PGMA's Speech during the 40th Founding Anniversary of Angeles University

PGMA's Speech during the 40th Founding Anniversary of Angeles University

Angeles University Grounds, Angeles, Pampanga (25 May 2002)

DACAL PONG SALAMAT, MONG.

I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO GREET THE OFFICIALS OF PAMPANGA AND ANGELES CITY HEADED BY GOVERNOR LITO LAPID; OUR FRIENDS FROM THE OTHER PARTS OF CENTRAL LUZON HEADED BY CONGRESSMAN WILLY VILLARAMA OF BULACAN; OUR FRIENDS FROM MANILA HEADED BY DON EMILIO YAP, CHAIRMAN OF MANILA BULLETIN; THE OFFICIALS OF THE COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION HEADED BY ESTHER GARCIA, CHAIRMAN OF CHED; THE MEMBERS OF THE ANGELES FAMILY AND THE ANGELES UNIVERSITY FAMILY, HAPPY 40th ANNIVERSARY TO ALL OF YOU.

I WILL MAKE MY REMARKS VERY BRIEF BECAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO GET CAUGHT IN THE RAIN AND END UP IN ANGELES UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL FROM PNEUMONIA. BUT I JUST LIKE TO SPEND A FEW MINUTES TO CONGRATULATE THE ADMINISTRATION, FACULTY AND STUDENTS OF ANGELES UNIVERSITY, HAPPY RUBY ANNIVERSARY.

AS BISHOP PACIANO ANICETO SAID, I CAME HERE ALMOST STRAIGHT FROM MY TRIP TO JAPAN BECAUSE THIS CELEBRATION IS SPECIAL -- IT'S 40 YEARS -- AND IT IS LIKE A HOMECOMING FOR ME BECAUSE THE MACAPAGAL FAMILY HAS BEEN A PART OF THE ANGELES UNIVERSITY FAMILY. MY FATHER, THE LATE PRESIDENT DIOSDADO MACAPAGAL, AND I BOTH SERVED AS CHAIR OF YOUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES IN OUR TIME. MY FATHER SERVED AS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD FROM 1988 TO 1997 WHEN HE PASSED AWAY. WHEN HE DIED, I TOOK HIS PLACE, BUT BEFORE THAT ANGELES UNIVERSITY GAVE HIM A DEEPLY MOVING NECROLOGICAL SERVICE; AND MY MOTHER LOVED THE SERVICE SO MUCH AND THE ANGELES CHORUS, THAT SHE REQUESTED THAT IF SHE WOULD DIE THE ANGELES UNIVERSITY CHOIR SHOULD BE HER REQUIEM CHOIR FOR HER OWN FUNERAL. AFTER MY FATHER PASSED AWAY I BECAME THE CHAIR UNTIL MY DUTIES AS VICE-PRESIDENT REQUIRED ME TO STOP SERVING ON THE BOARD. BISHOP ANICETO BECAME THE CHAIRMAN AND MY BROTHER BOBOY TOOK MY PLACE IN THE BOARD AS A MEMBER.

AND HAVING KNOWN THE UNIVERSITY ALL THESE YEARS, I COMMEND THE UNIVERSITY'S SUSTAINED AND STRONG COMMITMENT TO MAKE QUALITY EDUCATION ACCESSIBLE TO OUR PEOPLE. YOUR MISSION OF "TOTAL DEVELOPMENT OF MAN FOR GOD AND HUMANITY" TELLS IT ALL. YOU HAVE CONTINUED TO INSTILL ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AMONG YOUR STUDENTS, AND MOTIVATE THEM TO BECOME CAPABLE AND RESPONSIBLE MEMBERS OF OUR SOCIETY.

RELEVANT AND QUALITY EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO OUR COUNTRY'S STABILITY AND PROGRESS. IT IS NEEDED TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF POVERTY THAT HAS BEEN PASSED FROM GENERATION TO ANOTHER. MY ADMINISTRATION IS DEDICATED TO WINNING THE WAR AGAINST POVERTY WITHIN THE DECADE. AND EDUCATION IS ONE OF THE PILLARS OF THIS MISSION.

THE FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY WILL BE WON, AS MY FATHER PUT IT, "NOT BY PULLING DOWN THE RICH TO THE LEVEL OF THE POOR, BUT BY RAISING THE POOR TOWARDS THE MORE ABUNDANT LIFE." AND, AS MY FATHER SHOWED THE WAY, BY PERSONAL EXAMPLE AND DEEDS, BY DINT OF SACRIFICE AND HARD WORK.

DIOSDADO MACAPAGAL WAS BORN POOR TO HUMBLE TENANTS AND SUFFERED GENUINE HUNGER AND DEPRIVATION AS A CHILD, BUT HE FOUGHT HIS WAY OUT OF POVERTY THROUGH EDUCATION. HE PULLED HIMSELF UP THROUGH EDUCATION TO BE A BAR TOPNOTCHER, A DOCTOR OF LAWS, A DOCTOR OF ECONOMICS, AND, WITH SOLID BACKGROUND, BECAME CONGRESSMAN, VICE-PRESIDENT AND, EVENTUALLY, PRESIDENT.

MY FATHER'S STORY PROVES THAT BEYOND EQUIPPING TODAY'S YOUTH WITH THE NECESSARY SKILLS TO PLY THE JOB MARKET, EDUCATION IS THE FORCE OF EMPOWERMENT; IT IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE COUNTERBALANCE TO THE DISABLING FORCES OF POVERTY.

THE MISSION OF MY ADMINISTRATION IS TO CONTINUE HIS WORK, TO ADDRESS THE PLIGHT OF THE UNDERPRIVILEGED, WHO MAKE UP MORE THAN ONE-THIRD OF OUR SOCIETY. I HAVE PLEDGED GOOD GOVERNANCE TO EMPOWER THE POOR -- TO MAKE THEM, AND THEIR CHILDREN, LOOK TO THE FUTURE WITH HOPE. IN THIS MISSION, A COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM IS A MOST VITAL COMPONENT.

THE NEED FOR AN EDUCATED WORKFORCE IS ALL THE MORE IMPORTANT IN TODAY'S HIGHLY INTERDEPENDENT WORLD, AND A WORLD OF RAPID ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY. THE CULTIVATION OF OUR HUMAN RESOURCES IS THE ONLY WAY TO MAINTAIN OUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN THIS NEW WORLD, BECAUSE IN THIS NEW WORLD OF THE 21st CENTURY, THE PHILIPPINES' COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE LIES IN ITS HUMAN-RESOURCE-INTENSIVE, SKILLS-INTENSIVE SERVICE SECTORS. THE PHILIPPINES IS THE HOME OF THE GREAT FILIPINO WORKER.

AS MONSIGNOR ANICETO SAID, I JUST ARRIVED FROM JAPAN YESTERDAY, TOGETHER WITH MANNY ANGELES, WHOM AS YOU KNOW I PIRATED FROM ANGELES UNIVERSITY TO BECOME THE PRESIDENT OF CLARK DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. THE PERVADING THEME IN MY MEETING WITH THE TOP POLITICAL AND BUSINESS LEADERS OF JAPAN WAS THE FUTURE OF ASIA. IT WAS THE CONSENSUS THAT THE FUTURE OF ASIA BELONGS TO A GREAT REGIONAL MARKET, THE LARGEST MARKET IN THE WORLD -- WHERE GOODS, SERVICES, SKILLS, TECHNOLOGIES AND POLITICAL IDEAS ARE EXCHANGED THROUGH MULTIPLE LINKAGES AMONG PEOPLES, GOVERNMENTS AND INSTITUTIONS.

THIS WORLD OF REGIONAL CONSOLIDATION WILL LARGELY BE DRIVEN BY EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS DESIGNED TO EQUALIZE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESS, NOT ONLY IN THE REGIONAL COMMUNITY, BUT WITHIN THE NATIONS IN IT. IN OUR OWN LAND, WE MUST EQUALIZE THESE OPPORTUNITIES BY IMPROVING THE PRODUCTIVITY OF THE POOR, AND PURSUING THEIR POLITICAL AND SOCIAL EMPOWERMENT.

IN SUM, OUR VICTORY AGAINST POVERTY DEPENDS ON PRODUCTIVITY ENABLED BY EDUCATION. THE TASK BEGINS IN OUR SCHOOLS, OUR GOAL IS FOR EVERY FILIPINO TO FIND GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT.

WHEN I BECAME PRESIDENT LAST YEAR, THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE I INHERITED WAS 11.3 PERCENT. THIS IS NOW DOWN TO 10.3 PERCENT, BECAUSE OUR ECONOMY WAS ABLE TO CREATE AN ADDITIONAL 1.5 MILLION JOBS THIS PAST YEAR.

BUT WE NEED TO CREATE JOBS FOR 2.4 MILLION PEOPLE. AND THIS WE WILL ACHIEVE BY PURSUING MORE VIGOROUSLY THE EMPLOYMENT-PROMOTIONS STRATEGIES EMBODIED IN THE MEDIUM-TERM PHILIPPINE DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR 2001-2004.

THE MEDIUM-TERM PHILIPPINE DEVELOPMENT PLAN HAS FOUR COMPONENTS: FIRST, PROMOTING A PHILOSOPHY OF FREE ENTERPRISE APPROPRIATE TO THE 21st CENTURY. SECOND, AGRICULTURAL MODERNIZATION FOUNDED ON SOCIAL EQUITY. THIRD, A SOCIAL BIAS FOR THE POOR IN OUR DEVELOPMENT PLAN. AND FOURTH, IMPROVING MORAL STANDARDS IN GOVERNMENT AND IN SOCIETY.

BECAUSE LAST YEAR WE KNEW THE EXPORT MARKET WOULD COLLAPSE AS A RESULT OF THE GLOBAL SLOWDOWN, WE CONCENTRATED ON DEVELOPING NEW EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE DOMESTIC LABOR MARKET -- AND WE WERE SUCCESSFUL. FOR INSTANCE, IN AGRICULTURE, WE HAVE GIVEN OUR ADMINISTRATION THE GOAL OF CREATING ONE MILLION NEW JOBS BY 2004, AND WE HAVE ALMOST REACHED THIS ALREADY AND IT IS ONLY THE FIRST PART OF 2002.

10.3 PERCENT IS OUR NATIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT RATE NOW BUT IN REGION III, AS WE LEARNED IN THE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL MEETING JUST NOW, IS 11.3. THAT MEANS THAT REGION III'S UNEMPLOYMENT IS HIGHER THAN NATIONAL AVERAGE. HOWEVER, I AM QUITE SURE THIS IS NOT BECAUSE OF PAMPANGA BECAUSE PAMPANGA, TOGETHER WITH BULACAN, ARE TWO OF THE 10 PROVINCES IN THE COUNTRY WITH THE HIGHEST HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX. SO IT IS IN THE OTHER PARTS OF REGION III.

BUT ANGELES CITY, CLARK DEVELOPMENT AREA, THESE AREAS HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BRINGING ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR THE REST OF CENTRAL LUZON.

IF IT WERE NOT RAINING I WOULD GIVE YOU A LECTURE ON THE W CORRIDOR OF OUR MEDIUM-TERM PLAN FOR CENTRAL LUZON. BUT IT'S RAINING SO THAT'S A MESSAGE FROM THE LORD FOR ME NOT TO GIVE A LECTURE EVEN IF IT'S SO TEMPTING GIVEN AS I AM IN A UNIVERSITY COMPLEX AND I AM IN THIS FRONT OF THIS BUILDING WHICH IS THE LAST BUILDING INAUGURATED BY MY FATHER WHEN HE WAS STILL CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF ANGELES UNIVERSITY. SUFFICE IT TO SAY, HOWEVER, THAT MANNY ANGELES KNOWS THE DETAILS OF THOSE PLANS, AND AS PRESIDENT OF CLARK DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, THAT'S WHY HE HAS TAKEN A LEAVE FROM BEING PRESIDENT OF ANGELES UNIVERSITY, HE WILL TAKE CARE OF HELPING LEAD THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NOT ONLY OF ANGELES CITY AND MABALACAT WHERE CLARK BELONGS BUT ALSO THE WHOLE OF PAMPANGA AND THE WHOLE OF CENTRAL LUZON; AND I BELIEVE HE IS ONE OF ANGELES UNIVERSITY'S MOST IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ECONOMY OF OUR COUNTRY.

ONCE AGAIN, TO ALL OF US -- MY FATHER FROM HEAVEN IS REMINDING ME THAT'S WHY IT'S RAINING HARDER AGAIN -- TO ALL, FROM ALL OF US, HAPPY RUBY ANNIVERSARY AND CONGRATULATIONS, ANGELES UNIVERSITY.

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