Thank you, Secretary Drilon for your very lengthy introduction. I’d like to greet the president of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines, Mrs. Villasor, and all the other officials of the Girl Scouts Movement in the Philippines, the Girl Scouts executives and the Girl Scouts themselves, your excellencies of the diplomatic corps, of the judiciary, of Congress of the Philippines, the leaders of the banking community including the heads of our government financing institutions, fellow contributors. I take it that those that are not dressed in green are all contributors and I thank you in advance, ladies and gentlemen, supporters and admirers of the girls, the Girl Scouts of the Philippines.

For me, I would like to assure you that this is not a command performance where you might be thinking that the First Lady who is the Chief Girl Scout commanded me to be here. But it is a fact that I do represent myself and the First Lady since she is tied up in Tagaytay this afternoon in regard to the development planning for Tagaytay of which she is a major player since she represents all the NGOs that are involved in that planning body.

I would like to tell you that I was a little late coming in here because of the fact that I was busy negotiating with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office in regard for a sweepstakes draw for the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. But I insisted on including the girl scouts of the Philippines.

I have to remind them that in this administration, the girls must never be left behind. Because we have recognized their status as co-equals in our society and are giving the Filipino women a greater role than they now play. Greater, not greater than the men, but greater than their previous role as women in our society. And eventually, I was told by the national commission on the role of Filipino women that if I support them fully throughout my six years as president that at the end of my term in 1998, I shall be granted the role and status of honorary woman.

I hope that at the end of this campaign, because I know that this will be very successful under the stewardship of Secretary Frank Drilon, that you will accord him the position and the role of honorary girl.

But levity aside, I think your president has already made a point about the importance of girl scouting not only in the present situation and in our current context, but also in terms of the future of our country. The girls are here to stay, and since we cannot oppose them, you might as well join them.

There is one thing that we must focus on, and that our girls as well as the boys should really be trained for citizenship, for service and even for leadership in our society. We are now into the decade of Filipino nationalism which ends on the centennial of our Philippine independence in 1998.

Our revolutionary movement of almost a hundred years ago counted on women leaders who not only carried and sewed the flag which became our national flag, but themselves became warriors, propagandists, fund-raisers and scouts for the Filipino guerillas that fought the foreign colonizers. Both Americans as well as the Spaniards.

The Girl Scout Movement, therefore, now can be considered as the reincarnation of those heroes of old. And looking at them in a future context, likewise, the hopes that our country depend upon for a brighter future for our country and for our people.

Our young girls today, properly trained and developed in accordance with the tenets of girl scouting, constitute precious assets just like the boys which will enable our country to eventually emerge from its present status as a third world country into that of a developed nation.

We need capable leaders both men and women who can steer this country along the course of economic recovery and national unity and beyond. And with competent leaders, dedicated and patriotic, such as what we expect girl scouting and boy scouting to produce, our country should be able to recover its self-confidence and move on to greater heights which is the aspiration of all our people.

A donation to the Girl Scouts Movement, therefore, is an investment in our young people. So, let us help the Girl Scouts as much as we can. Not only through your moral and spiritual support but especially on this day your material and financial support. We will not take any substitutes on this day which is the launching of fund campaign.

To the heads of the government financing institutions, other government corporations as well as the institutions representing the private sector, let me reinforce the appeal contained in the proclamation authorizing this fund campaign which i signed in support of this guide.

I’m aware that government agencies are under instructions from me to practice austerity and cost-effectiveness. I also therefore declare that contributions to the girl scouts movement are automatically cost-effective and within the parameters of our austerity program.

I would like to add also that among the details that were worked with the chairperson of the PCSO in regard to a joint draw for deserving sectors that is intended to be scheduled sometime during the first or second quarter of 1993, that the Girl Scouts of the Philippines is definitely going to be a beneficiary. I think for the first time, because it was always the boys that were the beneficiaries. But this will be done in combination with other deserving sectors. And so the first cluster for 1993 will include the victims of the giant earthquake of July 1990 as well as the urban poor, the Smokey Mountain people, the Girl Scouts of the Philippines and the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. That’s the way we have scheduled our first two big draws for 1993. In other words, kasama kayo diyan.

But do not let your feelings of generosity this afternoon be curtailed by the fact that there is going to be a sweepstakes draw in which the girl scouts will share in 1993. I think because of this effort on the part of the PCSO, encouraged by your president, that this should lead you to double your contributions this afternoon to the Girl Scouts Movement.

I would like to congratulate Secretary Drilon for undertaking this very hazardous job. He and RR dela Cruz and myself and Mrs. Ramos have been into other fund campaigns of this nature. But I feel that this is among the most meritorious and the one that is among those that should really be supported to the limit of our capacity even if it hurts. And to support it not only in terms of what we can give, but to support it in terms of a program of our society that deserves to be enduring, sustained and totally successful.

So, Frank, congratulations in advance and to all of you, salamat po para sa inyong tulong.