INTRODUCTION
Our history as a nation and as a people has been one of persistent struggle for freedom, justice and prosperity. Whether in peace or in war, we Filipinos have proven our unity in crisis and our come-back qualities in adversity.

And, we have been able, through consensus, to develop a shared vision and chart a pole-vaulting momentum towards our common goals.

It is through the same process that this national development summit has drawn the broad strokes of a national policy agenda for the 21st century.

I thank and congratulate all of you for having gone through this important exercise. Despite differences in personal opinion, community interest or political persuasion, we have proven that we can all come together and do the groundwork needed to move forward effectively.

This summit is truly a break from tradition. Never before in our country’s history has any gathering of the sectors represented here looked so far ahead as we have done in charting the course of our nation’s economy.
DOING THINGS RIGHT
The discussions here and in the regional and sectoral consultations generated ample assurance that we can turn into a capable world economic player, given the proper directions and objectives.

From here on, let us do things right.

I share your collective sentiment that we have to be certain of the requisites of pole-vaulting based on a pragmatic assessment of how high we can vault now and how high we would like to set our future goals.

Let us aspire but act responsibly. This is the only way we can pole-vault with confidence.

The most significant achievement of this summit is that we have squarely faced and allayed fears that our pole-vaulting programs are just “pies in the sky,” or that this summit has been organized for just brainstorming or for some political purpose.

Indeed, we are providing a logical and do-able framework that will guide succeeding administrations.

To pursue and push our initiatives, therefore, I hereby direct the different Offices of Primary Responsibilities (OPRS) to submit a draft action plan for their respective sectors, taking into account the concerns raised in the regional and sectoral consultations last month and in this summit.

Such initial action plans should be submitted to me not later than July 9, 1997.
HONING OUR YOUTH IN SMT; INCREASING SAVINGS
Our generation of leaders themselves may not be able to enjoy the benefits of the pole-vaulting programs that we have formulated for those after us. Nevertheless, they, in turn, will have the larger task of undertaking the rigorous training, testing and competition required before Filipinos can become consistent scorers in the global arena.

We have to start enculturing our youth now, especially in their work ethic and their skills in science, mathematics and technology (SMT). These are the areas where we are currently lagging behind our Asian neighbors.

In this connection, the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) is directed to submit to me by August 31, 1997, a program towards fast-tracking the establishment of science high schools in every province and large city, and a plan of action to upgrade the quality of the SMT curriculum and the teaching thereof at the basic education level.

Your discussions point to an important requisite of the “must-do” programs — research and development (R&D).

I hereby direct the OPRs to include in their agenda a plan of action for R&D for their constituencies. These shall form the inputs to the preparation of the national agenda for research and development which I have instructed the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to coordinate, integrate and rationalize.

This national agenda shall likewise form the core of the R&D chapters of the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan for 1998-2004, and the long-term plan which covers the entire period from now up to the year 2020.

The proposal that we ourselves must finance our pole-vaulting strategy — without resorting to excessive reliance on foreign funding — finds near unanimous approbation among us. We have to face squarely the gargantuan task of matching the savings rates of our ASEAN neighbors which range from 30 to 35 percent of their gross national product (GNP).

And, apart from the youth, we have to prepare also our families, which are our basic savings units (BSUs), for greater involvement in our pole-vaulting strategy by enabling them to have greater access to financial resources. Let us help our BSUs, especially those in the rural areas, in shifting their preference from the traditional form of savings, such as the stocks of palay and corn in their bodegas, into high interest-earning financial assets.

In this regard, I urge the national savings commission to come up not later than August 15, 1997 with a package of policy proposals that will boost substantially our savings rate.
PRIORITY POLICY AGENDA
In response to the recommendations in the sectoral and regional consultations, I expect the Department of Finance (DOF) to follow through with the unfinished tax reforms for congress to enact in its next session.

In the area of governance, I reiterate an earlier directive to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to follow up proposed amendments to the government auditing code, in close coordination with the commission on audit (COA), as well as the administration’s proposed re-engineering bill to right-size the bureaucracy.

Consistent with our policy of removing protectionist policies that created inefficiencies in our market system in the past, let us agree to limit the grant of special incentives to just three categories, namely: export-oriented activities, catalytic industries, or those with export potential, and industries undergoing industrial adjustment.

On the other hand, I task the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the tariff commission to closely coordinate with Congress in reviewing the proposed bills which provide safety nets against unfair competition.

The pole-vaulting programs for medical and health services must not, in any way, diminish, much less crowd out, the government’s basic health programs. The effective implementation of the national health insurance program, especially in ensuring cross-subsidization to vulnerable groups must be undertaken.

There are suggestions that the leaders of the judicial branch of government should be involved in at least the development planning process to guarantee their awareness of our economic and social development directions without sacrificing their constitutional autonomy.

In this connection, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is directed to review the available or permissible mechanisms to make this happen.
SUMMING UP: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Together, we have given a large part of our minds and energies in grappling with the problems and challenges of the future. Together, we will win that more bountiful future to which all Filipinos aspire.

Underlying all these strategies is the principle of sustainable development of which, in recent years, the Philippines has come to be recognized as a leading advocate and performer in the world. Our Panata or “Pledge of Allegiance to the Republic” says it all so simply, yet so clearly: that we as a nation truly become “Maka-Diyos, maka-kalikasan, maka-tao, at maka-bansa.”

And so, dear countrymen and countrywomen, as we conclude this summit, let me, as your president, express once more my profound gratitude to all who have taken part in it and, equally, to all who remain steadfast in the belief that the Filipino can be a world-class achiever.

Maraming salamat at mabuhay tayong lahat!