown in World economic acvitity j gave rise to substantially lower exports- ; a circumstance which was aggravated by ' necessary growth in imports. In 1975, I the country’s foreign trade balance was negative at $1,197 million. This could not be fully offset by favorable balances in capital and other invisible accounts. To finance the resulting overall payments deficit without resorting to a considerable drawdown in the interrlational reserve, compensatory borrowings were availed of from a number of sources abroad. These compensatory operations, far from being unnecessary means of en hancing the international reserve, have on the contrary embodied a form of res ponsive external financing under unpropitious balance of payments develop ments, proving once again that the credit standing of the Philippines remains vig orous in the face of adverse conditions. The existing international reserve level of over a billion U.S. dollars has been maintai ed consistent with na tional policy objectives. These objectives are in turn grounded on the capacity to support economic activity domestically. As we cannot follow national policies that dampen growth, we can neither move ahead in pursuit of economic ad vancement in disregard of payments imbalances. As of May 31, 1976, the interna tional reserve amounted to $1,197 mil lion, the equivalent of about three month’s import requirements, the ac ceptable international benchmark. How ever, its most direct benefit to us, as a margin of safety, has been the assurance of available resources to finance our essential import needs during this dif ficult and uncertain era. Incidentally, more than 20 percent of our import bill Filipino businessmen are complain ing that credit is too tight. What is the reason for this tight-money situation? Will the Central Bank loosen its strings on the money supply this year? On the overall, a liberal credit pol icy is being pursued as reflected in the relatively high annual percentage growth rates of domestic credits as well as in the easing of money market rates during the first four months of 1976. This general stance is, however, qualified by a selective policy which redirects credits to priority and productive areas. In this sense, some nonpriority sectors may experience relative credit tightness. A major program of the Central Bank is shifting capital resources from Manila and other cities to the country side. The initiative here comes from pub lic financial institutions. Are the priv ate banks in Metropolitan Manila being encouraged to take a more active role in developing the financial system in the rural areas? How? To supplement countryside finan cing by the private banks in the shortrun, the Central Bank, in addition to preferential rediscount rates for coun try-based food and export production, requires banking institutions (predomi nantly based in metropolitan areas) to set aside 25 percent of their loanable funds for agricultural credits. Further more, the Central Bank policy on invest ment-deposit ratio of commercial bank branches in the provinces requires that 75 percent of the deposits accumulated in a particular region be invested there- • in as a means to develop such region. In the medium-term, however, it would basically be the increased activity in, and incomes of, the rural sector (as evidenced by the increasing volume of industrial sales in the rural areas espe cially since 1973) that would provide the main incentive for large urban-based banks to expand their countryside operations. In your first quarter report on the economy to the President, you indicate ' the continuation of a deficit trend in the Philippine balance of payments due I mainly to the decline in price (and some times volume) of major exports, particis attributable to oil and petroleum based products, and current oil findings, while holding much promise, remain at this point still only a future potential which will take time to fully develop. Since the purpose of Central Bank foreign exchange borrowings is basically compensatory in character, they are necessarily intended to be temporary in nature and will be availed of while the country’s balance of payment remains in unfavorable position. Consequently, there will be constant review of these operations which, in turn will be mod ified from time to time as more propi tious external conditions prevail. These ularly sugar. How do you think the export sector will fare for the rest of the year? The performance of the export sec tor for the rest of 1976 basically hinges on the actual price and volume develop ments in the market for the country’s major exports. Specifically, it depends primarily on the pace of the recovery of the prices of copper, sugar, coconut and wood products as well *s on the ability to expand by a significant amount the volume of sugar export shipments. It is expected that export earnings for the rest of the year will be higher than in the first quarter. One of the heartening figures in your report is that there has been only a 4.6 percent rise in the consumer price index. How did the government so quickly dampen the inflation rate? What is the price outlook for the rest of the year, considering that the typhoon sea son has arrived? Please note that the annual infla tion rate (as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Manila) was a little more than 30 percent in 1974 (Le., 1974 over 1973). This rate decelerated to 8 percent in 1975 (1975 over 1974) and further declined to 4 percent dur ing the first quarter of 1976. The gradual easing of inflation in 1975 and early 1976 was the result of a host of interacting factors. The main determinants were, however, cautious I monetary management, an adequate sup ply of key foodstuffs (especially cereals) on the domestic front and the decline in export prices concomitant with a de celeration in the rate of increase of import prices on the external front The price outlook for the rest of the year would depend on a number of factors, most importantly, on the continued adequacy of rice stocks, the more effective enforcement of price ceilings, the movement of prices of our exports, the freeze in oil prices and the deceleration in the rate of imported in flation as well as the severity of adverse weather conditions in the coming rainy season. Calamities like “Didang” play havoc to productive and distributive facilities and consequently, on prices of commodities. Still, we expect prices to increase by less than 7 percent. Do you think the Philippine econ omy has recovered from the recession that started two years ago? How do you see it in 1976 and beyond? The Philippines, like other nations, is still in the process of recovering from externally-induced recessionary impul ses. There is, however, growing consen sus on a steady recovery which would result in a better economic performance during the medium-term. This is pre mised, firstly, on the recovery of indus trial economies ,and the commercial vi ability of the recent oil find which would greatly improve prospects for the balance of trade and payments posi tion of the country; and secondly, on | domestic policies aimed at further devel oping the rural market, consolidating and expanding the gains achieved in i the agricultural and export sectors and containing internally-caused price rises, j are expected to begin this year until a balance-of-payment surplus starting in 1978, or earlier, is attained. These are achievements that we can be proud of, representing a record of performance in the light of international adversities, representing responses to challenges and opportunities. The flow of financing cannot be viewed from the standpoint of only one particular economic endeavor. We have to look at financing from the standpoint of a national strategy. We have to un derstand that more financing for all needs will not necessarily result in more benefits to everyone. □ THE REPUBLIC The Economy [ 1-15 July 1976 7 Our goals and plans for this year's Masagana 99 'OUR TARGET IS 94.85 MILLION CAVANS.' LAST year’s Masagana 99 Program brought us again to another state of self-sufficiency in the staple. Out of a total aggregate area of 1.8 million hec tares planted, a total production of 96.9 million cavans (a cavan equals 50 kilos) of palay was realized. The 200,000-ton excess over last year’s production plus a carry over stock of one million tons from last, year’s supply gives the country a stock inven tory surplus of 1.2 million tons or 24 million cavans by the end of June 1976. This is enough to meet the country’s requirements for 114 days or nearly four months. However, the success we have achieved should not be a cause for us to relax on our effort to increase produc tion as the challenge is great due to pres sure brought about by increase in pop ulation, reduction in area devoted to rice production and the demand for the commodity in the world market Last May, we started Phase VII of the Masagana 99 Program. The program itself constitutes a big challenge to program implementors but with a unified effort between the private sector and the government, as we have operated since the previous years, it is hoped that we will end up with success. As for our target goal, we have set a total of 1,173,180 hectares broken down into 857,853 hectares irrigated and 313,335 hectares rainfed. Comparative ly, this is more or less the same as our target during the same crop season last year (Phase V). At the projected aver age production per hectare of 85 and 70 cavans on irrigated and rainfed areas, respectively, our estimate on total pro duction will be 94.85 million cavans. STRATEGY OF IMPLEMENTATION Package of Technology. Masagana 99 makes use of a package of technology which has been proven productive and effective in the country. The package includes the use of high yielding varie ties; timely application of the proper amount of fertilizers; judicious use of pesticides, herbicides and rodenticides; and proper water management practices. Supplementary programs like “Double Cropping” and “Direct Seeding,” which are innovative strategies to further in crease rice production, are likewise implemented. - Supervised Credit Noncollateral production loans under a supervised credit scheme are extended to needy farmers who have to organize them selves into a mutual liability group known as selda. Farmers who can put up the necessary collateral need not become members of a selda to qualify for a Masagana 99 loan. However, pro per technical supervision should be pro vided them by production. technicians (PTs). Loan per hectare. The guiding lend ing rate consists of the cash and input portions amounting to P 1,200 per hecTechnology package for greater production. tare. The PT shall use his wise judgment in determining the actual credit require ment of the farmer, but in no case shall it exceed P1,200 per hectare. The cash portion covers the cost of land preparation, pulling and transplan ting of seedlings and baits, and baiting station materials. The input portion covers the cost of fertilizers, chemicals and rodenticides. The amount provided for seeds may be included in the cash portion when certified seeds are not available, and in the input portion when available. In case of the latter, a seed chit is issued to th£ farmer. BORROWING PROCEDURES Organization of the Selda. Before farmers can be extended loan under the Masagana 99 program, they have to organize themselves into a selda. A selda consists of five to seven members with one of them to be elected as selda leader. Organization of a selda is based on one or a combination of the following criteria: 1. Affinity of farmers -farmers must know each other intimately either as friends, neighbors in the barrio, or better yet, be closely related to each other. 2. Contiguity of farms - farms must be adjacent or near each other in the same barrio. 3. Size of farm — the landholding of farmers constituting the selda shall more or less have the same size. 4. Yield - productivity perfor mance of the farms of farmers belonging to a selda should be more or less the same. 5. Cropping seasons - selda mem bers must at least have the same number of cropping seasons based on available irrigation facilities or cropping patterns in case the second crop is not rice; and 6. Willingness to undertake the joint liability concept - prospective borrow ers must be aware of their duties and res ponsibilities as members of the selda, particularly their joint obligation to pay the unpaid loan of the members of their selda. MANAGEMENT National LeveL On the national level, Masagana 99 is run through the National Management Committee (NMC) composed of representatives from gov ernment and private entities involved in program implementation. The Com mittee designs operational strategies to be adopted and formulates guidelines in solving major problems in the process of program implementation. The members of the NMC are: Chairman: National Food & Agri culture Council (NFAC) Members: Representative from: 1. Bureau of Agricultural Extension (BAEx), 2. Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), 3. Philippine National Bank (PNB), 4. Ag ricultural Credit Administration (ACA), 5. Bureau of Agricultural Economics (BAEcon), 6. Central Bank - Depart ment of Rural Bank and Savings and Loans Association (CB-DRBSLA) 7. Land Bank (LB), 8. Fertilizer Industry Authority (FIA), 9.’ Agricultural Pes ticides Institute of the Philippines (APIP), 10. U.S. Agency for Interna tional Development (USAID), 11. Ru ral Bankers Association of the Philip pines (RBAP), 12. National Grains Au thority (NGA), 13. Bureau of Coopera tives (DLGCD), 14. Department of Ap plied Research Training and Information Program (DARTIP), 15. Philippine Cons tabulary (PC), 16. National Irrigation Administration (NIA), 17. Bureau of Soils, 18. Farm Systems Development Corporation (FSDC), 19. Federation of Free Farmers Association (FFFA), and 20. Federation of Farmers Association in the Philippines, Incorporated (FF API). Technical Committee. Working side by side with the NMC is a Technical Committee which determines and recom mends the rice varieties and inputs that are to be used in the program. It also determines policy solutions in the con trol and eradication of pests and diseases. This Committee headed by a represen tative from BPI is composed of re presentatives from UPJ.B College of Agri culture, Bureau of'Soils and Interna tional Rice Research Institute. Fertilizer and Pesticide. The Fer tilizer Technical Committee and the Pesticide Tbchnical Committee backstop the National Management Committee in matters concerning fertilizers and pesticides used in the program. They advise, suggest and recommend to the NMC actions and solutions to problems that have relevance to fertilizer and pesticide usage. The committees are headed by representatives from the Bu reau of Soils. Provincial Committee. At the prov incial level, Masagana 99 is managed through the Provincial Action Commit tee (PAC) headed by the provincial governor who is the chairman, and the PPO for Rice as the executive vice chairman. The PAC replicates the National Management Committee at the provincial leveL It takes charge of the over-all implementation of the program and formulates provincial policies which are necessary within the framework of the existing rules and regulations of Masa gana 99. Other members of the PAC are: 1. PC Commander; 2. provincial heads of BPI, BAEx, ACA, DLGCD, NGA, PNB, and 3. representatives of rural ban kers, millers, traders and input dealers, CB-DRBSLA agricultural credit super visors, DAR, Farm Rural Broadcasters and Federation of Farmers Association in the Philippines Incorporated. Municipal Team. The Municipal Ac tion Team (MAT) is patterned in turn after the PAC. It implements the pro gram in the municipalities and oversees the local management systems among production groups of five to seven farmers. Like the governor, the municipal mayor is the chairman of the team. He is responsible for involving the barrio captains and production leaders in the realization of the goals of the Program. Other members are production tech nicians and representatives of the rural banks and the PNB. □ Lester R. Brown, Patricia L McGrath, Bruce Stokes □ 22 dimensions of the populatioi As this excerpt from Worldwatch Paper 5 points out, population growth and other aspects of human development are directly linked. "Slower population growth is not a magic formula which will solve all our problems. It is one of the means to an end-of achieving a tolerable life for all-and is itself complex and difficult to achieve. 1 Literacy. More than five centuries have passed since Gutenberg invented the printing press, yet onethird of the world’s adults lack the skills to use this Renaissance technology. In many countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, the number of illiterates is rising as population grows more rapidly than schools can be built and staffed with teachers. Millions of children move toward adulthood without any instruc tion at all; others enroll in the primary grades but drop out without ever learning to read or write. Those countries with the least to spend on edu cation and literacy usually have the highest birth rates. Not only are funds in short supply, but the pyramidal distribution of age groups in a rapidly growing population also means that the ratio of trained teachers to school-age children is often de creasing. As a result, many governments once com mitted to universal education have quietly aban doned this objective. Rapid population growth, apart from its effects on the quality and quantity of education, tends to curtail the contribution of education to greater social equality. The lack of minimum educational facilities entails the sacrifice of programs to alleviate inequali ties between boys and girls, between rural and urban areas, and between favored and poorer sections of so areas, and between favored and poorer sections of society. 2 Oceanic Fisheries. The hope that man will be able to turn to the oceans to satisfy his food needs as population pressure on land-based food resources mounts is being shattered. Newspapers in Tokyo, London, and Lima tell daily of increasing competition in oceanic fisheries and growing conflict among coun tries over scarce supplies of fish. Overfishing is com monplace and pollution of the oceans worsens steadil monplace and pollution of the oceans worsens steadily. 3 Natural Recreational Areas. Ski slopes, golf courses, beaches, city parks, wildlife preserves, and campgrounds are all utilized by increasing numbers of people each year. Access to what some view as a pub lic resource has become an increasingly sensitive issue as rising population pressure combines with higher in comes to create a demand for more recreation facili ties. City dwellers stream out in ever-increasing num bers to seek the therapy of nature. But wnat they all too often findis the same congestion they left behind— bumper-to-bumper traffic, noise, air pollution, and crowded, overflowing recreation areas. The impossi bility of leaving behind the problems of the city plagues affluent and underdeveloped countries alike. 4 Pollution. The absorption of waste is an impor tant natural function of the earth’s ecosystem. In the complex web of plant and animal life, what is waste for some organisms is sustenance for others. Only when waste increases to the point where the ecosystem can no longer readily break it down and absorb it does it become pollution. At this point waste begins to affect human health, climate, food production, and the survival of various forms of life itself. Public awareness of the pollution threat is rising, but the ul timate cost of coping with pollution, or of failing to cope with it, isnot well understood. As the human population has increased in num bers and become more concentrated, its potential for disrupting the earth’s ecosystem has grown. Each addi tional person, especially in affluent societies, increases the burden on what is, in many areas, an already over burdened environment. An OECD study of air pollu tion in Swedish cities demonstrates the link between population density and air pollution. The concentra tion of sulfur dioxide in the cities’ air, the result of burning fossil fuels in cars, generating plants, and in dustry, was highest in cities with the largest popu lations. 5 Inflation. During the seventies, inflation has reached double-digit levels worldwide for the first time, creating extreme anxiety among national politi cal leaders who must try to cope with it. The eco nomists whose advice they seek are puzzled by the failure of all traditional inflation controls short of the sanction of widescale unemployment. What few seem to realize is that an important new source of inflationary pressure has emerged. Inflation results when demand exceeds supply. Monetary and fiscal policies can be used to encour age an unhealthy growth in demand, one that out strips the growth in supply. Inflation arising from such excessive demand can be controlled by adjust ing these policies. In an economy dominated by large corporations and organized labor, inflation can also be of a cost-push nature. Escalating prices lead to demands for higher wages which in turn lead to still higher prices. Inflation also results when supply is temporarily restricted or disrupted by war, labor strikes, or weather. Such restrictions of supply cause temporary inflation, but during the seventies a new source of long-term inflation has begun to emerge. World de mand for goods and services has expanded at about 4 percent per year from 1950 to 1975, nearly tripling during this 25 year span. About half of all produc tion gains were absorbed by population growth, which averaged close to 2 percent per year during this per iod, and about half by increases in per capita con sumption. Meanwhile, it has become increasingly difficult, for a combination of economic and political reasons, to expand the supply of many strategic goods commensurately. The result has been scarcityinduced inflation. The impact 6f these conditions on the price and availability of such essential resources as food and energy has become dramatically evident during the seventies. Those who suffer most under the burden of scarcity-induced inflation are the poor, whether in the barriadas of Lima or the slums of Naples. Worsen ing inflation means that those living at subsistence level find themselves increasingly unable to make ends meet. When the price of grain triples, families that already spend 60 percent of their income on food can only eat less. 6 Environmental Illness. A growing share of all illness and death in the world today is direct ly attributable to human changes in the environment. These changes stem from new technologies, popula tion growth, and the need to produce ever more goods and services to satisfy human needs. Amongthe illnesses linked to environmental alteration are emphysema, stroke, parasitic infections, heart di sease, and cancer. The spreading incidence of environmental ill ness is largely attributable to the introduction of new chemicals into the ecosystem, increased levels of air and water pollution, and crowding. The burning of fossil fuels in cities and the spreading use of chem icals and pesticides in agriculture, for example, lead to numerous health proqlems. Environmentally induced illnesses take many forms. Horrifying but egalitarian, they spare none; the rich and poor alike are potential victims. No res pecter of age, sex, or social status, cancer now ranks as one of the most feared killers in industrial societies. In the United States, it is now the leading cause of death from disease among children under the fif teen years of age. It accounts for a fifth of all deaths in the United States. 7 Hunger. The world begins the last quarter of this century confronted with three interrelated and worrisome developments on the food front These are the recent downturn in per capita grain con sumption, the inability to rebuild depleted grain reserves, and the accelerating world dependence on North American grain exports. Meanwhile, world population continues to rise by nearly 70 million per year. Reports in 1974 of rising rates of nutritionrelated deaths in several poor countrees underscore the need for closer attention to food and population | issues. Widespread deficiency-related diseases are sap ping the vitality of hundreds of millions, reducing thea- productivity, alertness, and endurance. Pre natal and infant malnutrition are causing brain dan- * tage and retardation in children. Today’s malnutrition is shackling tomorrow’s generation of adults, injecting a new and unsavory element into developn'Mht* planning. 8 Housing. The flat-roofed, mud-walled dwel lings of the Middle East, and the pitched-roof, stilt- I supported bamboo houses of Southeast Asia illus- j trate the variety of housing styles th<_t enrich the human heritage and form an essential part of the “quality of life.” Behind this diversity and ingenuity, there is a universal reflection of basic family needs— space for sleeping, eating, child-rearing, and leisure. J Providing decent living quarters for rapidly ' increasing populations seems dishearteningly difficult I today. Housing requires space, building materials, I capital, and energy for fabrication. As a result of the swelling demand for houses, the land, lumber, cem- | ent, and fuel required have risen beyond the financial . means of many of the world’s four billion people, j The expectation that a growing share of each nation’s j people would be able to enjoy a home of their own | has now been dimmed considerably by the impact I of rapid population growth and associated material I scarcities. 9 Climate Change. “There can be little doubt that man, in the process of reshaping his environ- ‘ ment, has changed the climate of large regions of the j earth.” So reports a study of inadvertent climate ] modification by the Massachusetts Institute of Tech- I nology. The impact of these climatic changes is farreaching, affecting human health, living patterns, and food production. As more and more people populate I the earth, human numbers and activities threaten to I alter the climatic patterns to which mankind has grown accustomed. In rural areas, human activity affects local clim ate. Population growth expands villages and intensi fies the demand for food. Attendant deforestation, I overgrazing, and overcropping change temperature patterns and the humidity balance. Meteorologists 1 Reid Bryson and David Baerreis of the University of Wisconsin report that the atmospheric dust generated j by this human abuse of the land may be altering the monsoon patterns, over northwestern India and part of Pakistan. 10 Overgrazing. When human population in the poor countries grows, the livestock population I is almost always increased commensurately in order to expand draft power, food supplies, or family wealth and security. As herds of cattle multiply, they j can denude the countryside of its natural grass cover, I particularly if they are not properly controlled. Overgrazing by goats causes even more damage because it affects trees shrubs as welL Section THE REPUBLIC 9 i problem populations. 11 Crowding. The more people there are on earth, the more people there are per square mile. Nothing can change that fact Four billion of us now live here, and each day there are more. Unless so ciety dramatically reverses recent trends, much of this population will be packed into urban centers. If high population density has negative effects on be havior and health, humanity faces some trying times. The toll of prolonged stress is visible not only in individuals who suffer premature and irreparable bodily wear and tear as well as functional disorders, <£ls_^in the social fabric. Sociologists, psycholo gists, and urban crime victims agree that, in crowded cities, traditional patterns of civil behavior are break ing down as a result of tension, crime and fear of crime, noise, hostility, turmoil, bustle, and brashness. Apart from the stress caused by crowding Philip Zimbardo, a Stanford University psychologist, believes that New Yorkers uncivil behavior stems from feelings of anonymity or “deindividuation,” the feeling that “If no one knows who I am, what difference does it make what I do?” Stress transforms neighbors into enemies; it generates fear, insecurity in friendships, and rude behavior. IX Income. Development economists have tra ditionally been concerned with population growth because it partially offsets the gains of economic growth. During the sixties, when the developing coun tries as a group experienced an average annual eco nomic growth rate of close to 5 percent, with popula tion growth rates of 2 to 3 percent, half of the eco nomic gain was absorbed by population growth, while the other half raised per capita incomes. While the belief that population growth can undermine efforts to upgrade living standards has always been a legitimate one, it is gaining importance. With the perceptible economic slowdown that has occurred in most of the world during the seventies, population growth may offset all economic growth in some countries, actually preventing rather than just reducing any gains in per capita income. 13 Urbanization. During the nineteenth century industrial revolution in England, the flow of people from countryside to city was mainly a result of “urban pull,”-of job opportunities in the city. Today, the process of urbanization has accelerated in the developing countries, but it is more a treasure of rural despair than of urban opportunity. Plots of rural farmland are divided and subdivided by each successive generation until the pieces are too small to provide a livelihood. The inevitable result is a rural exodus. The continuous migration of people from countryside to city in the poor countries constitutes a serious social crisis, the ramifications of which may eventually impair the quality of life of much of mankind. The present growth trend of most primary cities in developing countries can only lead to severe diseconomies, resulting in a higher cost of living and increased per capita costs for urban facilities and infrastructures. Urban scholar Lewis Mumford esti mates that providing needed services costs three times as much in a large city as in a small town. Yet cities of over seven million people are more and more com mon in developing countries; examples include Shang hai, Peking, Calcutta, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo. 14 Deforestation. As the human population has expanded over the centuries, the earth’s forests have receded. Trees have been cut to make room for agri culture, to provide wood for shelter, firewood for fuel and, in recent centuries, newsprint for newspapers. Nine-tenths of the people in many of the poor est countries today depend on firewood as their chief source of fuel. And ah too often, the growth in human population is outstripping the growth of new trees not surprising, considering that the average villager needs nearly a ton of firewood a year. Trees have proved to be one of man’s most valuable resources and, in consequence, one of the most heavily exploited. As other Southeast Asian countries expand and adapt their irrigation facilities to meet burgeoning food needs, their vulnerability to siltation and dis rupted river flows will grow commensurately. Satellite photographs of the Philippines show that deforestar tion is far more advanced than official statistics reveal, with the forest cover probably less than a fifth of the country’s land area-a far cry from the 35-50 percent commonly assumed. 15 Political Conflict As expanding populations exert more and more pressure on limited resources, both local and global, their impact on politics—the task of determining who gets what-becomes in creasingly evident Additional people place additional demands upon a political system at the same time that they impede that system’s ability to respond satisfactorily. By constantly complicating resource allocation decisions, population growth can affect not only political stability within national borders but also the relations among states. 16 Minerals. The earth’s mineral resources re mained untouched throughout most of the estimated two or three million years of human existence. Only, in the last century have they been tapped systematic ally on a worldwide basis. Total mineral production during the last thirty years was greater than that from the beginning of the Bronze Age until World War II. The United States Bureau of Mines estimates that world consumption of aluminum will be twice today’s level in nine years, that use of iron will double in a decade and a half, and that demand for zinc will double in 17 years. Consumption of these minerals is growing much faster than the world population, an indication of the substantial role rising affluence plays in the depletion of mineral reserves. The future availability of mineral supplies at a reasonable cost will depend on expanding reserves and slowing growth in demand. The prospect of cheap, abundant energy that would effectively increase avail able reserves is fading. On the other hand, dependence on continuous price increases to expand supply would undermine many economies. New technologies-especially recycling, the potential of which has barely been tapped—present opportunities for limited stretch ing of mineral reserves. Yet the reality that mineral resources have limits is irrefutable, regardless of price and technology. If mined long enough any mineral resource must sooner or later be exhausted. 17 Health Services. For hundreds of millions of people, perhaps half of the world’s population, health care is unavailable or is a luxury they cannot afford. In many countries, the number of persons requiring medical care is growing much faster than available health services. This lack of health care is more than a matter of statistics; it is the agony parents endure watching a three-year-old child die of a common child hood disease like measles or diarrhea. It is a father chronically debilitated by intestinal parasites, malaria, or schistosomiasis while struggling to produce enough grain to feed his family. 18 Water. Examples of population growth exert ing pressure on water supplies are legion. From Manila —where the population may double in fifteen years— to the grazing range of the Ethiopian Plateau, the limited availability of fresh water is undermining health, restricting food supplies, and diminishing hopes for economic development Every person added to the world’s population requires a minimum amount of water to survive. Drinking water is only a minute part of a person’s daily water needs. Producing enough food to keep one person alive requires enormous quantities of water. Up to 120 gallons of water are needed to grow the grain used in a loaf of bread. A pound of meat which requires direct water consumption plus water to grow the animal feed, can require 200 times that amount Energy production is often dependent on water availability, and the production of most consumer products, from plastics to steel, requires a great.deal of water. 19 Unemployment Economists estimate that for every 1 percent growth in the labor force, a 3 percent rate of economic growth is required to generate jobs. With current technology, countries experiencing a 3 percent rate of population growth therefore require a 9 percent rate of economic growth just to maintain employment at its current leveL Attaining full employment would require an even faster rate of economic expansion. But economic growth rates have been falling during the seventies rather than rising; fewer jobs are being created even while the number of potential workers is climbing at an unprecedented rate. XO Endangered Species. The word extinction brings to mind the dinosaur, felled by gradual climatic changes over a long period of time. Today, this process of extinction has been reduced to decades. Homo sapiens, a single species, threatens the survival of countless thousands of plant and animal species through its numbers and activities. The addition of three-quarters of a billion people to the world’s population over the last decade has, in many regions, upset the balance between human, plant, and animal life. The very size of the human population is altering natural environments: rural habitats are urbanized, forests are turned into farmland. The chemical wastes from manufacturing and commerce, and the wide spread use of pesticides and fertilizers to improve nature’s productivity threaten to break the life ccyles of many species. XX Energy. Every person added to the world’s population requires energy to prepare food, to prov ide clothing and shelter, and to fuel economic life. The amount of energy used every day by the world’s four billion consumers, for everything from heating water to running the most sophisticated computers, is rapidly increasing. Each increment in demand is another claim on shrinking energy reserves. Prior to the early seventies, there was little con cern about future energy supplies and people were un mindful of the role energy played in their everyday lives. Known global reserves of petroleum, natural gas, and coal were expanding and most projections showed that reserves would continue to grow as the price of energy rose and new technology became available. PlentifuL cheap energy permitted the world to gorw populous and affluent Fossil fuels, particular ly petroleum, fired economic growth. Nitrogen fer tilizer, produced cheaply from natural gas, boosted agricultural productivity in the corn fields of Iowa and in the rice paddies of the Philippines. With disarming suddenness the global shortage of oil brought on by the 1973 Middle East embargo woke the world from its energy daydream. Lines at gas stations in the U.S. and farmers waiting for days to buy fuel for irrigation pumps in India forced a reappraisal of the global energy situation. Optimism over energy reserves faded as pessimism over sup plying ever larger populations with sufficient energy grew. XX Individual Freedom. As more and more people require space and resources on this planet, more and more rules and regulations are required to supervise individual use of the earth’s resources for the common good. This need to agree upon or impose guidelines and limitations is seemingly independent of political ideology. And the sphere encompassed by such regulations is an ever-widening one that includes individuals, large industries, and now, in some in stances, the entire world. The need for more extensive political control is painfully illustrated by the tragedies born of the un regulated use of common resources like air and water. A finite world pressed by the needs of increasing numbers of inhabitants can no longer afford such un controlled self-seeking, a Hobbesian universe of the war of all against alL The new political strictures re quired to cope with the “tragedy of the commons” may necessarily abrogate some forms of freedom. The probable extent of such abrogations can only be speculated upon. □ PREAUDIT PHASEOUT □ Wider latitude for managers Why is preparatory audit being phased out? To give management a wider lati tude of decision on its financial activi ties and a deeper sense of fiscal respon sibility, and to make possible a detached and objective review of financial tran sactions by the auditor. Phaseout of pre-audit would of course give way to full adoption of post-audit. How long will this phaseout pro gram take? The greening of Metro Manila IN early November last year when the First Lady, Mrs. Imelda Romualdez Marcos, accepted the governorship of Metropolitan Manila, one of the very first things that she announced was that she will make Manila “a beautiful city.” Immediately she launched a massive tree-planting program to transform Man ila into another “garden city” in Asia, like Singapore. The “greening” of Manila calls for the planting of shade trees in all major thoroughfares and avenues in the city. Palms and shrubs will also be planted in congested areas or secondary streets where there is little room for large trees. The tree-planting program is being coordinated by a technical committee headed by Ramon Binamira of the Green Revolution national committee. The technical group is composed of representatives from the Bureau of For est Development of the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Pub lic Highways, Bureau of Plant Industry, Bureau of Soils, Bureau of Agricultural Extension, National Food and Agricul ture Council, and local governments. For Phase I of the program which ended last April 27, about 30,000 seed lings and saplings were planted along the main thoroughfares of Metro Manila. Only shade and ornamental trees will be planted in all major streets with the exception of Roxas Boulevard where coconut trees were already planted. The major thoroughfares and the kind of trees planted along them are as follows: □ Manila International Airport Road and Domestic Airport Road-fire trees. □ Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA)-narra for the sides and MacArthur palms for the center isles. □ Quirino Avenue to Nagtahantalisay trees. About five years or so depending on how soon management would be fully willing and able to assume the manage ment-imposed fiscal responsibility. What is the extent of the initial phaseout? As defined under Commission on Audit (COA) Circular No. 76-26, dated April 6, 1976. Why has it become necessary to project post-audit as our more impor tantfunctions? Post-audit is more comprehensive. As of now, the auditor is practically limited to financial and compliance au dit. He has little time for performance or operational audits which cover man agerial and program results. Besides, post-audit does not interfere with man agement prerogatives and to a certain extent reduces “red tape” for which au ditors are often blamed for. Will there be greater efficiency as a result of the pre-audit phaseout? This is of course our expectation in directing the withdrawal of pre-audit and fully implementing post-audit with certain limitations defined in COA Cir cular No. 76-26. Will it mean a-decrease in the num ber of auditing personnel? Not necessarily. How will the phaseout affect graft and corruption in the government? This phaseout would not affect the graft and corruption in the government. Under PD 898 the Commission on Au dit aside from being granted visitorial powers, is enjoined, among other things, to institute control measures through the promulgation of mips and regula tions governing the receipts, disburse ments, and uses of funds and property. Is the pre-audit legal and constitu tional? Has there been an abdication of constitutionally mandated functions and duties? The Constitution in granting to the Commission on Audit the power and function to examine, audit, and settle accounts pertaining to the government and its agencees and instrumentalities, does not specifically state that such pow ers and function shall be exercised be fore the consummation of the transac tion. It is believed that the pre-audit phaseout is legal and constitutional and that there is no abdication of constitu tionally mandated functions and duties. Is management ready to assume this pre-audit functions? □ Quezon Boulevard (from Wel come Arch to Elliptical Road, Quezon City)-mah6gany. □ East Avenue— cherry blossom. □ Espana Boulevard-narra. □ Magsaysay Avenue (up to Auro ra Boulevard)—narra. □ Ayala Boulevard (from Ayala Bridge to Taft Avenue)-golden showers and palo santo. □ Abad Santos—narra. Under the present set-up, all kinds of shade trees are to be supplied by the Bureau of Forest Development (BFD) while ornamental and fruit trees will. come from the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI). The Department of Public High ways and the highway engineering dis tricts are given the task of planting and caring for the trees until they grow up. Aside from the BFD and BPI, the University of the Philippines College of Forestry at Los Banos also distributes seedlings. The Nasipit Lumber Com pany, a private firm, has donated 2,000 saplings of forest trees which the com mittee has already utilized in Phase I. The Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines has likewise pledged to donate 100,000 seedlings for the tree-planting program of Metro Manila. Phase II of the program call sfor the involvement of more than 1,500 ba rangay units in Metro Manila in the mas sive undertaking. On July 2, the date set for Phase II to start off, 500,000 ba rangay members, to be headed by thenrespective chairmen, will simultaneously plant trees in their areas of respon sibility. The plan calls for the Metro Manila governor to launch the second phase of the program. Phase III, which will be the last phase, calls for the turn-over of the responsibility of caring for the planted trees to the local governments, notably the barangay units. By then, a municipal tree-planting action team shall have been formed in every municipality or city in Metro Manila. The team will be com posed of the municipal engineer, agricul turist, district supervisor and the ba rangay coordinator, with the municipal or city mayor as honorary chairman. On the barangay level, the implementing body will be composed of the barangay chairman and the chairman of the kabataang barangay in the locality. According to the technical commit tee secretariat, the entire Metro Manila which has a total of 2,800 kilometers of road network needs about 560,000 seed lings or saplings, with trees planted at a distance of 10 meters from each other on one side alone of the street In its nursery, the BFD has a stock of about a million seedlings while the BPI has more than half-a-million seedlings. We, there fore, have enough seedlings to make Metro Manila completely “green” in the next few years; The estimate of the secretariat is that five years from now, Metro Manilans will be able to feel the impact of the tree-planting program of the city ad ministration because by that time the At this stage, agency management may not yet be ready to cope with complete and full implementation of post-audit. But given adequate time, government managers are sure to effec tively cope with it. Does post-audit prevent the incur rence of irregular, unnecessary, exces sive or extravagant expenditure of funds? Yes, because of the existence of double check—first, by the head of the agency and supervisory management lev el, and second, by the auditor. The first check must have been developed, strengthened and improved as a result of recommendations incident to post audit. To whom will management assign this pre-audit functions? Pre-audit functions may be assigned to either the internal audit unit or a new unit. What is the quality of controls in present-day agency management? Generally fair, although some are lax. Why is there a general weakness in agency internal control? To a certain extent, due to the awareness of the auditor’s presence who is expected to go over the transaction anyway. Is this situation due to poor quality of personnel? A combination of three factors namely: defective system and proce dures, poor record keeping and reporting, and employee attitude and integrity. Is this due more to lack of internal review in management as that given by an independent internal audit unit? Not necessarily. Is this just the solution for strong internal control in management? Basically, a strong .internal control within an agency at the same time main taining economy, efficiency and effec tiveness is a must in the full withdrawal of pre-audit. O trees will be tall enough and their leaves .can help supply the much needed oxy gen for the city dwellers. Trees are not only anti-pollutant, They can also help in the flood control project of the government Roots of giant shade trees absorb rain water during heavy downpour and certainly this will greatly help in draining water from our perennially flooded streets. For the benefit of the different barangay leaders and other citizens in terested in planting trees, here are some important tips on how to grow young trees. TREE-PLANTING GUIDE 1. Clear the area to be planted using a bolo or sharp knife. 2. Dig holes (1 foot wide and 1 foot deep) and maintain spacing of 2 meters by 2 meters. 3. In planting potted seedlings using plastic bags, compress the soil first in such a way that the ball of earth around the plant is solid. Then remove the plastic when bag soil is already loose. 4. Put about 10 grams or a handful of fertilizer in the hold then plant the seedling in such a way that the root collar is L: level with the ground surface. 5. Set plant with the ball of earth. Fill the hole with the top soil first, fol lowed by subsoiL 6. Tamp soil around seedling with feet 7. Water generously after planting. PROTECTION AND MAINTENANCE 1. Water plants thoroughly after planting and every other day thereafter. This should be observed strictly when saplings are planted during dry season. 2. Provide much materials such as dried grass or leaves around stem to check rapid evaporation of soil moisture around the plant 3. Provide fence guard around plant for protection from being trampled by animals. □ EDUCATION □ The mechanics o£ ‘study now, pay later’ THE Educational Assistance Plan, more popularly known as the “Study Now, Pay Later” project, covers all unmarried Filipino citizens, not over 25 years old, who want to pursue col lege, vocational or technical studies; the plan also covers all students enrolled in priority courses. Educational loan funds are adminis tered by each participating funding in stitution. Each institution issues its own procedural guidelines for giving loans, for loan repayment and for interest rates. In due time, the Policy Making Council for the educational loan plan shall standardize operational procedures. The Educational Loan Guarantee Fund (made available by the government for lending institutions to use in case of defaults in payment), earnings of the guarantee fund, donations, legacies, grants-in-aid, and other contributions are administered by the Policy Making Council. No part of the guarantee fund is spent for administrative purposes. Qualifications. Besides being single and not being over 25 years old, an ap plicant must: 1) enrol or be enrolled in any of the courses preferred by the loan assistance program; 2) be in good health as shown by a medical certificate issued by a government physician; 3) be of good moral character and must not have been subject to any disciplinary action, as attested by the head of the registrar of the secondary school he came from; 4) be a dependent on parents or guardians with a gross family income of not more than Pl2,000 per annum; 5) have no other source of support than what his parents or guard ian can provide; 6) have no government or private scholarship grant and have no grant-in-aid. If the applicant is entering the freshman year, he must: 1) belong to the upper 25 percent of his high school graduating class; 2) have quali fied in the NCEE, if pursuing a college course, and have obtained a score not lower than 50 percentile rank. If the applicant is already enrolled in a priority course, he must not have failed in any subject in the semester immediately preceding the application for a loan and must have obtained a weighted average of at least 2,5 or its equivalent Preferred Courses. The preferred college courses are: AB Economics; BS Agriculture, major in Agronomy, Plant Pathology, Animal Husbandry, Agricul tural Economics, Agricultural Botany, or Soils; BS Fisheries, major in Fishing Technology, Inland Fisheries, Marine Fisheries; BS Forestry, major in Forest Biological Sciences, Forest Resources Management, Forestry Extension, or Wood Sciences and Technology; BSS in Agricultural Business, Agricultural En gineering, Agricultural Chemistry, Agri cultural Education, Agricultural Exten sion, Veterinary Medicine, Mining En gineering, Sanitary Engineering, Indus trial Education, Geology, Industrial Chemistry, Rural Sociology, Food Tech nology, Marine Biology, Sugar Tech nology, Chemical Engineering, Civil En gineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Geodetic En gineering, Aeronautical Engineering, Electronics and Communication En gineering, Mechanical Engineering, Marine Transportation, Management En gineering, Industrial Technology, Man agement of Small-Scale Industries, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Sta tistics, Textile Technology, Rubber Technology. The preferred technical or voca tional courses are: Wood-Pattern Mak ing, Auto Mechanics, Welding Tech nology, Electronics, Mechanics, Diesel nology, Electronics, Mechanics, Diesel Technology, Sheet Metal Technology, Automotive Technology, Industrial Technology, Computer Key Punching, Machine Shop Technology, Radio/TV A chance for the poor youth. Technicians, Radio Communication and Aircraft Technician. Loan Schedules and Options. The maximum amounts of loans allowed are: 1) Tuition and other enrollment fees, P800; 2) Books and other school supplies, P500; 3) Board and lodging, P2,500; 4) Uniforms and other personal expenses, P200. A borrower has the following op tions: 1) A full loan covering school, living, and other expenses; 2) a loan for school expenses only; 3) a loan for living expenses only; 4) a loan for just a single item in the loan schedule, like a loan for board and lodging or for tuition and other enrolment fees only. The borrower may apply for an amount less than the maximum amount allowed for each item. The manner of loan releases, as determined by each lending institution, should not make it difficult for the student to get enrolled, secure his school needs, or pay his obligations on time. The borrower may apply, in succeeding years, for a change in loan schedules and amounts. Conditions of Assistance. A grantee must immediately enrol in the semester immediately following the approval of his loan. The loan grant shall continue on the following conditions: 1) The grantee shall carry, each semester, the full load prescribed for his course of study, unless extraordinary circum stances call for an underload; 2) Each grantee should not drop a subject if it results in an underload; 3) A grantee shall not transfer to another course un less allowed by the Policy Making Coun cil; 4) If a grantee is reasonably unable to enrol for a period not exceeding one curricular year, his loan privilege may continue when he resumes his studies; 5) Each grantee must maintain a weight ed average of at least “2.75” or its equivalent during each academic year; 6) Each- grantee must not get a grade of “5” or its equivalent in more tjian two subjects every academic year and any grade of “4” or INC, or the equi valents must be removed or completed prior .to the next registration period (a grantee who gets a grade of “5” or its equivalent in more than two subjects in one academic year may still be given loan assistance if he gets a general weighted average of at least “2.5” or its equivalent); 7) The grantee must not had been subjected to disciplinary ac tion involving more than one month suspension. If a loan grantee is awarded a scholarship or another government grant, his educational loan assistance shall be terminated, but he shall be obligated to pay back the loans that had been given him. Repayment Schedule. Upon em ployment following graduation, 'the grantee must pay the loan and the accrued interest, under the terms pro vided in his loan agreement with the lending institution. To insure regular payments of loans, a payroll check-off system will be established by the Policy Making Council. In case of noncompletion of the course, or nonemployment after gradua tion, the grantee shall be liable for re payment of the loan given him, includ ing accrued interest Placement The public employment office of the Bureau of Employment Services of the Department of Labor will assist graduated grantees in looking for jobs. The employment office will also assist the funding institutions in collecting repayment from employed graduates. Loan Processing. To handle loan applications, a Processing Unit has been organized in each Regional and Division Office. Each unit approves or disapproves all applications submitted. Within thirty days after each school year opening, all CSC bans personal follow-ups FROM 1962 to 1966, three memo randum circulars have been issued by the Office of the President prohibi ting the handcarrying and personal fol low-up of official communications in government offices. But it seemed there had been laxity in complying with these circulars. Thus, the Civil Service Com mission (CSC) issued on May 28 this year a circular reiterating the same prohibition. The circulars seek to prevent: infi delity in the custody of official docu ments, loss of official papers, exercise of improper or undue influence, delay in the disposition of other papers and loss of manhours at work. Any viola tion indicates to a great extent lack of confidence in the capacity of an office for expeditious action, which runs con trary to Memo circular dated August 13, 1962 by the CSC. Titled “Requiring Prompt Action on Official Papers by all Agencies of the Government,” it states that there is no reason for the delay in the consideration or dispatch of official papers. processing units shall submit -to the Office of the Secretary of the Depart ment of Education and Culture a report on all the applications processed in cluding the names of all applicants. Secretariat An inter-agency secre tariat assists the Policy Making Council in implementing the educational assis tance plan. The secretariat consists of representatives from the agencies com posing the Policy Council, a represent ative of each participating lending in stitution, and other members chosen by the CounciL The secretariat is given staff support by the Department of Education and Culture. Its adrpinistrative and opera tional expenses are provided by the annual appropriation for the DEC, ac cording to PD 932. Enrolment To enable grantees to enrol in the first semester of school year 1976-1977, the GSIS and SSS have made P5 million of their investible funds available. Other participating funding institutions may also make available loan funds for school year 1976-1977 in such amounts as "heir respective gov ernment boards may determine. By school year 1977-1978, all lending in stitutions will make loan funds available according to their commitments under PD 932. □ All heads of departments, bureaus and offices, including government-own ed or -controlled corporations are en joined to see to it that the provisions of the circulars that emanated from the CSC and the Office of the President are brought to the attention of, and strictly complied with, by officials and employees under them. Likewise, in order to fully follow the provisions of the circular, all de partments, bureaus and offices are re quired to keep a register of all persons who come and visit them, which shall show their names and signatures, the positions and offices in which they are employed, whether government or priv ate, the nature or purpose of their visit, and the description of the papers or cor respondence they handcarry or are fol lowing up. Such register should be kept by all units of an office which receive visitors or callers. Any government official or em ployee found to have violated the pro hibition shall be subject to administra tive action. □ The Government THE REPUBLIC OPINIONS Secretary of Justice Civil Service Commission He is not your researcher IT IS not the duty of the Secretary of Justice to an swer questions general in scope or to write ab stract essays or gather legal materials for other depart ments and offices. His duty is to render opinion or give legal advice only on “specific questions of law.” This was the clarification issued by Justice Secretary Vicente Abad Santos when he recently de clined to render the opinion sought by the Secretary of Education and Culture on the following queries posed by the Regional Director of DEC’s Region No. 1 in connection with the La Union Provincial Board Resolutions Nos. 419 and 420, s. 1975: “1. What is the nature of the national aid to high schools released by that Office (DEC) thru the Provincial School Superintendent? “2. Can said national aid, which by law had to be deposited with the Provincial Treasurer, be appro priated by the Provincial Government for other purposes? “3. What offense, if any, is committed by said officials if the said funds were appropriated for other purposes? ” In declining to render opinion, Secretary Abad Santos said it is true that the regional director has properly submitted his queries to his department head for resolution. “But the same were outright transmit ted to my office without that department first stud ying and inquiring into the matter,” Abad Santos pointed out. “I think that sound administrative practice and official courtesy demand that the ques tions should first be studied by that Department’s Law Division which should at least formulate that Department’s position on the matter before consulta tion is made with the Secretary of Justice.” He recalled that as previously pointed out in his !i^^-(|P|‘Opinian No. 60, current series, likewise rendered for the DEC, simple questions such as the present could easily be resolved if only it would take the trouble to do so. “Aside from the queries being too general, the within enclosures do not show that there is a prob lem or controversy pending resolution before that Department as a result of the subject provincial board resolutions,” Abad Santos noted. Wait for finished product RESPECTFULLY returned to the Chairman, Na tional Science Development Board (NSDB), Gen eral Santos Avenue, Bicutan Taguig, Rizal. This refers to the Project proposals, entitled The Philippines Into The Twenty-First Century, which was submitted by Dr. Salvador P. Lopez to the National Science Development Board for possible financial assistance. You state that the project involves the publi cation in book form of a collection of papers wherein writers from various disciplines and professions will present alternative options for the development of the Philippines, a majority of the papers to be based on empirical data and the rest on opinion. Further, you state that while the NSDB “would encourage the objective analysis of the present to help our planners in mapping out the future of the Philippines,” it is “apprehensive about the possible repercussions of the proposed Project considering that two of the proposed disciplines, Le., politics and government and law and justice, may be considered * as sensitive areas.” Therefore, you now request opinion “as to whether or not the subject Project Proposal passes the ‘Clear and Present Danger Rule’ and/or the ‘Dangerous Tendency Rule’ tests.” Since what is now before the NSDB is merely a project proposal, no comment or utterance having / as yet been formulated or written—much less published—by any of the proposed participants, this Of fice is not in a position to express any opinion as to whether or not the proposal involves an infringement of the “clear and present danger rule” and the “dangerous tendency rule.” The subject proposal itself is innocuous, as I do not see how the mere conductence of a research study of Philippine society by scholars from various disciplines and professions could endanger the national security of the Philip pines or negate the gains made under the New So ciety. It is only after the completion, and on the basis, of a particular position/research paper that it may be determined whether or not its publication in the symposia proposed to be conducted or in book form or any other form or medium—would fail to pass the above-mentioned tests. □ On maternity leave FACTS: MRS. X was appointed Corporation Auditing Examiner in the defunct Court Y in January, 1970; and that when said Court was abolished on October 31, 1974, she was absorbed by the National Labor Relations Commission as Socio-Economic Analyst effective November 1, 1974, but her appoint ment as such was attested by this Commission as temporary. There is thus no gap in the services of Mrs. X. Moreover, it is represented that Mrs. X by reason of her length of service under permanent status in the Court Y was previously granted 60 days maternity leave with full pay. QUERY: Whether Mrs. X may be allowed to enjoy her 60 days maternity leave with full pay. RULING: In resolving the query the Commission stated that the Maternity Leave Law (C.A. 647, as amended Section 12 C.S.R. XVI) recognizes the very important function of motherhood, so that it gives to a married woman employe every possible protection and assis tance relative to her delivery by way of maternity leave benefits. The law is in essence a social legislation and must be so interpreted that the objective for which it was enacted may not be unduly sacrificed and the benefits granted therein unjustly denied. It will be observed that the pertinent provision therein which reads: XXX (a) Permanent or regular employes who have rendered two or more years of continuous service shall be entitled to 60 days with full pay. The two or more years service should be under regular and permanent appointment exclusive of service under provisional or temporary status. XXX does not clearly indicate the relation of time between the two years mandatory period of service under per manent status and the moment of delivery. However, it explicitly provides that the period of service up to the time the benefit is availed of must be contF nuous and uninterrupted. What the law merely seeks to avoid is a situation where a married woman em ploye who has rendered service for two years or more resigns and thereafter, say after six or ten years, re-enters the service of the government in an advanced state of pregnancy. Such a possibility, how ever, appears to be remote in this case. As it appears that the services of Mrs. X have been continuous from the time of her original appointment to the present and she has held a permanent appointment for at least two (2) years, she satisfies the require ment of the law. The Commission, therefore, ruled that Mrs. X may be granted 60 days maternity leave benefits with full pay. On overtime pay QUERY: OPINION was requested on whether an employee may be paid overtime pay based on the salary of the position to which he was merely designated. FACTS: Employee X holds a permanent appointment in corporation Y as Receiving and Releasing Clerk with an annual salary of P4,860.00; that when he was designated Property Custodian, he was allowed to receive the salary of said position at P7,380.00 per annum pursuant to Section 104.05 of that Cor poration’s Personnel Handbook; and that when he rendered overtime work, however, he was paid for overtime services on the basis of his salary as Receiv ing and Releasing Clerk on the premise that he was On leave without pay QUERY: RULING is requested on whether Mr. X may be paid his salary for the intervening Saturday, Sunday, or holiday when he is absent without pay on a Friday or on a day immediately preceding a holiday. FACTS: Mr. X was present on Monday, December 2, 1974, and went on sick leave without pay from Tuesday to Friday (December 3-6, 1974); that he reported back to work on Monday, December 9, 1974; that from December 23 up to the end of the month, he was again on sick leave without pay and on the basis of his daily time record, he was paid his salary for the period from Deoember 1-22, 1974, deducting therefrom only the leave without pay from December 3 to 6, 1974, but the resident Auditor in that Bureau disallowed the salaries for December 7, 8, 21 and 22, 1974. RULING: In reply to the query, the Commission invited attention to an opinion of this Commission in a similar case wherein it was ruled: “Mrs. X is not entitled to payment of salary corresponding to Jan uary 23 and 24, 1965, Saturday and Sunday, re spectively, it appearing that she was present on Friday, January 22, 1965, but was on leave without pay beginning January 25, the succeeding Monday. It is the view of this Commission that an employee who has no more leave credit in his favor is not entitled to the payment of salary on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays unless such non-working days occur within the period of service actually rendered. In the instant case, had Mrs. X reported to duty on January 25, she would be entitled to the payment of salary corresponding to the Saturday and Sunday herein involved,” which is self-explanatory. Pursuant to the above ruling, Mr. X is not en titled to the payment of salary for December 7, 8, 12 and 22, 1974, considering that she was then on leave of absence without pay. The disallowance, therefore, of the salaries in question by the Resident Auditor is in order. On vacancies FACTS: MR. X and 8 others who were temporary Watch men paid on daily wage basis at the time, were laid off by the Postmaster General in his memoran dum dated January 2, 1970, for alleged “violation of regulation”; that subsequently, they were issued appointments as laborers under permanent status; that in a letter also dated January 2, 1970, the said official requested the Secretary of Public Works and Communications to return the proposed appointment of Mr. X and others in view of the termination of their services; that notwithstanding said request to recall Mr. X’s appointment as Laborer, the said appointment as Laborer, the said appointment which was received by this Commission on January 13, 1970, was sub sequently, approved permanent under Section 5(g) of R.A. 2260, effective August 1, 1969. QUERY: Mr. X questions the validity of the termination of his services by the Postmaster General. RULING: As Mr. X was appointed by the Secretary of Public Works and Communications, his services could not be terminated by the Postmaster General without authority from the Secretary. Moreover, his appoint ment as permanent Laborer which the Secretary did not recall despite the request of the Postmaster Gen eral, was attested by this Commission under Section 5(g), R.A. 2260, as amended. Under existing jurisprudence, the moment the appointee assumes a position in the civil service under a completed appointment, he acquires a legal, not merely equitable right, which is protected not only by statute, but also by the Constitution, and it cannot be taken away from him, either by revocation of the appointment or by removal, except for cause, and with previous notice and hearing, consistent with the Constitutional requirement of due process (Mitra vs. Subido, L-21691, September 15, 1967). □ PRIMER □ Budget Commissioner Jaime Laya ‘Work together, be responsive to priorities’ ANO ang kahalagahan ng pagba-budget, lalung-lalo na sa ating mga tahanan kung ating ihahambing ang bud get ng ating pamahalaan, at kung ating ihahambing sa ordinaryong pamumuhay sa araw-araw? Medyo mahirap ang tanong mo dahil normally ang kinikita ng mga tao ay kulang pa sa kanilang pangangailangan. Sa karaniwang may pamilya, ang palagi niyang problema ay kung papaano kikita pa ng mas malaki, kung saan makaka-utang para pampuno doon sa kinikita na nga. Ganyan talaga yung budget na mga presupuwesto (presuppositions). Ang kailangan nating isipin sa pagba-budget, unang-una, ay kung magkano ang ating kinikita, at pangalawa, kung ano naman ang ating kailangang pagkagastahan. Hindi ba? Halimbawa, ang ating kini kita ay so many hundred pesos per month.. Di siyempre, uunahin muna natin kung ano ang mga fixed na expen ses na kailangan nating bayaran. Unang-una, siyempre, kailangan na ting pagbayaran ang rent Pangalawa, transportation, at siyempre ang pagkain natin. Mayroon tayong ini-estimate na kung magkano ang kailangan nating gastahin para sa bigas, sa ulam, mga pag kain, mga necessities. Ngayon, pagkaraang mailista nating lahat yung kaila ngang talagang gastahin, di siyempre malalaman naman natin kung magkano ang free income natin na puede nating ipambili ng sapatos, o kaya ay puwede na ting maimpok sa bangko o sa ibang lugar na yung pinagiimpok natin. Tapos, kung minsan naman ay mayroon tayong gustong bilhin na medyo malaking bagay. Halimbawa, gusto nating magpatayo ng bahay, o kaya gusto nating bumili ng transistor radio, telebisyon o isang ap pliance. Di siyempre nag-iipon naman tayo para makabili noon. Pero kung minsan gusto naman nating makuha yung appliance ahead of time kaya bibilhin natin on installment plan. Di makukuha natin yung appliance at yung namang pang-installment ay ibibigay na tin every month, so puede rin yon. So in general, ganoon ang budget ing ng mga taong mayroong steady job. Iba namang klaseng budgeting ang iginagawa noong mga kaibigan nating magbubukid. Kasi ang income nila ay kung may ani— doon marami silang in come. Ngayon for the rest of the year naman, siyempre gumagasta sila para sa kanilang pagkain, o kaya yung para sa bukid. To some extent, mas mahirap ang budgeting noong mga kasama natin sa bukid. Hindi ba? Dahil nonfixed, and secondly, yung expense nila hindi monetary dahil kung ano yung nahuhuli nila sa ilog o kaya kung ano yung inaani nila, kinakain na nila. Kaya ang budgeting nila ay ibang klase. Diyan nakikita na napakahirap pala itong pagbabudget sa isang mag-anak lamang, sa isang padre-de-pamilya, a sa isang madre-de-pamilya. Lalo pa’t kung tutuusin ay kung hawak ni Dr. Laya ang buong bansa. Ang hawak niya ay salapi ng buong bayan, at dito siya nagba-budget kung saan gagastusin ng ating iba’t ibang ahensya ng gobiemo ang sataping laang-gugol para sa kanila. Nga yon po ba. Dr. Laya, gaano ba ang bud get ng pamahalaang national? Ang ating budget ngayon ay P19 billion. Paano ho natin bina-budget ito, o paano natin hinahati-hati sa lahat ng government agencies all over the coun try? Unang-una yung mga priorities na itinalaga ng ating Pangulo. Alam nating lahat na nais ng ating Pangulo na ang Pilipinas ay magkaroon ng Bagong Lipunan upang ang welfare ng mga mama may an ay tumaas, para umunlad ng umunlad ang bayan, So, ang palaging sinasabi ni President Marcos ay “the end purpose of the development is the common man.” Kaya nga ang starting point natin is what will be needed to be able to ensure that the welfare of the common man is improved. Sinasabi ng Pangulo, halimbawa, na kailangan natin ang selfsufficiency at self-reliance. Sinasabi niya na kailangan nating mag-export. Sinasabi niya na kailangan tayong magkaroon ng mga regional development para sama sama yung water impounding, irriga tion, electrification, reforestation, water works. Saka sinabi rin niyang kaila ngang low-cost housing. Yung mga gan yan, kailangan ng Presidential guideline and national objectives na yung pinagbabatayan natin ng budget. Sa palagay po kaya ninyo, Dr. Laya, ano po kaya ang obligasyon ng isang mamamayan na hindi naman, halim bawa, nagtrabaho sa pamahalaan, in order to safeguard yung ating mga pera ng pamahalaan as far as budgeting is concerned? What do you think is the role of the ordinary man in budget making? Well, the role of the ordinary man is basically twofold. Unang-una, kai langan tayong magbay ad ng buwis, di ba? Dahil siempre, alam mo naman ang gobyerno. Saan ba naman kukunin ang gagastahin kundi sa mga taxes na binabayad ng mga tab? Sa unang-una, kailangang magbayad tayo ng mga tax es o buwis. Pangalawa, siguro, kamukha noong sinabi ni Presidente noong isang linggo, kailangang maging vigilant ang mga barangay at mamamayan. After all, kung aling mga government office ang may ginagawa, kung aling mga project na mahusay kaysa doon sa iba, dapat ma-single out. Dahil itong 19 billion pesos na sinabi na nga natin kanina, ito ay ginagasta ng mga different govern ment agencies. Yung iba doon mahusay naman, mas effective, iba naman, hindi. So I think the ordinary man can also be vigilant na para kung nakikita nila na medyo may wasted effort o wasted money, at least masasabi naman nila kung saan mayroong waste para may magawa naman ang gobierno. As far as the government employ ees are concerned, sapagkat isa po sa mga naging problema natin noong araw ang sobrang paggamit ng pera ng ating pamahalaan—sa palagay ho kaya ninyo ngayon, Dr. Laya, have we reached al ready the point, tayo for instance na nasa pamahalaan, have we realized the importance of logical spending, yung tamang-tamangpaggasta ng pera ng ating government? Sana ganoon. Pero alam mo naman, yung iba medyo hindi pa rin ganoon ang naiisip. Because they fail to connect their work to the budgeting and finan cing effort. Hindi ba yung ibang tao kung minsan nag-aabsent na lang, o kaya kung minsan may mga require ment na kailangan. Halimbawa nagtatype sila ng mga things na tina-type nila, na kailangan lang isang kopya pero sampung kopya pa ang ginagawa. Si yempre yung mga ganoon, hindi intend ed kung minsan dahil akala nila kaila ngan pero hindi pala. So yung mga ga noon, wasted din iyon. Dito po sa budgeting natin—sa pamamalakad ho ng ating Budget Com mission—paano ho ninyo ginagawa para naman mapataas ang antas ng ating bud get offices ng national government sa pagkat mayroon tayong mga budget of ficers in every government office? Pa ano ho ninyo nai-inject yung wish stand ards into this office? Well, first of all, I think the kind of training and experience and the capabil ity noong budget officers ng mga agen cies ay mataas. I’m always pleasantly sur prised when I find out how good some of the people are. So we have a basic starting point for improvement. And then ang kailangan lang minsan, alam mo naman eh, yung mga tao natin sa go bierno, kung minsan they are also hard up by constraints—na may procedures silang dapat sundin, mayroong policy na kailangan ding sundin. Na kung min san, yung procedure pwedeng ma-improve ng konti pa. So kung minsan, kahit mahusay na yung tao, wala na siyang magawa dahil ganoon yung pro cedure, di ba? So what we do is we try to simplify. As much as possible we try to follow the President’s directive to cut down on red tape. We try to streamline procedures, and in so doing, we give the people the opportunity to prove themselves naman. Now in addi tion to that mayroong training program, we try to produce manuals. We try to meet with them periodically. Yung mga ganyan, kailangang gawin. Sa palagay ho kaya ninyo—sa lahat ng sinabi ninyo kanina—mayroon na kayang pagbabago yung ating mga bud get officers in the operation of govern ment? Sapagkat isa po sa tinatawag na ting stumbling block noong araw ay Commissioner Jaime Laya yung marami ngang tinatawag na "don’ts" pagdating doon sa operations ng government money. Paano ninyo masasabi na malaki na ang kaibahan ng operations ng budgeting nating ngayon kaysa noong araw? Well, what we just try to do is to make some improvements as we go along. Siyempre, yung ibang tao riyan, na pagnare-retire di siyempre, ang kapalit nila mas mahusay ng kaunti. Yung iba naman yung mga changes—sabi ko na nga—in procedures and policy., inuunti-unti rin natin yon. At saka yung mga national priorities, nagbabago rin yan every so often. So yung mga chang ing priorities, changes in people, chang es in policy, changes in procedure, lahat iyan, unti-unti. And all of them take place gradually. Ngayon, some of the things we’re trying to do now sa Budget Commis sion is we’re trying to see if it’s possible to do budget analysis on a regional basis. So kamukha nga ngayon, nagkaroon kami ng budget hearing na dinirect .ni Pres. Marcos. Sabi niya sa subukan natin yung hearing ng public schools, if we can do it region by region, para lahat ng elementary, high school, col lege in a particular region, ma-analayze natin yung budget nila one by one. Kasi noong araw parang general lang. Nga yon titingnan natin region by region. So at least makikita natin yung popula tion, natural resources, yung enrolment —lahat by region, kung ano ang kaila ngan nila. Para mas specific yung ana lysis. At isa pang problema na sinasabi noong mga budget officers sa different agencies ay medyo nagtatagal daw no ong araw yung pag-release ng funds. So ngayon sinusubukan naman na palitan yung mga forms at tapusin kaagad yung analysis. In fact,.ngayon approved na ni Pres. Marcos yung program of expendi ture for July to December. Kaya mare release na natin yung mga advice of al lotment ng mga agencies, even earlier than July. So before July begins, alam na nila kung magkano ang magagasta nila during July until December. And then we’re also reviewing the what we call program and project structure. Kasi alam mo, yung ibang agencies of the government, kung minsan natatag noong araw, na halimbawa 10 years ago pa established yung government agency—budget nila noong araw siguro two to three million. Tapos ngayon 10 years later, ang budget nila 10 million. Pero hindi pa nababago yung statement of duties nila. At saka kung minsan, yun mga government offices, nagdu-duplicate yung mga functions nila. So tinitingnan din namin kung saan pwedeng ma-eliminate yung duplications. Dito ho sa nabanggit ninyo, Dr. Laya, paano ho nagkakaroon tayo ng deficit sa ating budgeting? Sapagka’t ■ kung minsan daw, sasabihin nila, “we are running our government on a defi cit.” Bakit kailangan nating i-run ang government on a deficit? This is part of development. Hindi ba, in a family, if the family that wants to spend on current operations—on food, clothing and shelter—siguro they can live within their budget. Pero ha limbawa, gusto nilang magpagawa ng bahay, di siyempre hindi makaya ng in come nila during the year. Di siyempre, uutang sila, maglo-loan sila. Yun ang isasama nila sa expenses nila. Ganoon din ang gobierno. Dahil in the government, as part of what the President and the First Lady want to achieve, di siyempre mayroon tayong mga rural electrifica tion, rural roads projects, buildings, irri gation system. So yang mga iyan, di kaya ng regular income natin. There are capital expenditure. So yun naman ang mga inuirtang natin. Dito sa ating loans, paano ho binabayaran, paano ho bina-budget ng Bud get Commission and pagbabayad dito sa borrowings natin as far as the govern ment is concerned? Ano yan, eh.. .halimbawa, when you borrow from World Bank or from some other international source: yung loan na yan would be payable over 20 years, yung iba nga 40 years pa. So uutang tayo ngayon payable over ®20 years. Di ngayon alam na natin kung magkano ang kailangan nating bayaran each year. So inililista rin ng treasury kung magkano ang kailangang bayaran sa principal at sa interest every year. Bilang isang Budget Commissioner, Dr. Laya, paano natin masasabi na tayo po, ang ating government, ay rrwgkakaroon ng savings sa ating mga budget every year? Kung may deficit tayo—kamukha ngayong taon—wala tayong savings nga yon. Pero yung mga economists naman, sinasabi nilang mayroon ding savings on the current portion, di ba? Halimbawa, yung tax receipts natin this year would be so many billions and our current operating expenditure would also be so many billions. Ang idea diyan, kung mas maliit and current operating expendi ture sa current revenue para sa current year, mayroon ding savings: yun ang ginagasta natin sa capital outlay. Kaya nga lang, kulang yung amount. Yung difference, yan'ang uutangin natin. Pangwakas, manawagan ho kayo, Commissioner Laya, sa ating mga pangkaraniwang mga ka-barangay, mga empleado rg gobyemo, at mga pinuno ng pamahalaan kung paano nila ganap na makakatutulong upang mapaayos ang ating budget at magastos ng husto sa karampatang mga projecto ang ating budget. On the part of the ordinary govern ment employee, we have all to work to gether in order to achieve greater effi ciency, greater effectiveness, greater economy. And then secondly, I think everybody (both in government as well as in private sector, barangay members and so on) must always be responsive to the priorities which are being given by the President and the First Lady, and all of these priority areas for export promotion, for labor intensive purposes, small- and medium-scale industries, selfreliance—these are really the crucial things that everybody has to be consci ous about. □ Excerpted from a recent Pulong-pulong sa Kaunlaran broadcast CONVERSATION □ Dr. Rene Elicafio Management is not a popularity contest1 A pioneer in the use of scientific man agement techniquesand electronics com puters in industry, Philippine-born Dr. Elicafio has worked at various industrial institutions and government projects in the United States. Among these groups are Allis-Chalmers for which he founded and managed the first internal manage ment consulting and data processing de partment; the NASA, where he partici pated in corporate planning and in the direction of various space programs such as Apollo, Gemini and the program man agement of the lunar module which took the first man to the surface of the moon; and the Kaiser Jeep Corporation where he served as vice president. Since 1969, he has been directing his own management, consulting and executive research firm in the United States. In all, he has accumulated 19years of exec utive and management experience in various phase of industry in the United States. He holds a Ph.D. in management from Michigan State University. Please explain your field of "scien tific management." I consider “scientific management” as a broad term encompassing all the techniques, skills and disciplines neces sary to be a “complete” manager. This would include all the “basics” such as: how to set up an effective organization, how to develop and motivate people, how to sell ideas, how to improve meth ods and cut costs, including how to use common sense. It would also include the more sophisticated areas of electronic computers and operations research. What is operations research? Operations research involves the solution of highly complex problems by quantifying as many facets of the prob lem as possible and then arriving at an overall optimum solution through the use of mathematical and statistical tech niques such as mathematical program ming, queuing theory, Monte Carlo sim ulation, and so on. This enables man agers to make highly complex decisions without relying too much on guesswork or subjective judgement Operations research (O.R.) was first used during World War II to solve military problems such as determining why Allied anti-submarine aircraft were extremely ineffective in sinking Nazi submarines, or determining the best tactics for coping with kamikaze attacks. During the Berlin Airlift, operations‘research was used to solve the massive logistics problem of routing and scheduling the cargo planes to deliver the right type and quantity of materials from the various supply depots to West Berlin in the most efficient manner. Even today in the US, the government and the military are still the largest users of operations research. After World War II, operations re search spread to the universities and finally to industry. Nineteen years ago, I was one of the first O.R. practitioners in industry in the US. Do you feel that scientific manage ment is applicable in the Philippines? Definitely. Any situation in which you are ti ring to achieve goals through people and allocate scarce resources in the most efficient manner, these tech niques and disciplines can be applied. The most important thing is to know what you are doing and just use the specific techniques that fit the particular problem. You don’t use fancy tech niques just for the sake of using fancy techniques. What worked fine in one situation may not be applicable to an other because of different conditions. When you decided to survey Phil ippine conditions at first hand today what were the primary questions in your mind that you wanted answered by your visit and what answers have you gotten so far? I did have quite a few questions in my mind. The image of conditions in the Philippines as conveyed by the news papers in the US has not always been flattering. However, I was determined to main tain an open mind since I know that any good executive, if he is doing his job the way it should be done, can never be 100 percent popular. It is impossible to please everyone and management is not a popularity contest As far as the peace and order situation is concerned, it is a lot better than I expected. But the big questions in my mind had to do with what was being done to solve the basic problems of the Fili pino people, such as the urban problems, housing, sewage, transportation, or the development of natural resources, or the planned industrialization, the de velopment of government managers, the elimination of nepotism, graft and cor ruption in government When I arrived, I was really amazed and pleased to find that President MarDr. Rene Elicafio cos had previously identified all these areas and through proclamations, had established organizations and plans to attack each of these problems. I was really impressed and it sold me on that fact that President Marcos is definitely a brilliant man. One major area that concerned me was the fiscal responsibleness of our government We are not a particularly wealthy country and you can’t spend indefinitely what you don’t have. But the President answered that very nicely when he announced his austerity pro gram. It’s not a very pleasant course of action but unless a sudden windfall materializes like the discovery of rich oil deposit the only thing to do is to bite the bullet What do you think are the biggest problems in the Philippines? The biggest problems seem to be primarily economic. Real wages are the lowest they’ve been in 23 years. The distribution of income is more unba lanced then ever. The top 10 percent of the people get 37 percent of the in come while the bottom 10 percent only share one percent of the income. The balance of payments position is quite unfavorable. The markets for a lot of prime exports are depressed. It is a sad picture but it does not discourage me. It does point up the challenge and magnitude of the job to be done and the importance of making sure that the var ious programs of President Marcos to correct these problems should be im plemented as effectively and expedi tiously as possible. How do you think you can help the Philippines? My strengths are primarily as a problem solver, a decision-maker and a pragmatic people manager. With 19 years of practical experience in applying scien tific management to actual problems un der a wide variety of conditions, I have a distinct advantage over someone with just theoretical knowledge or who has just taught it I can determine which technique is most applicable to a problem in the real world, what is necessary to make the technique work and how to work with the people involved to achieve a successful solution. What does "pragmatic people man ager” do? In both the government and indus trial sectors, there is a need to be able to make more optimum decisions and evaluate the impact of alternative stra tegies. Furthermore, to ensure the ef fective implementation of the various projects of President Marcos, you need the right people and the right system. By the right people, I don’t mean new people but the existing people who have to be trained to be better man agers. They have to be motivated to use their judgement and initiative. Their work attitudes have to be changed. They have to be instilled with a sense of pur pose, with more self-discipline, with a sense of urgency to eliminate the com placency that lets them accept the mediocre as satisfactory. What is the right system anyway? I don’t mean more paperwork and red tape. I mean a system which will provide a flexible framework within which the people can function more efficiently and economically and in a more orderly fashion. This will be a big job and a slow one but if s a job that has to be done. A program has been initiated to in vite Filipino scientists who have suc ceeded abroad to return to the Philip pines and apply their expertise Please comment There are details that still have to be resolved and there are still a lot of bugs in the program, but these should get straightened out with more experi ence and with an upgrading of standards that will distinguish a half-baked job and a thorough professional job. As far as returning scientists are concerned, first, if they are successful in the US, they should not expect to receive financial compensation in the Philippines equal to or better than what they are currently earning. If they ac cept the invitation, money cannot be the prime motivation. They should be more concerned that they find a position where they can truly benefit the Philippines and not end up as just another paper pusher or boot-licker. Second, they should not be tech nique-happy. They should be more con cerned with the specific Philippine prob lems and use the most applicable tech niques whether or not they are the same ones they used in the US. Third, they should be prepared to cope with a lot of frustrations since the Filipinos march to a different drum mer than those in the US. Fourth, a lot of the people they talk to will look at them as threats to their own job security. Finally, they should be prepared to work in a less structured environ ment and use more basic techniques. They won’t be able to sit behind a big desk, prop their feet up and just push buttons and delegate matters. They will find that initially at least if they want a job done right, they will have to do it themselves. But if they are willing to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty, the challenges are present and the Philippines could use all the help. How would you sum up your find ings in the Philippines? I was both impressed and delighted by the comprehensive projects of the First Lady to cope with the massive urban problems of Metro Manila. I was indeed very happy to find that Presi dent Marcos has covered all the bases admirably with proclamations identify ing each of these problems and initiating plans for constructive short and long term solutions. □ THE REPUBLIC J 115 July 1976 15 Ang batas ay batas MULA nang pairalin ang batas-hukbo ay isang bagay ang nais na maisagawa ng Presidente sa bansang Pilipino-ang pagkakaroon ng tiwala ng gobyerno at mga mamamayan sa sariling kakayahan. Pangarap ng Presidente na ang bansa ay ganap na maging malaya—sa pulitika, ekonomiya at sosyal nang ligtas sa anumang impluhensiya ng mga banyaga. Nais niya na magtulung-tulong ang lahat ng Pilipino sa pagpapalakas ng bansa-ng hukbo at ng pananalapi nang hindi laging nakasandig sabalikat ng iba, Pilipinas para sa mga Pilipino na kaibigan lamang ng ibang bansa at kakalakalan. Sa katotohanang iyan napalunsad noong Araw ng Pagsasarili ang kilusan sa Bagong Demokrasiya. Upartg matupad ang pangarap na pagpapaunlad sa ating ekonomiya, kailangan natin na makipagkaibigan sa ibang bansa tulad ng huling pakikipagkaibigan at pakikipagkalakalan sa Rusya. Sa bansang ito ay maraming pakinabang at tulong ang matatamo ng Pilipinas, tulad ng tulong at pakinabang na tinatamasa natin sa pakikipagkaibigan sa Estados Unidos, Rusya, Tsina at mga bansang sosyalista at Europa, bukod sa mga bansa sa Dulong Silangan sa Asia. Ang paninindigan at kamalayan sa halaga ng self reliance na itinitindig sa bansa ay daan nang paggalang at pagkilala sa Pilipinas ng iba pang bansa sa daigdig. Iyan ay hawak na ngayon ng Pilipinas at ang lahat ay utang sa pangunguna ni Presidente Marcos at ng Unang Ginang ng bansa. KAP AKIN AB ANG ANG pandaigdig ang uwi ni First Lady sa karangalan ng Republika ng Pilipinas. Ang proyekto niyang “Kapitbahayan” sa Dagat-Dagatan Nabotas, Rizal ay ginagawa nang modelo ng ibang bansang ang mga kinatawan ay dumalo sa pulong ng THE REPUBLIC Isang Bansa, Isang Diwa Board of Editors Chairman: Francisco S. Tatad Members : Lorenzo J. Cruz, Florentino S. Dauz Managing Editor: Luis V. Ople Editorial Staff: Juanita G. Trinidad, Marcos D. Agayo, Gloria Jane Bayion, Rosalinda G. Roxas, Jake T. Espino, Alma L. Diputado Art Director: Micaelita C. Almendral; Art Con sultant: Larry Z. Alcala; Photo Editor: Wilfredo G. Avila; Production Manager: Marcelino N. Palisoc; Production Assistant: Cesar B. Tablason Circulation Manager: Bruno R. Dabu. The REPUBLIC is published fortnightly by the Department of Public Information, Malacanang, Manila, for government managers. The Editors welcome contributions of manuscripts and pho tographs which should be sent to THE REPUBLIC, BNFI, UPL Building, Intramuros, Manila. While they will take reasonable care, the Editors as sume no responsibility for the return of unsoli cited manuscripts. Entered as a second-class mail matter on March 5, 1973 at the Manila Central Post Office. “Habitat” sa Canada. Sa pulong na ito ay naging panauhing mananalumpati ang First Lady at ang lahat ng nakarinig sa kanyang talumpati ay humanga sa paraang ginagawa ng Pilipinas sa paglutas sa mga problema ng pamayanan at panahanan. Sa maraming proyekto ng Gobyerno na isinasagawa sa kasalukuyan, kasama ang sa Metro Manila sa pangunguna ni First Lady, bilang gobernadora, ay nangunguna ang tungkol sa paglutas sa problema ng mga dukha—pabahay at pagkakakitaan. May 180,000 housing units and ipinatatayo sa Metro Manila na ang gugulin ay magmumula sa inutang sa World Bank sa pamamagitan ni First Lady. Sa mula’t mula pa ay alagata na ng Presidente at First Lady ang kapakanan ng mga dukhang Pilipino na siyang bumubuo sa malaking bahagi ng may 42 milyong Pilipino. NAGISJNG na rin sa katotohanan ang Kagawaran ng Kagalingang Panlipunan. Daragdagan ang pondong nakalaan sa mga pangkagipitang tulong sa mga nagiging biktima ng kalamidad sa bansa. Salamat sa desisyon ng DSW pagkat higit na matutulungan ang mga duk hang magiging biktima ng kalamidad. Nang nagdaang baha sa kagagawan ng bagyong “Didang” ay talagang hindi sapat ang pondong nakaulok na pantulong. Marapat lamang na gawin ito ng DSW, kung isasaalang-alang na ang mga nagiging biktima ay talagang mararalita at ang dumanas ng karanasang kagaya ng malungkot na naranasan sa bahang naganap sa Hilaga at Gitnang Luson. SAANMANG bansa, ang batas ay batas. May parusa sa sinumang nagkakasala. Iyan ay mahalaga at makabuluhan upang matutong manulay sa guhit ng batas ang lahat ng mamamayan. Ngunit sa pagpapataw ng pa rusa, ang damdamin ng puso ay nagagamit din naman. Ang naganap sa isang batang babaing may 13 taong gulang sa Ligao, Al bay ay isang magandang ehemplo. Maralita siya. Nais niyang gumaling at makapamuhay ng marangal. At napatingin siya sa isang manggagamot Subali’t nang siya’y gumaling ay wala siyang maibayad dahilan sa karalitaan. Idinemanda siya. I nares to at nahatulang mabilanggo na ang tanging kasalanan ay karalitaan. Salamat at tayo’y may Department of Public Information at Department of Social Welfare na siyang namagitan. Marahil, kung wala ang dalawang departamentong ito, ang batang babae ay matuturong mag-isip nang masama habang nasa loob ng bilangguan. May mga duktor, na kung ang nagpapagamot ay tunay na maralita ay hindi na panagbabayad ang isang nagkakasakit Gratis. Sapagka’t ang kanilang pinanumpaang tungkulin ay bumuhay at hindi pumatay. Isang aral ang matututuhan natin sa kaso ng batang babae sa Ligao, Albay. PANAGUPA sa kaaway at bahagi ng bisig «a pagpapa unlad ng pambansang kabuhayan ang mga sundalo ng Hukbong Pilipino. Sa kanila iniaasa ng Gobyemo ang pangangalaga sa buhay at aii-arian ng mga mama mayan. Stibalit karaniwan, ang mga sundalo, batay sa karanasan noon at sa mga nagaganap na pangyayari sa kasalukuyan ay hindi gaanong nabibigyan ng halaga ng mga sibilyan. Ito ang kapalarang laging natatamo kahit saang dako ng daigdig, laluna kung panahon ng kapayapaan. Kung may digmaan ay bayani sila. Sa Pilipinas, sa kasalukuyan ay wala nang ginagawa ng ibang bansa sa parangal sa mga kawal na naggagaling sa mapanganib na serbisyo. Piriatitibayan ito nang dumating sa Maynila ang Third Marine Battalion ng Philippine Navy na napasabak sa Sulu nang may isang taon. Matangi sa kanilang mga mahal sa buhay ay walang sumalubong sa kanilang pagbabalik sa Kutang Boni facio. Galing sila sa pakikibaka sa mga rebelde at napahiwalay sa kanilang pamilya sa loob ng isang taong singkad. Kahit wala silang parangal na nanggagaling sa mga kilalang samahang pambayaji, tulad ng ginagawa sa iba ng Lions, Rotary at iba pa ay maliligaya rin sila, pagkat makakapiling muli ang kanilang mga kaanak at sa paniniwalang naipagtagumpay nila ang paghahari ng demokrasiya sa bansa. Bumabati sa kanila ang The Republic. Dear Sir: The per student cost of education at the Uni versity of the Philippines (UP), is about P3,000 yearly, although the average tuition fee is kept low, about P800. The Philippine government subsidizes the UP. For this reason, the UP is not troubled with rising tuition fees and can merrily go on giving com paratively good education to Filipinos and maintain ing highly dedicated and excellent professors, in general. Perhaps only the Ateneo de Manila and De La Salle University give an equivalent education as that of the UP, but it all comes from high tuition. Even so, parents keep sending their children there because they believe that good education is the best prepara tion for life and the best inheritance they can have. Of course people want cheap education, in the sense of less costly; no parent or student would like cheap education in the sense of cheap quality. But quality education is expensive. Professors with good qualifications, and perhaps with distinguished degrees from here or abroad, usually go to industry or highpaying firms; if the university intends to keep them in the faculty, it must pay them reasonably high in come and allow them time for research and their own family life, and not overwork them like beasts of burden. Libraries and laboratories are expensive. Who will pay for them? Even the poor do not want cheap quality education for their children, and the aim of a democracy is not to lower the quality of education so that everyone can afford it, but to help the poor so that they can afford high quality of education for children too. Government soft loans to deserving students are not enough as a remedy, for the- important prob lem is not only how to send poor students to schools but also how to make poor schools improve their quality and academic standards. It must be under stood clearly by everyone, in government or not, that education is the prime responsibility of the govern ment and that higher education is not a luxury but a necessity if any nation is to-progress. The government must not leave the private institutions at the mercy of rising tuition fees, and then blame them for it and tax them too. Whether in private or public univer sities, the state must help the students for Filipinos are in them and they are citizens of this country. The government, it may be said, is already paying generously to support the elementary and secondary schools, can it still afford to give more money to higher education? The answer is: It cannot afford not to, for it is in higher institutions of learning in which the prospective leaders in science, industry, law, commerce, teaching, medicine, engineering, and others, are being trained. And if the training, apart from a few exceptions, is of poor quality then the country is the loser in the end. Higher education is an investment, it is not a luxury. Selective subsidies to private higher education, with priorities on the sciences and engineering at the beginning, can be estimated and they will be within reach of the state to afford. The subsidies may be given indirectly in order to avoid conflict with ttye Constitutional provi sion that says that public funds cannot be given to private enterprises. Public funds can be given in directly to private enterprises which are performing a function for the state, such as educating the people. This is the only way we can peg down tuition fees, by government subsidies. And we should not be afraid to say sa Salvador Roxas Gonzales Manila Not So Funny — Larry Alcala CONSERVATION □ Preserving the eco system WITH 850 species of birds, the Philippines boasts of a bird life richer than scenic Java, the Celebes, Borneo or New Guinea. It has 225 species of mammals and Asia’s richest array of flowering plants and ferns, in cluding some 900 species of orchids. Within the memory of Filipino grandparents, the country’s terrestrial wildlife was even richer. Having lived with and seen this wildlife around them, they tell you about the great variety of birds, small mammals, reptiles, cimmarons, tamaraws, deer and wild pigs that used to roam the country’s lush tropical environment. This great abundance of wildlife was still apparent 15 years ago, when the Philippines exported game animals to the tune of US$200,000. The number of wildlife has dwind led today, which Filipinos terribly re gret. Now, more than ever, they recog nize the need to conserve and protect the little that has remained with them. Luckier than most other countries, the Philippines has not yet lost a single species of its wildlife. National efforts in the conservation of wildlife have been total and intensive, embracing control and protection of natural resources and organisms and rarely, if ever, engaging in the exter mination of species even if they be of the parasitic and predatory nature. In ecology, this is what biologists would call “development of an ecosystem”-ecosystem being the sum total of all living and non-living parts that sup port a chain of life within a selected area. A lake, a forest, a pond and the sea are examples of an ecosystem. It is the basic functional unit which deals with the organisms and the nonliving environment, each influencing the pro perties of the other and both being ne cessary for maintenance of life. An archipelago of 7,100 islands, the Philippines has a unique problem of being variably sensitive to basic environ mental imbalances. There are no two islands that are the same and as such, each island partakes of a nature different from the rest. Nevertheless, conservation programs have been geared toward a concerted management of its total eco system. The Philippine ecosystem involves the relationships of naiural resources both renewable and nonrenewable with the abiotic or nonliving things on which plants or the forests, watersheds and parks are dependent for the manufac ture of their foods. Thus, government efforts to conserve the nation’s forest resources are dictated not only by eco nomic reasons but also by an inde pendent appreciation of their role in the total national ecosystem. The Philippines has over 15 million hectares of forest. To ensure its continued existence, the Philippine government has limited the exportation of logs and launched a mas sive reforestation program. It has also enacted laws to protect watersheds'from logging and mountain farming and en gaged in preserving the fertility of soil. The Philippines is fortunate to be endowed with a rich variety of flora and fauna which can be found in its nation al parks. There are 55 national parks (with a combined land area of 293,272 hectares) all over the country. Covered with lush forests, they provide an ideal habitat for all forms of wildlife. In a move to conserve this precious heritage, President Ferdinand E. Marcos has proclaimed parts of Palawan as bird and animal sanctuaries and efforts are now underway to develop extensive areas as wildlife preserves throughout the country—from Quezon to the Bicol region and Mindoro in Luzon, Samar and Leyte islands in the Visayas and in several other areas in Mindanao. At the same time, areas have been proclaimed as national parks—the Sierra Madre of the Cordillera mountain and Buswanga, which is part of the Calamian island group in Palawan. For some years now, the Philippine wildlife conservation program has been focused on the tamaraw and the mon key-eating eagle, the two most threat ened of the 12 wildlife facing extinction in the Philippines. The tamaraw conservation program was started in 1969 when President Marcos, in his first term of office, de clared the areas of two mountains on Mindoro Island as sanctuaries for the tamaraw. At the same time, the Pres ident ordered a team of Parks and Wild life officers to study and formulate an effective protection program for the tamaraw. The following year, the monkey eating eagle program covering eight prov inces in Mindanao was launched with the same basic purpose as the tamaraw program’s. The program was deemed urgent since the monkey-eating eagle population level had been criticaL Were the program delayed by two or three years, the monkey-eating eagle would have been extinct by now. The Philippines is also active in the international wild game preservation pro gram which seeks to maintain proper ecological balance. Through various agen cies engaged in environmental develop ment, the government has invited inter nationally known ecology experts like Charles Lindbergh to lend their expertise not only to the conservation of Philip pine wildlife but also to the promotion of an international program on ecolo gical development. The government is also pushing through two projects designed to con serve and propagate further Philippine wildlife. The projects involve the setting up of a wildlife stock farm near Manila and the integration by the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Research (PCAR) of a national research program for parks and wildlife management Using simplified methods (footprint and fecal count) the census-takers ob served a significant growth of wildlife population particularly the Philippine deer, wild hogs, monitor lizards, mon keys, wild cats, civits, and avians like Philippine kalaw (hornbill), yellow vent ed bulbul, zebra dove, moped oriole, Philippine kingfisher, and mountain sun birds. The setting up of a game stock farm near Manila is not a new idea. In May 1966, President Marcos asked the parks and wildlife office to prepare a project study for a wildlife stock farm near Manila. The game stock farm will be de veloped on an eight-hectare site in Tanay, Rizal, a few kilometers east of Manila. The P2,750,000-worth project will be funded by the Natural Parks Development Committee chaired by Mrs. Imelda R. Marcos. □ Code oS Conduct ANY PERSON IN THE SERVICE OF THEREPUBLICOFTHE PHILIPPINES SHOULD: I. Respect and uphold the Consti tution and laws of the Republic of the Philippines. II. Observe the highest standard of morality, integrity, honesty, loyalty and devotion to the public welfare. III. Perform his tasks thoroughly, faithfully and efficiently. IV. Be physically and mentally fit for public service and live within his income. V. Expose corrupt practices in the public service without fear or favor. VI. Serve the public courteously, justly and impartially regardless of kin ship, friendship, social standing, religious or political difference. VII. Discharge duties promptly without thought of gifts, benefits or any remuneration which may influence the proper performance of official func tions. VIII. Engage in no business with the government or with any private party, either directly or indirectly, which will be inconsistent with his position as a public servant. IX. Divulge no confidential infor mation coming to him by the nature of his office or duties. X. Uphold, respect and observe these principles, ever conscious that pub lic office is a public trust which he should neither violate, nor should he allow suspicion to arise that such trust has been abused or betrayed. A soldier’s code I. I AM A FILIPINO SOLDIER. I WILL SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES. II. I AM A FILIPINO SOL DIER. I WILL FIGHT ALL FORC ES THAT WOULD DESTROY THE FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE. III. I AM A FILIPINO SOL DIER. I WILL OBEY THE LAWS, LEGAL ORDERS AND DECREES OF MY LAWFUL SUPERIORS AT ALL TIMES. IV. I AM A FILIPINO SOLD!ER. I WILL UPHOLD THE SU PREMACY OF CIVILIAN AU THORITY OVER THE MILITARY IN WAR OR IN PEACE. V. I AM A FILIPINO SOL DIER. I WILL LIVE AND DIE IN THE TRUE FILIPINOTRADITION OF VALOR AND HONOR, DUTY AND LOYALTY. TO ALL THESE, I PLEDGE MY LIFE, MY TREASURE AND MY SACRED HONOR.