Chief of Constabulary/
Director General, INP
SPEECHES
(Speech of PresidentEdgardoJ. AngaraffJsd for him by Dr. Oscar M. Alfonso atthe ISSllnternational Friendship Night on26October
1984.)
This gathering is truly a microcosm of' a world grown smaller by goodwill and understanding between the peoples and nations represented here. This seems to be a night worthy of its name:
INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP NIGHT.
The interest of international friendship is the mutual advance- ment of o~r various societies. To this end weought to encourage those activities within each of our nations that would enhance human welfare and social progress. International friendship means weaving ties in a mutual desire to be worthy of each other's trust.
It also refers to a common vlsicn of the kind of world we hope to have. It calls for solidarity among peoples and nations. It also calls for courage, for no ideal has ever been achieved without sacri- fice. All too often, international friendship remains a glittering but empty abstraction. What is lacking is the commitment to discover practical and workable channels of collaboration.
In 1966, the Royal Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Re- public of the Philippines decided to come together and infuse substance into the concept of international amity. The two govern- ments worked together to establish the Institute of Small-Scale Industries within the University of the Philippines as a pioneering effort in small enterprise development in the country. It was for long an uphill climb 'for the five Dutchmen and their Filipino counterparts who formed the first core staff. Eventually, the bila- teral agreement paid off. The small industry movement has be- come a pervasive national concern, involving all sectors of Philip- plrte society.
Today, witness international friendship in action as the Institute reaches out to its neighbor-countries in the developing world. The 1551 shares the small enterprise development resources and capa- . bilities it has carefully built up through the years. It offers trainer's training, regional development, industrial extension, project devel- opment and other small enterprise training programs for other members of the developing world. Even as the Institute lends a hand to other developing economies, the Netherlands government, we are grateful to note, still takes an active interest in its progress and con- tinues to support it.
The University of the Philippines is justifiably proud of the Institute's achievements in terms of giving meaning to the otherwise empty abstraction of "international friendship". We are equally proud of its emerging leadership as a small enterprise development research and training center in the Asia-Pacific region. These achieve- ments are attuned with the University's own policy of going beyond academic and national boundaries to spread the benefits of higher
, research and education. Indeed, the U.P. 1551 is an affirmetlonof
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the University of the Ph.ilippines' co,:"mitment to the larger com-~munity and the larger society of mankind.
Thank you and may you have a most enjoyable evening.
(Closing Remarks of PresidentEdgardoJ. Angara,.read for him by Dr. OscsrM.Alfonsoat the Closing Ceremonies for a Senior Course on Transpon Technology (ASCOTT) on14December 1984.)
The choice of the Philippines as the venue for this training course is most fitting. I am sure your six-week st~y here has given you ample opportunity to see for yourselves the kind of transportation problems we have, particularly the transportation requirements of a rapidly growing urban population. You have right here a challenging model for transport improvement, which is what this course has been mainly concerned with.
Your individual country reports have served to identify some common transportation problems in the ASEAN countries, such as the lack of road planning, traffic congestion, inefficient transporta- tion facilities or the continued use of modes of transportation that can no longer adequately serve the needs of development.
So many of these transportation problems in the ASEAN coun- tries have correctly been attributed to the lack of planning in land use and the poor management of transportation facilities. More often than not, the public transport system in the urban areas was conceived with little or no anticipation of the future needs arising from the increase'fn population, the expansion of the boundaries of cities into adjacent areas, and the accelerated pace of development.
Inevitably, therefore, these outmoded or ill-planned transportation systems have become unable to cope with the demands of contem- porary life.
In this light, the senior course on transport tf'Chnology meets a sorely felt need for professionals who have the training to concep- tualize and implement more innovative strategies for solving the complex transportation problems which presently beset ASEAN and other nations.
The design of the program you have just completed has the major advantage of having been based on an actual assessment of the existing training programs in transporttech~ologyin the region and an identification of specific subjects which could provide a more integrated perspective on transportation technology.
You have had intensive lectures on the various aspects of tran- sport technology for almost a month, supplemented by observation trips. But undoubtedly, the most valuable aspect of this course is the opportunity it has provided all of you to discuss the common transportation problems in the ASEAN and other nations and ex- change views on the potential solutions to these problems, based on your respective experiences. Your participation in these dis- cussions has enhanced the program because your insights are based on concrete situations. Such exchanges have given you a better grasp of the alternative solutions to the transportation problems in your own countries and the importance of choosing the appropriate tech- nology given the local conditions and needs.
Moreover, since you yourselves are directly interested in land use or management of transportation facilities, there is a greater likelihood that the knowledge you have acquired can be applied upon you r retu rn.
I trust that your successful completion of this course has pro- vided you with the technical knowledge, tools and fresh insights which will enable you to actively contribute to the improvement of mass transport in the ASEAN region.
In closing, I congratulate all of those responsible for the smooth conduct of this seminar course. I would like to cite the Transport Training Center, headed by Dr. Leopoldo V. Abis, and his very able staff. Their success in sustaining this activity at a time when many training programs have had to be discontinued is clearly an indication of how well they have geared their activities to the training demands in the region. Of course, such a program has also been fortunate to have had the funding support of the Japanese
International Cooperation Agency, which we should also like to acknowledge. Last but in no way least, I wish to commend all the participants, for their unflagging enthusiasm and determination to benefit as much as they could from this seminar workshop.
(Speech ofPresident Edgardo J. Angara on the 70th Year of the Department of Anthropology Celebration of Anthropology Week on 11December1984, atthe Faculty Center Conference Hall.J
Many Filipinos today live in fear; fear of death and torture; fear for the safety of their few possessions; fear for the future of their families. This is especially true of the many who have the misfor- tune of having to live and work in the countryside, in the killing fields of Philippine insurgency. Their harrowing experiences are recorded in gruesome detail in the reports of such organizations as Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists..
This situation is of recent development. There were violations of human rights before. but never of this magnitude, never with such intensity.
Some of us must be wondering, Why is it like this? What has gone wrong? The long list of human rights abuses shames us as a
nation.
I, for one, think that one reason for this is that we have needed a long list of abuses before our consciences were aroused. One abuse, brought to our attention. should have been enough to pro- voke our indignation and engage our commitment to bring justice to that case and, by that example, put an end to any further abuse.
Itseems, instead, that we needed toseeeconomies of scale achieved in human rights abuses before they could provoke our indignation.
This was not necessary if we had never lost, in the first place, a keen respect for the law and a proper appreciation of the need to.
keep its rule among us completely inviolate. let me explain this at some length.
Behind the laws that protect human rights, such laws as the Bill of Rights or even the provisions in our Penal Code against assaults on life and property. is a philosophy that warns us that a single in- fraction of any law means not just a crime, but an open door to a long train of repetitions if that crime is not immediately denounced and punished.
If we had kept this philosophy in mind, we, would have seen that, however remote we were from the effects of that first viola- tion, it would be only a matter of time before they touched us per- sonally.
We live and work in a fabric of law. If any part of it is broken and left unmended, in time the whole piece witt come unravelled and we shall all be standing naked in the rain of subsequent crimes that were encouraged by the first, unpunished. example. That is why I say that we should not have needed a long list of human rights abuses before raising a clamor and taking action against it.
But instead of keeping a strict respect for the law. we, who are not guilty of gross human rights abuses. encouraged disrespect for the law by small infractions of it for our convenience. We violated a traffic regulation here and a tax law there. These were small matters, we told ourselves. Just shortcuts to get what we wanted, which were anyway things that harmed no one, like the prompt meeting of an appointment or an incremental increase in our in- comes. But the rule of law, I said, is a fabric that cannot hold it- self together if any part of it Js broken and left unmended. Here I am reminded of Thomas-Mare's reaction to the suggestion that one should cut across the law' if this serves to get us to our goal faster, especiatly if we think'the goal is a worthy one. More said:
"This country's pteated thick with laws from coast to coast - man's laws. not God' - and if you cut them down . . . d'you think you could stand Llpright in the winds that would blow then? "
How often had we complained against the tangle of laws that had grown thick all over our country by a long and honorable juris- prudence? What we need are less laws and more action, we said.
again and again. laws and complicated legal processes, we com-
plained, cramped our style and made our lives more difficult than it could be. So whatwedid was make shortcuts through the law. But we were not alone in this country. Others saw us do it and get away with it, and followed our examples.
For us. perhaps, it was just a revenue regulation that stood in our way. But for the others it was the law against property or against the integrity of the person or against the taking of human life that obstructed them. These laws were as inconvenient for them, as the revenue regulation was for us. Why were they not entitled to the same shortcuts we ourselves were taking? Finally, some people decided that it was the fundamental laws - the charter of our fun- damental rights and liberties - that stood in their way. Those short- cuts we took turned out to be a slippery slope that took us finally to where we are today.
Itwas often said in the past, half in praise and half in derision, that the genius of the Filipino manifested itself in law. We had more lawyers than any other country in Asia. Perhaps we should have had more engineers, it was said. But then, at that time when people poked fun at the litigiousness of Filipinos, the Filipinos had a legal- istic republic that was the pride of Asia.
At -the end of the last century, we .established the first republic in Asia. Iterose not from the impulse of revenge against former colonial masters but from the determination to live thenceforth under the rule of law they had denied us. This was the foundation on which the Republic rested, until wedecided that there were issues - social, political, economic and I don't know what else _ that demanded instant resolution regardless of the toll it took on the rule of law.
We have just celebrated Human Rights Day with a renewed resolve to denounce their violations and put an end to them. My suggestion on how to end them is this: We should begin by renewing our respect for law in every aspect of our lives and work. The best protection for our human rights is a walt of specific respect for every law, built stone by stone with our hands, however incon- venient we shall find it.
Thank you.
(Awarding of Plaques of Recognition toDistinguished Retired Fa- culty Members of the Institute ofMass Communication, read for President Edgardo J. Angara by Dr. Oscar M. Alfonso on 17De- cember 1984.1
With much pleasure I convey warmest congratulations to the awardees in today's ceremony - the distinguished professors who have served in the faculty of the Institute of Mass Communication and are now. most of them, retired from the service.
That they are remembered not only by their colleagues in the faculty but certainly by their legions of students is one of the in- tangible .rewards of teaching. You were called upon to teach. No doubt, you did your duty welt. From your classes have emerged the professionals who now occupy key positions in the media industry.
Their day-to-day work is delicate and vital, for it is through the media that information is continuously supplied to the people and the consciousness of the nation shaped, if subtly. The principles that you have imparted to the young men and women who had come to this Institute to learn are the same principles that now guide their performance as practitioners of the art and science of communica-
tion. !
And so we remember and cherish the valuable service you have rendered as faculty members of this Institute. You have devoted your talent and energy to a task that 1s not remunerative in the ma- terial sense but, on the other hand, gratifying in,' the spiritual sense.
You were motivated by the ideal of service. neverbythe pursuit of wealth. and the fact that your example has ,inspired us makes this awarding ceremony more significant. Weloo~up to you for having contributed to the prestige which the Institute of Mass Communica- tion now enjoys among communication schools of this country.
Indeed, this Institute could not have attaineditspresent renown without your having built it up slowly through the years and
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strengthened its foundations to withstand all the upheavals that now and then rock the academe in these troubled times.
To you who have survived with honor and enjoy the respect of the academic community, I reiterate my congratulations. This pro- gram is but an affirmation that we are grateful to you. The warmth of our greetings reflects our own commitment to carry on in emula- tion of your distinguished record.
Thank you most sincerely with our heartfelt felicitations.
(The President's Christmas Message on 19December 1984read for himbyDr. Oscar M. Alfonso.)
The year just passed has been admittedly an unusually difficult year for the University in particular and the nation as a whole. It saw the country experiencing its worst economic crisis in the post- war era and witnessing some of the most destructive calamities and natural disasters. 1984 will also go down in history as a time of great political upheaval and uncertainty over the national stability. With- out doubt, it was a most trying year for all Filipinos and we in the University have been inevitably deeply affected by all these develop- ments in the national scene.
As University President, I am much aware of the tremendous sacrifice, patience and forbearance required of all of you in the face of our severe budgetary problems which were further compounded by unexpected occurrences, such as the fire which gutted the north wing of Quezon Hall.
In light of the adversities that we have faced, and may continue to face in the future, the need for the University community to affirm its unity and ties with one another becomes greatest.
The Lantern Parade and Christmas Program, more than an age- old tradition, provides a fitting time for all of us to gather and re- member not just the travails but also the gains that were achieved through our common efforts, sacrifice, and willingness to place the interests of the University over individual or sectoral preferences and concerns. The four-step incentive allowance which took effect early this year, for instance, were made possible because the dif- ferent sectors of the community were willing to give up some things and to maximize our manpower resources more fully so that savings from the non-use of available items could be effected. This is only one among many other blessings which we can count, and which we are fortunate to enjoy while other agencies and educational institu- tions have been compelled to take drastic steps such as non-payment of salaries, suspension of living allowances and other benefits, or even retrenchment and outright closure of operations.
We have also managed to be more prudent in allocating our scarce resources and to generate internal sources of income by en- hancing the income-earning capacities of our properties, such as the Basilan and Quezon Land Grants, and other enterprises through the collaborative efforts of various units in othe University.
And with the cooperation of all sectors on campus, the Univer- sity has been able to minimize wasteful and useless duplication of functions, and improve on the general efficiency in the delivery of services.
This occasion, therefore, becomes more meaningful for us be- cause it represents a time to reaffirm the ties, beliefs, and values which have become part of the University's traditions. From this reservoir of shared experiences and loyalty to the institution to which we belong and of which we are all a part, weshalf continue to draw our inspiration and strength in order to cope as best as we can with the challenges of the coming new year.
I wish all of you warmest Christmas greetings and a happier year ahead. Maligayang Pa~ko sa ating lahat. Sana av Manigong Bagong Taon naman.
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(Keynote Address of PresidentEdgardoJ. Angaraat the First Philip- pine Conference on Industrial Relations, 5 October 1984AIT, Difiman, Quezon City.)
There is no more opportune time to hold an initial conference on industrial relations than now. Not only are we witnesses -to instances of costly confrontations between labor and management;
we are, in the name of national survival, being challenged to devote our efforts towards greater national productivity.
Perhaps there is no better way to underscore the significance of this conference except to refer to the many confrontational situa- tions we all see around us. The atmosphere of divisiveness prevail- ing in our society is too disturbing. Maybe it has something to do with regionalism or the fact that the Philippines has yet to overcome its image as a cluster of islands.
If what is true of the whole is also true of the parts, then what transpires in the labor-management sector is just reflective of what is happening to the whole nation. And we can only hope that the in- sights we gain by reviewing the dynamics of industrial relations may be useful in identifying a new structure for national unity.
Those of us who are either students or practitioners of industrial relations are all interested in firming up the foundation of industrial peace. We may come out with new legislative proposals to help im- prove the structure of relations between labor and management. Or we may discover new mechanisms for settling industrial disputes.
But any law or intervention will work only when there is a supportive underlying value that springs from the innate culture of a people.
In any case, the quest for industrial peace for the sake of common prosperity demands a deliberate effort and will to explore new di- mensions in the field of industrial relations.
The search for these new dimensions, to my mind, would require a re-examination of the practices and methods we have been accus- tomed to. Are the approaches we have been using adequate to secure industrial peace? Based on the recorded strikes since 1981 there has been tens of millions manhours lost. If for that reason alone, we ought to review the standard modes of resolving industrial disputes.
It would seem then that the very system that prescribes the para- meters of industrial relations in the Philippines is too adversarial in nature. This system operates on the assumption that labor is a class separate and distinct from management and as such it has its own set of interests that is irreconcilable with that of management. The economists and social scientists among us mav say that this assump- tion is a carry-over from the history of class struggle that began with the Industrial Revolution in England. The point is that, any assump- tion, unless analyzed for its objective validity. may be regarded as fact and, therefore, may affect the direction of policy making.
When the interests of labor and management are perceived to be radically different from each other, the c$frontational nature of, labor-management relations is inevitable. Given the mutual suspicion between adversaries. economic warfare is always a distinct proba- bility.
However, Filipino workers and Filipino managers can and ought to transcend the cycle of costly confrontations. There are a number of factors that can make this happen. In the first place, Filipinos as Orientals naturally prefer consensus as a framework within which to reconcile conflicting claims of individuals or groups. Our culture puts emphasis on smooth interpersonal relations, on talking things over, on seeing to it that the other fellow does not lose face. In fact, real breakthroughs in negotiation are achieved not during the formal bargaining period but under a less formal set-up during break periods. We might have relied so heavily on the Western model for resolving labor-management disputes to the point that we have for- gotten that we have our inborn mechanism for reconciling dif- ferences.
In addition to our positive cultural traits, there are capitalists and owners in the country today who are at the forefront of rede- fining tabor-management relations. There is a growing number of managers and industrial relations specialists whose task orientation is balanced by their genuine appreciation of the value of people.
As they believe that management is getting things done, through and with people, they recognize the intrinsic worth of a worker as a