| PGMA's Speech during the 48th Charter Anniversary Symposium of the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP) |
Grand Ballroom, Century Park Hotel Malate, Manila (20 October 2005) |
| Thank you. Thank you, Secretary Teves. General Hotchkiss, congratulations! On this convention. And I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate you personally for your successful transformation from a successful military officer to a successful banker. Congratulations! Other officers and members of the Rural Bankers association of the Philippines, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Actually, I was in Camiguin yesterday and I'm suppose to go to Leyte today. I should have just slept in Camiguin and gone to Leyte but it was very important when I received the invitation of General Hotchkiss that I should be here with you today. And so I'm very happy to be here with you. Why not only because I wanted the opportunity to give moral support to General Hotchkiss and all the things that he has to do especially now that I find out that your articles of incorporation will expire in two years but also because you, the Rural Bankers are at the forefront of turning this nation around. You, the Rural Bankers are in touch with real people with real problems. You, the Rural Bankers provide the necessary resources to help our rural citizens grow and prosper. The backbone of our nation is the farmer. The farmer who toils in the field and in the community everyday, fighting to bring a good and decent life for themselves and their families. And you serve that farmer. I have said, especially in my State of the Nation Address, that I want to bring more power to the people. And that's why you are important. Nothing could be more central to our economic and political life than to empower the people to be more self-sufficient, more prosperous, more involved in civic life. And you enable them to be that. The Rural Bankers in this room are working tirelessly to make life easier, more productive, more full of hope for millions of rural Filipinos. These rural Filipinos rely on you and your partnership with government to provide the economic tools they need to grow their crops as well as grow their incomes. As an economist, I firmly believe in our joint micro-lending programs and the power it brings to the people. Our new revenue measures -- and I congratulate Gary Teves for all his work to now be able to implement these revenue measures -- they will entail some sacrifice in the short run but they will entail lasting rewards in the form of more jobs and livelihood opportunities, better social services, more infrastructure, less debt, and more and better financing for rural programs. This bigger budget enabled by the new revenues, it will give us a hundred twenty billion pesos next year, right Gary? Eighty two at first but eventually a hundred twenty. And what does that mean? That is an unprecedented increase in a generation's time. This will benefit the people in this room and it will benefit the millions of farmers you help every single day. Unfortunately, the politics of destruction and destabilization keeps getting in the way of that progress we should be looking forward to. Having survived the elements of destabilization wave after wave, it's our mission now, the duty of this generation of leaders, and bankers, and entrepreneurs, and their financiers to build finally a strong Philippine republic in the 21st century. A strong republic, a republic so strong that it can defend the poorest, the weakest of Filipinos. Time and again I have said that my vision and common sense and plain talk in my State of the Nation Address in 2002 is made up of the common man's aspirations -- edukasyon. Sariling tahanan. Pagkain sa bawat mesa. We cannot tarry any longer in pursuing that aspiration of the common man by staying as a soft state. The first half of the first decade of this century has seen the winds of globalization grow stronger each day. The ship of the Philippine state must be robust and resilient enough to unfurl its sails to ride those winds rather than toppling under their force. A strong republic that will make the Philippines a first world country in 20 years with a permanent environment conducive to sustained wealth creation -- that is our dream and we must set the foundations today. An effective state must help its poor and weakest citizens, empower them and reform the structures that make them poor and weak. And as you review your charter, it is also time for the Philippines to review its national charter. And most of all, an effective government rests on enforcing justice without fear or favor for all, not just the powerful. This is the only way to create a permanent environment, as I said, for wealth creation for all generations. Only a strong republic can drive a vigorous free-enterprise economy in which you thrive, where Filipinos full talents are unleashed. A state that cowers in fear before the mob cannot stand for long. You, the Rural Bankers and the men and women in agriculture whom you serve are the untold success story of our nation. But to continue and grow your success you need an environment of peace and order. You need an environment of stability. You get up every day, you work hard everyday, you play by the rules everyday. We owe you our deepest gratitude for your hard work in behalf of the nation. I said in my State of the Nation Address that our country is so divided it's like there are two Philippines. There is a Philippines that works and that is the economy on the verge of take off. And you the rural bankers who serve the farmers and who finance the countryside are part of that Philippines that works. But your success will be dragged down if we allow the other Philippines to continue not to work. And so it is in behalf of the grateful nation that I will work. In behalf of the grateful nation to you, grateful to you that we must work to strengthen that other part that we call the Philippines as well. And it is in behalf of the grateful nation that as we work to strengthen our republic, today, I salute you for putting the people first and the nation above all else. May you be successful in carrying out the agenda that you have set for your convention for the future of rural banking as we also work on the future of an environment in which you will thrive. Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat. |