The Republic

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Part of The Republic

Title: The Republic
Issue Date: The Republic No. 24 (1 September 1973)
Year: 1973
Language: English
Rights
Source: (Issue No. 24) 1 September 1973
extracted text: NO. 24 1 SEPTEMBER 1973 MANILA One of the greatest beneficiaries of the tourist boom is the fledgling hotel industry. Dozens of first class hotels — more are under construction — are now catering to hordes of tourists and businessmen in search of new scenic, trade frontiers. A decade ago, there were Only five first class non-deluxe hotels with 1,060 rooms; today there are 13 — three luxury and 10 first class nondeluxe hotels with an aggregate of 4,311 rooms. The establishment of the “Big Three” luxury hotels a few years back — the 420-room Hotel Intercon tinental in Makati, the 265-room Hyatt Regency on Roxas Boulevard, and the 432-room Manila Hilton in Ermita — prompted local hoteliers to renovate, expand and improve their establishments and services. Nine new first class hotels with a total invest ment of P340 million are in the pro cess of construction throughout the country. Theie are Chris-Lee in Dinaig, Cotabato; Calatagan Hotel of Calatagan Resort, Inc.; a P20-million 100-hectare resort hotel complex on Corregidor Island to be put up by Resort Hotels Corp.; the P48-million, 300-room Philippine Village Hotel of the Sulo Hotel chain; the PlO-million Apo View Hotel in Davao City; a 24-storey, P200-million Japanese hotel-shopping complex in Ermita to be established by Japan Air Lines and the Manila Midtown Corporation; a P.5-million youth hostel atop the Cho colate Hills in Bohol to be set up by the Department of Tourism; and a floating hotel in Zamboanga City to be established by the Bayot Hotel chain. Hotel Enrico in Ermita is ex panding its facilities to add more rooms while others like the Ambas sador, Royal, Bayview and Filipinas are also preparing for expansion. Other foreign hoteliers like Holiday Inns, Inc., owner of the world’s largest chain of hotels, motels and transients’ lodgings, and the Oberoi Hotels, owner of a chain of luxury hotels in Asia, have indicated their intention to establish their hotels here. Progress of the hotel industry is at tributed to the spectacular increases in the volume of tourist traffic. Over the past decade, there has been an average of 14.4 percent yearly increase of tourist coming to the Philippines. In 1969, for instance, the Philip pines had 123,268 foreign visitors as against 1968s 112,713. Of these,69.54 percent stayed in hotels. By 1970, this rose to 144,071 foreign visitors, or a 16.8 percent increase over that of 1969. While there were proportionate ly more professionals than business men who visited the RP, only 69.36 percent stayed in metropolitan Mani la’s hotels. In 1971, 144,321 tourists came representing a .38 percent in crease from the previous year. Despite the low rate of increase, 74.53 percent resided in hotels. Last year was the most fruitful year for local hotels and the tourist indus try. Visitor traffic spurted from 144,321 to 166,431, or an increase of 15.32 percent. A total of 101,788 per sons or 67.72 percent stayed in hotels. Most of the hotel occupants were Americans, with the Japanese ranking second. Since the start of 1970 more and more multinational tourists, pro fessionals, businessmen and pleasure seekers streamed in from Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Cana da, China, Italy, India and France. Sig nificantly, while American tourists re tained the number one position, their number has been decreasing progres sively. What is remarkable, however, is that most tourists opted to stay longer — from an average of 2.5 days to 7.8 days per tourist — in the country this year. Several factors have contributed to the increase in the tourist’s length of stay. Foremost of these were the resto ration of peace and order, intensifi cation of tourism campaign at home and abroad, the abolition of hotel room taxes, the “open skies” policy for international airlines, the opendoor policy for more multinational in vestors and the other benefits and privileges accorded to tourists. Likewise, favorable contributions to the growth of the industry came from the improvement of inter-island transportation facilities, infrastruc ture, hotel manpower training and education, and development of more tourist resorts and facilities. Very re cently, a four-year highway construc tion program providing access roads to tourist-spots-off-the-beaten-track was launched by the Bureau of Public Highways. Roads will link seaports, airports and main trunklines to tourist havens, resorts and nature spas. From January to June this year, oc cupancy rates of first class hotel rooms in the Greater Manila area rose by 13 percent over that of last year. A recent survey of first class hotels by the newly created Department of Tourism revealed the following: Hotel Intercontinental registered 85 percent compared to last year’s 75.44 percent; Manila Hilton, 62 percent or 12 per cent higher than last year; Hyatt Re gency, 77 percent compared to last year’s 64 percent; Hotel Filipinas (first class, non-deluxe) 73.8 percent as against last year’s 60 percent; Hotel Enrico, 55.2 percent compared to last year’s 46 percent. Occupancy rates are expected to rise more steeply during the months of October to December, tourism’s peak season. The Department of Tourism esti mates that 1,507,136 beds in all types of hotels throughout the country will be occupied this year against the 1,255,947 potential rooms available. This means that 3,441 new rooms are needed for tourists coming in during the tail-end months. Next year, some 1,654,383 beds or 3,777 additional rooms are expected to be occupied. This demand for more hotel rooms is being adequately met by the steady rise of hotels of various types: residen tial, transient, resort, youth hostel. Existing hotels, meanwhile,continue to imp ?s Tr.' i.iing pro grams, ^minars and workshops are Leing undertaken by the University of the Philippines School of Hotel Man agement and Administration and the Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines. These include general management and operations of the ho tel, food services, modem housekeep ing techniques, restaurant and waiting services, personalized room and cham ber services, kitchen management, ho tel advertising, sales promotion, mar keting, public relations, tour and trav el procedures and tourism economics. Ranking as the sixth biggest dollar earner in the national economy, the hotel industry pumps back into the national coffers a big portion of the tourist’s dollar in terms of salaries, purchases of local products, materials, foodstuffs, dry goods and taxes. Last year, a foreign tourist spent an aver age sum of US$220.50 inside the country compared to $180 to $200 in the past. The °Nation Ul Restoring the grandeur of a dying waterway The Pasig river spans more than 10 bridges, joins 5 minor channels from Laguna Lake, snakes through Manila in a sharp U-tum to look like a semi-vermiform appendix on the map, widens by 300 feet, deepens by 6 to 12 and even 14 feet when it fuses with the Marikina and San Juan tributaries, until, after a 25-kilometer stretch, it locks up with the waters of Manila Bay. Water lilies and quiapo plants in the 19th century, uprooted by floo.dwaters, clogged the river and, decom posing, emitted foul odor. Burgeoning industrial factories in the 1950s, strewn along the riverbanks, churned enough waste into the Pasig to cause widescale pollution. And today, in the 70s, 150 factories from San Miguel, Taguig, Pateros and related districts dump 90,000 pounds of food parti cles, bits of cloth, chlorine and like organic solids into the Pasig river — daily. The discharged industrial waste, revealed a Congress report in 1971, is equivalent to the waste of 2 million persons a day. Manila residents, in the meantime, add about 70,000 pounds of organic pollutants daily — garbage, debris, domestic wastes — and kill any organism in the river within the city. Aquatic life is impossible. During the dry season alone the river yields 30 to 1,000 ppm (parts per million) of pollution, dissolves a maximum oxygen level of 2 ppm, and requires a very high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). Squatter shanties lying along the riverbanks complicate the Pasig’s problems. Of the 1,537 families squatting, 1,171 are classified as “indigent families” (with incomes less than P250 a month) and 368 are classified as “non-indigent families,” with dwellings made of strong mate rials and appliances that include television sets. These squatters’ co lonies are grouped around the indus trial enclaves of Punta, Sta. Ana and Sta. Mesa, the semi-urban areas of Napindan in Taguig and Sta. Rosa in Pasig town, and the Del Pan and Ayala bridges. Vessels, shipwrecks, abandoned junks, decaying boats, barges, floating logs, complete the river’s deteriora Page 2 tion. The waters are left poisoned by rust and the seepage from septic tanks and sewers. The brackish waters no longer answers to Rizal’s play “Along the Pasig” Here the river gives in beauty Peace of heart and kind, Here the soul beset with beauty Happiness may find. and, far from reflecting the light of the dying sun in the evenings, chum out filth and smell that would take, by practical analysis, 20 years to efface. The 20 years may yet be cut down, drastically. A Pasig River Develop ment Project, headed by Mrs. Imelda Romualdez Marcos, has begun clearing the river. The project, backed up by a budget that would soar to P77.7 million, covers the dredging and removal of all impurities, the building of roads, parks, lagoons and prome nades in specified areas, the installa tion of 'ornamental lights and railings, the planting of trees along the riverbanks. The project will tie up with the long-range plan to convert Manila Bay into a commercial, residential and tourist complex. Model duck farms will be set up in the Pateros area. A ferry service for commuters, with floating boarding stations at strategic points to relieve traffic snarls in adjoining cities and towns, will be opened. Squatter areas along river banks will be relocated in Tanay, Rizal and Dasmarinas, Cavite. In all, the relocation of squatters, flood control, sewerage disposal, clearing of esteros are integrated into the “Help Clean the Pasig” drive. (Another project, the Laguna Lake Development, which calls for the exploitation of the full economic potential of the 90,000-hectare La guna Lake, will be interwoven with the plan to revitalize the Pasig.) President Marcos has pitched in P5 million for a start. And last August 16, Mrs. Marcos, Cabinet secretaries and Metropolitan councilors and engi neers boarded a navy launch through the Pasig for the initial survey. The first phase has been scheduled for completion by December of this year. At the moment, the Pasig River Development Council has ordered the dispersal until September 15 this year of boats moored along the riverbanks and the removal of sunken boats, rafts, other water vessels, logs and other buried wastes. The government and the private sector will pool their resources to complete the first phase. When the Pasig finally lives again, she can pick up from a proud history Pre-Malay kingdoms, as early as 12 A.D. during the Sung and Ming dynasties, clustered along the Manila Bay and around the gaping mouth of the Pasig river. Its riparian inhabitants, mostly farmers and fishermen, traded with merchants from Japan, China, Borneo and Siam (modem Thailand). By the Pasig, they unloaded their cargoes of cotton, silk, gold, pearls, glass, iron, damask ,and linen. This early civilization was unearth ed in a series of excavations in and around Manila. The Sta. Ana cemetery diggings in 1966, about 120 meters from the riverbank, turned out pot tery, skulls and graves containing utensils and jewels. In 1967, world renown anthropologist Dr. Robert Fox and archaeologist Alfredo Evan gelista made the pronouncement: the Pasig was Manila’s cradle of civiliza tion in early times. The 16th century found about a thousand inhabitants concentrated on the main banks of the river. The population number was low; mortality rates outpaced birth rates, cholera and dysentery took a heavy toll on the population each year. Spaniards founded the city of Manila in 1654 on the southern bank of the river. They then transformed the Pasig into a natural fortification. The northern bank became the com mercial suburb and, in 400 years, the city of Manila became a teeming metropolis and the southern bank a heady port center. One day, with the Pasig revitaliza tion program promising thus, the tropical vegetation on the banks will once more grow, the motorboats, barges, rowboats and cargoboats will again anchor and trade in a habitable commerical waterway, and the sights by the river will then recall the Pasig that Rizal, Balagtas and Abelardo knew. THE RP ECOLOGY Pollution: Onus of progress There was a minimum of fanfare but a maximum of collective thinking when the country’s top ecologists took up Philippine environmental problems early this month. The overall Philippine ecological pic ture was bleak. Dr. Francois Bourliere, consultant and chairman of UNESCO’s International Coordinating Council on Man and the Biosphere (MAB) program, warned that the Philippine environmental health prob lem was at “a serious stage.” Dr. Reynaldo Lesaca, commissioner of the National Water and Air Pollution Control Commission, pointed out that the Pasig river might not be salvaged at all if it continued to be the dump ing site of industrial and domestic wastes. Other scientists and research ers, mostly university-based, took to task the Filipino’s mismanagement of his environment. They said this had led to environmental disturbances, depletion of natural resources, accu mulation of environmental pollutants, deterioration of the biosphere and uncontrolled population explosion. It was amid this air of crisis that the MAB seminar-workshop reeled off at the National Science Development Board planetarium on August 3. The three-day meet was aimed at produc ing concrete proposals for inter-' disciplinary researches to be conduct ed in the Philippines as part of its contribution to the worldwide MAB program. The proposals would also be “the basis within the natural and social sciences for the rational use and conservation of the resources of the biosphere and for improvement of the global relationship between man and the environment.” Of the 13 projects proposed by the MAB National Committee and con sidered by the International Coordinating Council during its 17th general conference held in Paris in October last year, five were given priority. These ranged from determin ing the ecological effects of increasing human activities on tropical and sub tropical ecosystems, on lakes, marshes and estuaries to warding off pollution effects on terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Five of the 13 “task forces” created to tackle the specific core project proposals came out with alarming initial findings. Task Force 1, for instance, headed by Dr. Ireneo Domingo of the Uni versity of the Philippines’ College of Forestry — charged with measuring ecological effects on tropical eco systems — revealed that forest destruc tion by illegal cutting and kainginmaking (shifting agriculture) was go ing on at a rapid rate of 170,000 hec tares per year. The kaingin-method damaged some 30,000 to 40,000 hec tares last year. Dr. Emil Javier of the UP College of Agriculture and Task Force 2 chair man, reported that of the country’s 3,476,000 hectares of grassland, 971,000 hectares had been leased by 1 September 1973 THE REPUBLIC The °Nation the government to private indus trialists for grazing purposes. Of 2 million heads of cattle, half a million are raised on these grasslands, of which the major part are scattered in Cagayan valley in northeastern Luzon, Mindoro, Masbate, Bukidnon and Cotabato in Mindanao. Dr. Javier claimed that the emerg ing problem was to ascertain how the raising of cattle and other animalshad affected the grasslands, tundra and savanna — and how these ecosystems could be made more productive. A study of an area’s ecosystem, he added, and its rational and optimum modes of utilization and development with respect to its land could be a good start for a ecological probe. Dr. Javier suggested Mindoro island as the ideal microcosm because of its rich natural resources (marble, silica, copper, corals, logs, rattan and fish) as well as potential tourist areas, like Puerto Galera and Lake Naujan. Task Force 3 was assigned the task, among other things, of surveying the island’s net primary productivity and litter decomposition, and following up ecological changes attendant to plant succession and sedimentation rate, and ultimately, “providing guidelines for the optimal management and utili POPULATION PROJECTION The 16th most populous nation The formulation of a country’s so cial, economic and political policies is determined by the growth, change and distribution of its population. Statisti cal compilations are integral part in the drawing up of development strate gies for countries that especially cons titute the Third World. On the domestic front, it is the Bu reau of Census and Statistics (BCS) which collates such valuable informa tion to serve as basis for government and private planning. A total of 36,684,486 people were registered by the BCS on May 6, 1970, ranking thus the country as the 16th largest among the world’s popu lation, with an annual growth rate of 3.01 per thousand population. Population density, if evenly distri buted, would be 122.3 persons per square kilometer. This variation in population distribution ranges from a low to a high concentration and dif fers from one region to another. Hence, the uneven distribution of population density in the following areas: Region Ill-Cagayan Valley and Batanes, 54.5; Region I — Manila and suburbs, 34,746.4; Region IV-Central Luzon, 215.7; Region VH-Westem Visayas, 175.4; Region VI-Bicol and Masbate, 168.3; Region II-Ilocos and Mt. Province, 71.1; Region IX-Northem Mindanao, 75.7; Region X-Southem Mindanao and Sulu, 79.6 and Re gions V and VUI-Southem Luzon and islands and Eastern Visayas, 148.0 and 148.8, respectively. Manila and Rizal have the h ighest population densities of 34,746.4 and 1,529.7, respectively. On the other hand, the least populated provinces are: Palawan, 15.9; Kalinga-Apayao, 19.3; Agusan del Sur, 19.5 and Occi dental Mindoro with 24.5. Manila still holds the distinction as the most populated city in the Philip pines, followed by Basilan City, 108.4; General Santos City, 107.9 and zation of grazing lands.” Task Force 5, on the other hand, was charged with studying municipal and domestic sewage and identifying substances entering rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal zones by drain age or erosion. Task Force 6 would probe into the impact of human activ ities on the Philippine mountain ecosystems. Specifically, the unit, chairmanned by Dr. Raymundo Punongbayan, a UP geologist, would look into the ecologic effects of shift ing agriculture, logging, mining, etc. The study of effects of pollutants on terrestrial and freshwater eco systems was assigned to Task Force 6. Its initial report that pollution was confined to cities jibed with Dr. Reynaldo Lesaca’s observations. The NWAPCC commissioner said the 150 firms located within the 30-kilometer radius from Manila dis pose an average of 5 million gallons of waste water daily and an average of 750,000 pounds of organic waste, directly affecting rivers like the Pasig, Guiguinto, Balagtas, Marilao, Meycauayan, Pasolo, Polo and others. And in a separate study, the NWAPCC found out that 15 to 20 ppm (parts per million) of carbon monoxide are emitted by some Calbayog City, 104.5. The city of Puerto Princesa, in contrast, has only a 17.9 population density. The urban population, which is about 31.8 percent of the total Philip pine population, is concentrated in I, 184 poblaciones and central districts and 1,218 barrios; the rest, 68.2 per cent, are scattered in the rural areas. Females predominate in the urban areas while the males abound in the rural communities. Urban population concentration in Manila, Rizal, Cebu and Negros Occidental comprise II. 39; 23.11; 5.59 and 4.31 percent of the total urban population. The least urbanized are the provinces of Ifugao, Kalinga-Apayao and Mountain Province. The relatively young age structure of the population is due to the past levels and trends of fertility, mortality and migration. High fertility accounts for the present high proportion of children over adults. High mortality, on the other hand, indicates that only a few people managed to reach the upper age scale; low mortality shows otherwise. The age median of 16.3 in 1972 is actually an increase over the 17.9 in 1970 because of constant fertility and a reduced rate of infant mortality. This makes the Philippines younger in terms of age composition. Ages 0-14 comprise 46.0 percent; 15-64, 513 percent; and 65 and over, 2.7 percent. Literacy rate in the country is 83.4 percent. The illiterates comprise only16.6 percent. As indicated in the report of the Bureau of Census and Statistics, females comprise 84.6 per cent of the total literate population as against the 82.2 percent for the males. Manila again holds the highest lite racy rate with 96.4 percent; Rizal, 95.8; Bulacan, 93.5; and Zambales, 93.1. Provinces with a low degree of literacy are: Sulu, 41.7; Ifugao, 50.6; Mt. Province, 61.5; Lanao del Sur, 289,232 motor vehicles daily in Greater Manila. Other pollutants from these vehicles include unbumed hydro-carbon from gasoline, parti culates, lead, oxidants (like ozone), alcohols (from gasoline combustion). As of June 1972, there were 281 firms surveyed and 117 factories sampled by the NWAPCC for stack emissions in the metropolis. Seventy-five fac tories sampled were found to have been contributing 2.55 tons of parti culates and 7.55 tons of sulfur dioxide a day. The work of Task Force 14 will be considerably boosted by a project drawn up by Mrs. Imelda Romualdez Marcos recently to salvage and beauti fy the Pasig river. All task forces would be supervised by a horizontal group manned by scientists active in various scientific fields. The horizontal outfit, headed by Dr. Estela LI. Zamora, dean of the UST Graduate School, would synthes ize existing information and insure disciplinary approach between natural and social scientists, such that plan ning and integration would be feasi ble. “Integration” or collective thinking Filipino menfolk: A preponderance of youth 63.4; and Cotabato, 64.9 percent. Over 40 percent of Philippine popu lation are children under 0-14 years of age. Average birth rate is between 7.1 and 10.8 per thousand population. The lowest death rate is registered in Lanao del Norte with 1.3; the highest in Northern Samar with 11.6 per thousand population. The different projections based on the actual head count of population and households are as follows: By 1980, the Philippine population will be 49.6 million under low projection; 51.0 million under medium projec tion; and 53.4 million under high proj ection. By 2000, it will have increased to 71.6 million; 83.9 million; and 96.6 million, respectively. The population projection is determined by rapid, gradual and constant fertility and a low decline in mortality. Women will continue to outnumber men until 1990 when the sex ratio will have in creased between 0.74 and 0.91 per cent over the males and will have,like wise, reached between 997.3 and 999.0 males per 1,000 females. The degree of change in density will vary considerably from 122.3 persons per square kilometer in 1970 to 162, 165, and 169 by 1980 and by 2000 to would relatively hasten ecological pro gram. This is gleaned from the fact that ecological problems, which are common in industrialized countries though, hardly surprising in under developed ones, cannot be solved by biologists alone. Pollution, moreover, has become a bio-physical pheno menon heavy with social and political implications. The MAB National Committee, likewise, headed by Dr. Zamora, was organized by the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines on February 21 this year at the request of the UNESCO director-general. Composed of representatives from 17 government, private and academic institutions, the MAB National Committee coordinates and taps avail able manpower, laboratory equipment and other facilities, and maintains liaison with the Paris-based Inter national Coordinating Council and the government for consultancy and tech nical support. It is to coordinate pro jects with the Environmental Center chairmanned by Mrs. Marcos. Created by Executive Order 342, the Center oversees environmental projects being prepared by both the government and the private sector. 279, 328 and 332 under the low, medium and high projections, respec tively. The population under 15 years of age, according to high projection, will increase from 43.11 percent in 1970 to 43.50 percent and to 43.86 percent in 1980 but will decline from 43.13 in year 2000 to 29.72 in 2000. Those within the 15-64 working age group are expected to increase significantly by 2000, the increase varying from 53.41 percent to 65.58 percent. They will be self-supporting, with those under 15 and over 65 as dependents. What then are the implications of these changes in the age composition to the nation’s social and economic development? Under high projection, fertility will remain constant with a slow decline in mortality. This indi cates a high growth rate for a “young” population. This projection, however, does not augur well for the country because it affects — is in fact inimical to — production. Population growth in the long run will make capital for mation very difficult, thus keeping capital requirements for development in agriculture, medical and social im provement beyond the country’s fi nancial reach. THE REPUBLIC 1 September 1973 Page 3 The Economy PCMP PROGRAM RP - made automobiles by 1977? Fifteen percent of the composition of most 1973 cars that one sees on the road today is made in the Philippines. This content will progressively in crease to.25 percent next year, 35 per cent by 1975 and, hopefully, 50 per cent by 1976. These phases had been set by the Board of Investment’s Progressive Car Manufacturing Program (PCMP) which was formally launched on Jan. 1, this year. Five out of the previous 12 local assemblers of 129 models of 29 diffe rent brands — Delta Motor Corpora tion (Toyota), a consortium of Yutivo, Francisco and Northern Motors under the name General Motors Phil ippines (Torana and others), Ford Philippines (Escorts and Cortinas), Chrysler Philippines (Dodge Colts and Mitsubishi Minicas) and DMG Corpo ration (Volkswagen) — are partici pants in the program. The rationale behind the PCMP was the Central Bank’s concern over the continuous depletion of dollars through car importation (about P400 million a year) by local assemblers. Beside the dollar savings, the pro gram is expected to encourage the growth of the local parts industry, generate more employment, utilize RP natural resources and, eventually, develop heavy engineering technology in the country, a chief factor in total in dustrialization. Local parts manufacturing firms, which number about 100, have so far PRIME COMMODITIES The rise and July to September, in the Philip pines, are lean months. No crop harvests are made during these months. Typhoons, rains and floods, after a period of prolonged drought, wreck agriculture, damage crops, de crease the normal volume of supply, hamper producers from transporting products to the market, lower the prices on items not in demand, and jack up prices of prime commodities. Indices on all items registered from July to September 1972 showed a significant rate of increase over the previous year. Food index rose to 10.64 percent, with vegetables and fruits registering the highest rate of increase at 84.2 percent; clothing, 14.55 percent; drugs and medical equipment, school supplies, health, education, 1.60 percent. Shelter index went up to 0.13 percent as prices of construction materials moved up. Miscellaneous price index increased to 3.20 percent. The price spiral continued in Sept ember of the same year with shelter rising to 27.11 percent; utilities to 3.79 percent; clothing, furniture, equipment, household operations, education, recreation and food to 10.35 percent. Non-food items rose to 4.55 percent. Most of these price spirals, however, tended to decrease after this lean period only to rise again DMG car assembly plant: Made in RP components invested approximately P50 million in the industry, in contrast to some P400 million by car assemblers. The associa tion of car parts manufacturers esti mates that this year — the first year of the program — the assemblers will pur chase about P30 million worth of car parts from the industry, P45 million in 1974 and P70 million in 1975. The present 2,000 direct workers employed by car parts manufacturers are expected to double while the country will realize dollar savings of some $30 million a year when the PCMP becomes fully operational by 1977. The five assemblers are required by the PCMP to provide the expertise and know-how to these firms in exchange for their monopoly of the Philippine market (20,000 cars a year) with pos sibly a sufficient car surplus for ex fall of prices with the rainy season. This year, the same pattern is being repeated. A ganta of rice and mongo costs P3.20 and P7.00, respec tively; a kilo of meat, P9.50; milkfish (bangus), P5.00; tomatoes, Pl.80; onion, P2.70; one dozen eggs, P3.50. Last year, a ganta of rice and mongo were in the market for P2.70 and P6.10, respectively; a kilo of meat, P8.00; milkfish, P4.50; tomatoes, Pl.09; onion, Pl.20; one dozen eggs, P3.00. The situation is an offshoot of contemporaneous seasonal conditions. Secretary of Finance Cesar Virata explains that after the rainy season, especially when rice would have been harvested by late September, prices usually go down. The finance secretary’s words are supported by price indexes of the previous year. Prices, after the lean months of July to September of 1971, showed a general downward move ment. By October 1972, price index for food dipped down to 10.47 percent; utilities, 3.74 percent; cloth ing, 1.24 percent; shelter, 0.13 per cent; and miscellaneous, 0.96 percent. By November, all items plunged to a 5.14 percent low. The trend contin ued, and by December, all items registered a fall to 1.30 percent; food to 3.14 percent, fruits and vegetables ports. They can also import freely other car components so long as these do not exceed the ratio set by PCMP. To meet the needs of heavy car part requirements, Ford Philippines, for instance, is establishing its P257-million car stamping plant at the Export Processing Zone in Bataan; Delta Motors Corporation its engine block, cylinder heads and other engine parts factory which is expected to become operational this year; Chrysler and General Motors their multi-million transmission plant in Canlubang, La guna. DMG also plans to set up its own plant at the EPZA. Other foreign firms like the Australian National In dustries, Dana Corporation and Borg Warner Australia have already applied for authorization to set up similar plants here. Even before the start of the PCMP to 12.55 percent and 6.31 percent, respectively, and clothing to 6.25 percent. This decline continued up to April this year, indicating a momen tary price spiralling during the lean months, only to go down again the rest of the year. Beside seasonal patterns, there are other factors that directly affect price trends. Price stabilization imposed by the government has to a certain extent kept prices of essential consumer items down. Currency devaluation is another major determinant of price fluctuations in the Philippines. The country imports, heavily, to balance the requirements for development — machinery, technical services, and related goods like petroleum oil, cotton fibers, wheat grain, animal feeds and rice. A crisis resulted in August 1971 and February 1973 when the US dollar underwent a series of devalua tions. With the decrease of the peso’s purchasing power, whose exchange rate is pegged to the dollar, the value of imports rose, requiring more Philip pine currency for the same amount of goods. This was aggravated by the worldwide shortage in foodstuffs brought about by rain, droughts and wars and elimination of surplus, buffer stocks by exporting countries. Thus, price indices of selected commodities imported in July 1972 read: food, 210.2; wearing apparel, 212.6; construction materials, 133.7; school supplies, 138.5; beverages and tobacco, 171.3; household supplies, 114.9; and house furnishing and on Jan. 1, 1973, the local car parts producers had supplied P22 million worth of some 300 local parts to auto assemblers, including the components of Ford Fiera and Sakbayan of DMG which are not part of the PCMP. These items, mostly light and small parts, include rubber, small stampings and welded-machine components, brass and copper sheet and strips, steel tubes, low carbon soldering wire for the manufacture of radiators, cold rolled steel sheets, brass tubes for muf flers and tail pipes, textile fabrics for seats and cushions, asbestos for clutch facings, rubber and copper sheets, copper rivets for gasket and packing, insulators cold rolled bars and nuts for spark plugs and others: Other locally produced car components are wheel rims, tires, chassis and glass. An earlier survey by the UP insti tute of small-scale industries showed that except for tires, batteries and other rubber products, there are at the moment very few items that car man ufacturers can produce in sufficient quantities to meet the needs of the PCMP program. But it said the indus try can easily expand if given the nec essary support and favorable market conditions. The UP survey also revealed that Chinese entrepreneurs compose the bulk of parts manufacturers with an average of 59 percent, followed by Filipinos with 36 percent, and Ameri cans 3 percent. Government planners foresee the expansion of the car parts industry in to the manufacture of components for a wider range of heavy machinery and equipment. The PCMP plan is also geared for the proposed “Asian Car.” Many an industrialization process in other countries has started as a result of the automotive- industry-. THo Phil ippines hopes this will also be realized here. equipment, 333.1. Due to the increase in prices of imported goods, price indices for 1973 of these items have risen to: food, 220.3; wearing apparel, 219.8; construction materials, 182.6; school supplies, 168.9; beverages and tobac co, 183.5; household supplies, 166.1 house furnishing and equipment, 313.9. Only drugs and medicines remained at the 173.3 level. This increase in prices of commod ities with foreign components is beyond Philippine control. The Phil ippine government has worked, how ever, to meet the challenge by developing highly competitive Phil ippine export products capable of producing surplus in foreign exchange. Former Central Bank Governor Andres Castillo sees, for today, a favorable balance in foreign exchange transactions because of the country’s solid international reserves and ex ports surplus. The government’s ef fort to achieve self-sufficiency in food and other prime commodities will also result in a cutback on imports. All these may yet trigger a decline in prices of commodities, perhaps even during the lean months. THE REPUBLIC Published weekly by the Bureeu of National and Foreign Information, Department of Public Information, with business and editorial offices at the 8th Floor, Beneficial Life Bldg., Solana st., Intramuros, Manila. Telephone Nos. 40-18-91 to 95. Page 4 1 September 1973 THE REPUBLIC The Economy STRENGTH IN UNITY Samahang Nayon: Nucleus of barrio cooperatives Barrio Bonuan Binloc in Pangasinan is one of the many economically depressed areas in the North. The majority of its residents have re mained tenant-farmers all their lives, victims of a feudalists system. Early this year, something happen ed to give the barrio residents a shred of hope. Field workers from the Bureau of Cooperatives Development (BCD) under the Department of Local Government and Community De velopment (DLGCD) descended on the community to bring glad tidings: the barrio had been selected one of the pilot projects in six priority provinces for the organization of Samahang Nayon meeting: Participation in the cooperative way of life Samahang Nayon (Barrio Associa tion) — the nucleus of the govern ment’s program to establish barrio cooperatives throughout the country. For the next few weeks, the BCD district workers held meetings with the heads of the barrio families, numbering less than 200, and taught them the rudiments of cooperatives and the benefits that they could derive from these non-stock and non-profit organizations. After the period of education and orientation, the barrio folks met to elect their officers (president, vice-president, secretary treasurer, manager and auditor and a board of directors) and approved the constitution and by-laws of their organization. The SN is a major component of the land reform program. Through it, the farmers will be able to pay the amortizations for the lands that they get under land reform. It will establish a cooperative store, and savings bank and also serve as a pool for the improvement of farming and market ing methods. In effect, it will be the center of economic activity in the community. After the Barrio Bonuan Binloc SN was registered with the BCD, it became a full-fledged SN, one of the many associations thus far formed in the six provinces of Laguna, Albay, Camarines Sur, Nueva Ecija, Iloilo and Isabela. Aggregate membership in 1,504 barrio associations stood at 78,126 with an initial membership contribution of P591,758.22 as of July 31, 1973. Of these, 518 associa tions with a total of 21,078 members, had already been registered with the BCD. The success of the program in these pilot provinces will result in the formation of SNs in all the 33,827 barrios scattered throughout the coun try. And it will not only be confined to farmers but also to fishermen, laborers and other types of workers. Even while the SNs are being organized, the BCD itself is busy training the experts to supervise the program. So far, 52 auditing ex aminers, who will keep an eye on SNs funds, have finished their training as auditing examiners while regional development directors and provincial officers are still undergoing orienta tion training at the DLGCD center in Los Banos, Laguna. The BCD is also undertaking the list ing of cooperatives to determine their viability preparatory to the lending out of funds by the Cooperative De velopment Loan Fund. Negotiations are underway for a $6.7 million assist ance loan from the Canadian govern ment to boost the Cooperative Fund. Additional funds have been facilitated by the Letter of Implementation issued by President Marcos last year instructing rural banks, the Agricul tural Credit Administration (ACA), Philippine National Bank and other financial institutions to deduct in advance 5 percent of production loans to farmers as a boost to the SN savings program. DLGCD Secretary Jose Rono has reported that the first six priority provinces are now undergoing train ers’ training for the next phase of operations, while the next 22 pro vinces in the priority list are in the process of conducting pre-membership education courses. The remaining provinces in the land reform group are now busy holding Municipal Rural Development Seminars while the 28 non-land reform provinces are con ducting provincial rural development seminars. The training program is needed to assure the success of the cooperatives movement. In the next 22 provinces, the BCD would need about 1,066 field workers to supervise some 5,700 SNs which are expected to be organized soon. With continued government sup port, the mass-oriented Samahang Nayon will help give the downtrodden a new cause for hope. HYDROGEN PEROXIDE A pioneering industry that saves dollars The rise in world prices and international shipping costs of a little known but important industrial chem ical component has seriously affected the operations of hundreds of local manufacturers. The chemical is hydrogen peroxide, a colorless liquid that is well-known among women for bleaching the hair and to manufacturers as a bleaching and oxidizing agent and antiseptic and disinfectant. The chemical is used for bleaching textiles, leather, pulp and paper and wood products. It is also used as a blowing agent for foam rubber and light concrete, a leavening THE REPUBLIC 1 September 1973 substitute for yeast, an illuminating and cleaning material for electronics and metals and a rocket fuel oxidizer and caialyst. Peroxide-consuming industries an nually import at least $1 million worth of the chemical. The increase in world prices and transportation costs has threatened the existence of fledgling industries. When President Marcos issued an open invitation to foreign investors to establish their businesses in the Philippines last year, there were immediate responses but none spelled relief for the peroxide-using firms. Most of the investments dealt in oil, garments, electronics, tuna-fishing and even wig-making. Last June, however, a FrenchGerman consortium of bankers and industrialists announced the setting up of a P27-million hydrogen peroxide plant in Valenzuela, Bulacan. The plant was inaugurated by the Pres ident last month. Known as the Peroxide Philippines Corporation (PPC), the plant is the only one of its kind in Southeast Asia. With the PPC’s annual capacity of 3,000 tons, the local companies are now assured a steady supply of this chemical unaffected by the rising trend of world prices and freed from the additional costs imposed by the international shipping cartels. During an earlier call on the President in Malacanang, the FrenchGerman group led by Dr. Herbert Aschmidt, an inventor of various chemical processes and builder of chemical plants in many parts of the world; Mr. George Aubrun of Krebf Company in Paris and Mr. Eric Getting, Far East delegate of Kclocker Industry Anlagen of Duisdurg, Ger many, informed the President that the consortium was registering with the Board of Investments another plant for the manufacture of freon gas, a material used in refrigeration. The foreign investors said the factors that prompted them to es tablish the plant in the Philippines were: improved peace and order conditions; favorable business climate; an adequate pool of highly skilled and labor personnel who can speak English fluently and tax exemptions. Foreign investors in such exportoriented and labor-intensive indus tries, like the PPC, are granted various incentives, among them, guarantee of investment and profit repatriation which has been decreed.Taxes are, likewise, reduced thus insuring greater profits. In his speech at the inauguration of the plant, the President said: “The Peroxide Philippines Corpo ration is an exercise in self-sufficien cy. It fills the vacuum in the raw materials needed by so many prime industries in our country . . . Now, with the Peroxide Philippines Corpo ration established and operational, we can look forward to substantial savings in dollars, perhaps to foreign exchange earnings through export. The savings annually in foreign ex change alone is estimated at one million dollars. We can use that sum for other equally essential national development projects.” Page 5 BOOKS Schumacher’s ’ The Propaganda Movement’ John N. Schumacher. The Propaganda Movement: 1880*1895. Manila: Solidaridad Publishing House, 1973 302 PPThe Propaganda Movement, the period following the execution of the three priests, Fathers Gomez, Burgos and Zamora, is the main thrust of Jesuit Father John N. Schumacher’s The Propaganda Movement: 18801895 (Manila: Solidaridad Publishing House, 1973). To Father Schumacher, the period 1880-1895 was an interregnum of sort in the country’s historical progression toward a “nationalist ideology” based “on a consciousness of a national identity, of being one people.” This “nationalist ideology,” continues Schumacher, gave “birth to the Revo lution of 1896. For a revolution, he says, presupposes a people with a con sciousness of its own identity and uni ty as a nation. And this Filipino na tionalist movement made possible the emergence of Philippine society from Marcos the Revolutionary’ Isabelo T. Crisostomo. Marcos the Rev olutionary, Manila, J. Kriz Publishing Enterprises, 1973. 231 pp. This book is the first serious at tempt by a prominent Filipino writer to analyze with singular clarity and logic the phenomenal rise of President Ferdinand E. Marcos from politician to revolutionary. Rich in scholarship but deceptively simple in its style of exposition, this work of Professor Isa belo T. Crisostomo is remarkably instructive and enjoyable to read. It commends itself to readers who desire to acquire an understanding of the Marcos theory of revolution, as well as the background, rationale and pros pects of his historic decision. A great number of Filipinos, in cluding members of the intelligentsia, were taken by surprise when President Marcos, a product of the old system of politics in this country, turned against that system and decided to change the course of the nation’s his tory by waging a democratic revolu tion. Their astonishment stemmed from the fact that no President before him had had the genius to conceive such a comprehensive vision, and the coutage and fortitude to implement it. Furthermore, past experience in the history of this and other nations, in Asia and other parts of the globe, could yield no precedent similar or parallel to the action President Marcos had taken. Finally, they realized that the Marcos revolution, unlike other great revolutions in history, is peace ful, legal, and constitutional. Professor Crisostomo contends in Marcos the Revolutionary — inciden its “medieval tutelage” which, one way or another, had forged the Filipino unity through a “common bond of religion and even, to the extent it existed, a common language.” Father Schumacher’s observations are more sweeping than convincing. Obviously, his concept of nationalism is rather limited, parochial. True, any nationalist ideology is based “on a consciousness of a national identity, of being one people” but this con sciousness presupposes a direction or a dialectical praxis: a direction that should be viewed within a colonial context in its thrust toward separation or liberation from the mother colony. Even more questionable is Schuma cher’s assertion that Filipino unity was made possible by the bond of reli gion, that is, Roman Catholicism, which he manifests as the raison d’etre of the so-called “medieval tutelage.” The twist, to say the least, though seemingly heterodox, is already a belabored point among Jesuitical his torians. Filipino nationalism, to set the record straight, came to the fore in response to the abusive and exploit ative policies of the Spaniards both lay and religious. The religious charac ter, as it were, of the colonial reign was mostly incidental. Whether Catho licism existed or not, as long as there was colonial exploitation, Filipino na tionalism was bound to surface. And, even if, for the sake of argument, there was any unity at all that was effected by the Catholic Church, it was, at the very least, geographical, not ideological. Even then, this geo tally his second book on the President — that those who were surprised by the apparent suddenness of the President’s decision would not have been caught unaware if they had been perceptive enough to sense that actually revolu tion was a recurrent message in the President’s speeches and official pro nouncements. As early as 1965, when by an overwhelming majority he won the Republic’s presidency, he was al ready mentioning it, and in his First Inaugural Address delivered on December 30, 1965 he adumbrated the course of the revolution as one principally directed at the oligarchy — “the privileged few.” Scrutinizing the President’s publish ed speeches, interviews with journalists and a wide spectrum of other sources, Crisostomo observes that since Mr. Marcos occupied the presidency, he had nothing but contempt for the status quo. He wanted to build a new social system because the old order, totally controlled by the elite, was too sterile and decadent to admit changes that could relieve the misery of the masses. Yet, paradoxically enough, al though theoretically the most power ful man in the Republic, the President did not have sufficient powers to insti tute the reforms in the society awaited by the people. Congress was at best slow in considering the passage of revolutionary social legislation that would diffuse wealth and power since the elements comprising it were,by and large, oligarchs or their proud ex tensions. The judiciary, like Congress, was stuffed with a number of re presentatives of the oligarchy, and as a consequence the dispensation of graphic unity was meant for Spanish ecclesiastical and political rather than indigenous nationalistic purposes. The contention of “medieval tute lage” reaches comic proportions if we would take into consideration the fiery denunciations by both the pro pagandists and the revolutionists of friar abuses and atrocities which even tually culminated in the establishment of the Philippine Independent Church under Gregorio Aglipay, a Filipino priest. Certain scholars on Philippine Revolution agree that the Propaganda Movement, contrary to popular pre sumption, could not have positively or to a great extent, determined the Phil ippine revolution of 1896. The very failure, in fact, of the Propaganda Movement led to the Revolution. The middle class had nothing to do with it. For the Propaganda Movement and the Revolution were separate move ments espousing different ideals, diffe rent protagonists, different inclina tions. The Propaganda Movement was mainly confined to the elite, the ilustrado, whose outlook, narrow and confined to its self-serving “universal view,” clashed head-on with the Rev olution’s whose base, the masses, was representative of an altogether native temperament. Historian Teodoro A. Agoncillo in his The Revolt of the Masses (Quezon City: University of the Philippines, 1956) correctly assesses the character of the middle class vis-a-vis the revolu tion. The middle class, Agoncillo ar gues, looked “upon revolutionary pro justice was not beyond the commerce of the influential. The bureaucracy was bogged down in the mire of cor ruption and ineptitude, thus resulting in the loss of millions of public funds, and the sacrifice of the masses. Criminality and lawlessness were rampant not only because of the in equities engendered by the oligarchic control of the economy but also because of the prevailing distorted sense of values of the law-enforcers and the people themselves. To a President obsessed with national greatness and a passion to improve the plight of his people the situation was intolerable. Thus, as early as May 29, 1966, President Marcos declared: “You have elected me as your leader, but as your leader I find myself impotent to raise this cry [that public officials be beyond reproach] for all the people to hear. I have issued the directives, I have issued the orders. I commanded, and yet it does not go beyond the lower echelons of the hierarchy of government.” Imperative was, therefore, the need to change the system and recast the values of our people. But such an end could only be attained by radical action, a revolution. The President, observes the author, could sense that the mood of the people, as early as 1966, was portentous; the masses were rapidly developing a revolu tionary temper that could explode any time. Thus he appealed to the oligarchy to be more socially respon sive and responsible, to stop the osten tatious and brazen .display of their affluence and power, and to share, if possible, part of their privileges with the masses. But instead of heeding his advice the unscrupulous rich used their mass media in ridicule to destroy his credibility as they continued to mock the masses by extravagantly cedure with the nonchalance of static academicians, theoretically giving con sent to it but actually shunning its vio lent nature, for the heart of the mid dle class trembles with fear of the con sequences that stem reason repudiates in its love of order and sequence.” The middle class only joined the Revolution, to further quote Agoncil lo, at a time “when the masses had al ready shown that they could dethrone the niler and beat his army in the field with nothing but bolos, a few ancient guns, courage, bravery and unity . . . In the Malolos Congress,” continues Agoncillo, “the intellectuals wrangled over the question of the union of Church and State and it was only after two close bal’otings that the Church and State were declared independent and separate, and at that, the propo nents of separation won by only one vote. The Revolution, therefore, failed in its aims and ideal of establishing an economic democracy, and its failure, if one is candid and honest enough to admit it, was caused by the betrayal of the intellectuals.” Father Schumacher has failed to provide a solid ground upon which his thesis could convincingly and credibly stand. What is, however, meritorious in Schumacher’s The Propaganda Move ment: 1880-1895 is its rich archival documentations. His bibliographical essay on his sources, which are mostly primary, broadens one’s Philippine bibliographic horizon and definitely en riches Philippine Historiography. ANTONIO C. HILA flaunting their pelf and privilege. When the masses began to rise, as Marcos had warned, the oligarchy, much to theit dismay,-discovered he was with them — the people — leading them in their revolt against the system. As a critical study of the Marcos leadership, Crisostomo’s book fa miliarizes the reader with the back ground and motivations of a number of great revolutionary leaders in history, vividly capturing the mood and temper of the period covered by his narrative — the irresponsibility and unresponsiveness of the rich, the in adequacy of the powers of the Presi dent of the Republic, the rebellious ness of the young, the color and clangor of protest rallies and demon strations which were eventually infil trated and manipulated by Com munist ideologues. The author’s ac count of the so-called “Revolt at Congress,” the “Battle of Mendiola” and “Siege of Malacanang” prior to the launching of the Democratic Revolution on January 25, 1971 by President Marcos will doubtless enable the readers to re-live that chapter in our history which helped precipitate martial law. However, it is in his character ization of President Marcos where Professor Crisostomo excels himself. Drawing from the President’s own words ancl from those of his critics in the mass media, he succeeds in depict ing the President in his true light as the nation’s leader: a heroic figure who is always moved by feelings of humanity, who is firm but compas sionate, warm but resolute, who is above all a genuine idealist with a pragmatic view of the world around him, indeed a commanding yet humane personality. Dr. GUILLERMO C. DE VEGA 1 September 1973 THE REPUBLIC Pane 6 The <Arts EDISCOVERY The unique folk art of non-Christian Filipinos The Philippines has some 60-odd ino-linguistic groups whose cultures ve remained relatively untouched westernization and christianiza»n. The cultural communities of uthem Philippines, for example, ve retained their cultural identities, shown in the folk art exhibit put up the Hilton Art Center. The monthig exhibit, entitled “Non-Christian •lk Art,” featured the art of the Malaos, Samals, Tausogs, Mangyans, bolis, Bataks and Bagobos. Most of e objects on display belonged to the jslim group — Maranaos, Samals, •usogs and Darangans. This was mambecause the Muslims comprise the ggest minority group. Of the nearly re million Filipinos classified into the Kobing and T'boli brass bolo Tobacco container and baking dish Cultural calendar (For the week, Sept. 2-8) September 2 Final presentation of “Celebration,’ a song and dance con cert, at the Cultural Center of the Philip pines, 4:00 p.m. September 2 Final Presentation of Circus Band Pop Concert at the PhilAm Life Audito rium September 4-9 Severino Montano’s play, “But Not My Sons Any Longer” at Philippine Nor mal College “cultural communities,” three million are Muslims. Art, it has been said, mirrors the society of its origin and this is parti cularly true of folk art. The Maranao brass bed, the most imposing object in the exhibit, is the stage for the life, love and death rituals of the people of Lake Lanao. According to Mila Enage of the Hilton Art Center, the Mara naos place the brass bed in the center of the house because the bed is where the most important events in a Maranao’s life take place. A Maranao child is baptized on the brass bed which, for the occasion, is decorated with silver coins and yellow cloth. Lucky Christian couples may claim that their marriages were made in Solo recital of pia nist Reynaldo Reyes at the Little Theater of the CCP, 7:00 p.m. September 6-8 Tanghalang Ateneo’s production of Ed ward Albee’s “Zoo Story” at Ateneo, 7:00 p.m. September 7 Solo concert of Jose Feliciano at the Big Theatre of the CCP, 4:00p.m. September 8 “From Fantasy to Reality” at the CCP, 7:30 p.m. Maranao chess set heaven, but for the Maranao elite, marriages are made in bed. The bride, the bridegroom, the imam (officiating minister) and the two witnesses all sit on the brass bed during the wedding ceremony. The brass bed is also the scene for signing important docu ments. Important guests are made to sit on the bed when Maranao royalty entertains. When a Maranao sultan dies, he is bathed and clothed on his bed. This is also where he lies in state until his burial. The brass bed, how ever, does not accompany the sultan to his grave. The Muslim okkil design (found in brassware, rooftops and even tomb stones) and the geometric designs on Muslim fabrics and mats, developed out of the Islamic taboo against figural representation. Muslim Filipinos, like Mohammedans everywhere, are forbidden by the Koran to make any Samal grave markers Maranao brass bed image of Allah and of all living things The forms of animals,‘flowers, and plants have to be abstracted if thej are to be used by the Muslim crafts man. The open, angular cut at the end of projecting housebeams are said to represent the wide-open jaws of the crocodile. Designs suggesting fem lea: and serpent skin are often found ir the malong (Maranao wrap-around and the langkit (cloth belts). Other objects in the exhibit in eluded a Mangyan blowgun, Batat bracelets, a Tausog hand-painted bam boo screen, a Darangan warrior’! outfit, a T’boli bolo, a Yakan hand woven table runner and Bagobo beads The “Non-Christian Folk Art Exhibit’ at the Cafe Coquilla foyer, beside! providing a glimpse into the mores ol Philippine cultural communities showed the wealth of indigenous arl works in the islands. ‘HE REPUBLIC 1 September 1973 Page j Travel & leisure CULTURAL HERITAGE Manila presents a modem ambience beneath which one finds basic Filipino touches and familiar Chinese, Spanish and American influences. In China town, in particular, one senses a sharp contrast between the modem facade of the metropolis and the quaint, 19th century Chinese district. The Chinese in the Philippines by their length of stay and their various contributions to the nation may be considered a local sector of the na tional community yet, strangely, the Chinese have remained “foreign.” Daniel Doeppers, an American socio logist, in his study of the historic growth of Philippine cities, points out the fact that Chinese immigrants tended to settle in well-defined region al clusters which remained stable in their make-up through SO years. Al fonso Felix, Jr., in the book “The Chinese in the Philippines,” writes that the non-assimilation of the Chi nese may be circumstantial as it is cul tural. The history of the Chinese in the Philippines reveals numerous in stances when they had to virtually coalesce to overcome discrimination, particularly legislative discrimination. Admittedly, however, Chinese in fluence in the Philippines has been “deep and extensive,” pervading many aspects of Philippine culture, includ ing language, customs, beliefs, eco nomy and medicine. Wealthy Chinese businessmen, as the late Roman Ongpin, contributed large sums to the rev olution and, at least, one Chinese im migrant, General Pawa, was known to have actively fought with the forces of General Antonio Luna. We learn that as early as the 6th and 7 th centuries, the Chinese have been to various parts of the country trading silk, orna ments, tea, and gunpowder for Philip pine gold, indigo, rattan, shells, ebony, bird’s nests and lead. A little bit of China in Manila Mainstreet, Chinatown: Novel idea for a “ghetto.” Viewed along these considerations, the Chinatown Development Project is not simply a scheme to beautify the old Chinese district but a conscious ef fort to thaw the barrier that for years have kept the two peoples apart. Manned by a trisectoral committee composed of the City of Manila, the Filipino-Chinese Community, and the Department of Tourism, the project is geared toward developing Chinatown as it evolved in Manila. As conceived, Chinatown shall “depict how the Chinese in the Philippines contributed to the emergence, development, and progress of the Philippine nation.” The development of Chinatown is divided into two phases: a) the more immediate, that is, the reconstruction and the restoration of buildings typi cally Chinese, and b) the more perma nent and long-range aspects like the revival of certain typically FilipinoChinese festivals, the construction of actual life-sized copies of Chinese sam pan and others. Phase One of the project includes the re-routing of traffic, the repair of streets, the improvement of the drain age system, and the cleaning of the esteros by the city government. The Filipino-Chinese Community, for its part, will take charge of retouching the facades of Chinese buildings, the revival of Chinese festivals, and the construction Of permanent arches or gates at the entrances to Chinatown at Rosario, Ongpin and San Fernando. Phase Two lists, among other proj ects, the reconstruction of: a) the Aicaiceria de San Fernando, a combined customshouse, wholesale mart, and living compound in Binondo in the late 1950s. b) the Tribunal de Sangleyes, the Chinese court, along San Fernando Street, and c) actual lifesized models of Chinese sea-going ves sels and sampans. The development of Chinatown has drawn the interests of various sectors of the country, particularly the First Lady. For her part, Mrs. Marcos do nated P4 million for the cleaning and dredging of all the esteros in the area. Mr. Tang Tack, secretary-general of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Cham bers of Commerce, pledged full support to the project while Minister Yu, speaking in behalf of the Chinese, said: “We will do all we can to help realize the laudable project.” As agreed by the planners, the ground-breaking ceremony will be held during the “August Moon Festi val,” a favorable time according to Chinese belief. Specifically, it will be on September 11, thus coinciding with the birth anniversary of the Presi dent. A whole day affair, it begins with the comerstone-laying pinpointing the site of the first commemorative arch, a display of the model of the gate and, most probably, a tour of Chinatown itself. A program featuring Chinese cultural dances and a lantern contest will follow in the afternoon. The development of Philippine Chinatown, Secretary Aspiras said, is in line with the plan “to preserve and develop Manila Chinatown as part of the nation’s cultural heritage.” PEOPLE Sentiments range from elation to nostalgia. “I still can’t believe it! ” enthuses former Manila newsman Mike Ligon, at the cleanliness and signs of progress in metropolitan Manila. He had been staying in Canada for the last three years. Another newspaperman, Emiliano Francisco, waxes nostalgic, “I have been away for 48 years, and that certainly has been a long, long time. I will be happy to bring back home my family and convince the rest of the people in my communi ty to remove their doubts about re turning to the Philippines.” For M.H. Jacaban of Bataan News in Sacramento, California, his trip is one “long overdue,” and for Jose Esmilla the Philippines is a fondly remembered Pagsanjan Falls. Tony Reyes is all agog: “It’s terrific — I feel like staying for good.” A mot ley group of around 30, these news papermen and various personalities have come to the Philippines upon the invitation, of President Marcos and Tourism Secretary Jose Aspi ras. They are to spearhead “Balikbayan,” a program to bring home for a visit as many overseas Filipi nos as possible between September this year and February 28 next year. Incentives include reduced air line fares, a tax holiday and hospi tality discounts. With all these, Fili pinos abroad may yet fulfill their yearning to return, an archetypal rebirth — in their own time. Margie Moran and Eugene Torre had something in common: both came back to the Philippines within the week. Eugene Torre, a chess luminary at 21, returned at 3:00 p.m., August 27, after a year-long chess activity that had him wowing chess wizards in prestigious Europ ean tournaments, including former world champion M. Tahl, his idol, whom he beat in the interzonals in Leningrad. It was a beaming Torre that came home after winning the 10-man Orense tournament held in Spain only last August 24. Mean while, Margie Moran had her share of adulation when she came home August 30. Preparations for her arrival had been made by Tourism Director Jose Clemente, the Binibining Pilipinas contest executive committee, Malacanang represent atives, PAL officials, representatives of mayors, et al. These included a motorcade from the airport to the Manila Hilton with an escort in full regalia, a courtesy call on the First Family, a luncheon-press confer ence afterwards and another luncheon hosted by Tourism Secretary Jose Aspiras. After all, Margie’s face (and figure) is one to launch a thousand to do’s. While overseas Filipinos and luminaries are coming in, four Ma kati cops are going out —but for good reason. Police Chief Ruperto B. Acle, Lt. Col. Armando C. San Miguel, Captain Luis Lambrento and Lt. Romeo Pena are off to the United States and England to un dergo specialized police training courses. Acle will train for three months at the International Police Academy in Washington, D.C. on police management and administra tion. Lambrento and Pena will train in the same institution on budget and narcotics administration, res pectively. San Miguel, for his part, will attend a 15-week course on traffic management and supervision at the Bramhill Police Academy in Hampshire, England. Following this, San Miguel will make an obser vation tour on traffic systems and procedures in Bangkok, Teheran, Athens, Rome and London before he returns to the Philippines. Who ever said police work cannot be im proved? Filipinos are like Italians — “sunny, always smiling, and warmer than the climate.” This was the observation of Msgr. Bruno Torpigliani, 58-year-old papal nuncio to the Philippines who arrived last month to assume his new post, vice Msgr. Carmine Rocco. The papal envoy said Fili pinos exude an “unmistakable charm” compared to the “rather reserved” attitude of peoples of the countries he had visited. Msgr. Torpigliani served as apostolic envoy to Guatemala and El Salva dor in South America and Zaire in Africa and worked in pontifical representations in Colombia, Peru and England before he became papal nuncio. The multi-lingual ambassador — Spanish, French and English — said “I don’t feel like a stranger to your country.” Al though this was his first trip to the Philippines, the envoy had been working with the Vatican secretary of state which used to handle church matters in English-speaking; Catholic countries, including the Philippines. “That made me deeply attached to Filipinos,” he said. Page 8 1 September 1973 THE REPUBLIC