Speech
of
His Excellency Fidel V. Ramos
President of the Philippines
On the enactment of the prescribed code of the national flag, anthem, motto, coat of arms and great seal of the Philippines and nine other reform bills
[Delivered at the Ceremonial Hall, Malacañang, Manila, February 12, 1998]
Giving our best
for our country
IN TODAY’S CEREMONIES, we firm up our commitment to social and economic reforms through ten new landmark laws as we enhance patriotic fervor and strengthen Filipino pride in our national symbols and the patrimony of the nation.
R.A. 8491 “prescribing the code of the national flag, anthem, motto, coat of arms and great seal of the Philippines” defines the appropriate style, means of display and handling of the symbols of our Republic and the manner by which everyone should comport oneself to show respect for our flag, our national anthem and the other symbols of our beloved country.
Among the provisions of which our people must always be aware are the appropriate way of standing at attention during flag-raising ceremonies—by putting the “right palm over the heart”; the correct tempo of our anthem as originally composed by Julian Felipe; the display of the flag in private homes; and the panunumpa sa watawat or the national motto.
This time-honored gesture of giving our highest respect to the flag and the national anthem must be instilled in the hearts and minds of our people not only within this centennial year of 1998 but in perpetuity. Again, I call on every Filipino to show the highest respect for our flag and anthem at all times and demonstrate to all other peoples our innate pride in belonging to the Filipino nation.
Showcase of our rich cultural heritage
Enhancing our sense of patrimony and national identity is another new law, R.A. 8492, establishing the National Museum, providing for its permanent home and for other purposes. The old Senate Building in Manila has been designated as the permanent site of the National Museum as the primary repository of the treasures and other artifacts that tell the story of the Filipino race. Other buildings nearby are being refurbished to provide more museum venues under this new law.
Now, Filipinos can proudly point to the exhibits and memorabilia that showcase our rich cultural heritage and manifest the heroic legacy of our forebears.
In R.A. 8494, which creates the Trade and Investment Development Corporation (TIDCORP) out of the Philippine Export and Foreign Loan Guarantee Corporation (PHILGUARANTEE), we establish another important agency to serve Philippine exporters.
The newly created TIDCORP enjoys expanded corporate powers that enable it to function as a full-service export credit agency, similar to the export-import bank of the United States. TIDCORP’s new functions will not require added funding or appropriation support from Government, because its predecessor, PHILGUARANTEE, was able to realize a net worth of P804 million as of 1995, and is therefore financially able, on its own, to fulfill this expanded mandate.
The approval of this law is timely in light of the supporting measures we must take to enhance our export activities. In these times of economic uncertainty in Asia, there is an understandable reluctance in the financial sector to provide credit to business enterprises. These are the times when Government intervention is necessary to reinforce our export activities, since we have chosen an export- and investment-led growth path.
This more capable corporation is mandated to provide a wide range of trade and investment financing services such as export and domestic credit insurance, guarantees for export credits and services, direct loans and other financial assistance. With this law, we hope to provide our exporters—be they small, medium or large—another alternative to solve their financing concerns.
Strengthening social reforms
A. Social justice
A new, important component of our Social Reform Agenda is R.A. 8493, which aims to speed up the period for trials of all criminal cases filed before the Sandiganbayan, the Regional Trial Courts, the Municipal Trial Courts and the Metropolitan Circuit Courts.
It has been said that “justice delayed is justice denied.” But our courts have been swamped by thousands of cases, each one of which takes years to resolve, given the pace of present-day court proceedings. We expect to substantially shorten the trial period of requiring an accused who pleads not guilty to enter either a negative or affirmative defense, after which the accused is granted 15 days to prepare for his defense.
In an affirmative defense, the order of trial is modified and the prosecution is relieved of the burden of proving the guilt of the accused, thereby shortening the trial process.
B. Human resource development
The practice of mechanical engineering in the country is upgraded by R.A. 8495, “an Act regulating the practice of mechanical engineering in the Philippines and providing for licensing and registration of the operating personnel in mechanical plants and for other purposes.”
This new law repeals Commonwealth Act 294 of 1938, and provides for an improved system for the licensing and regulation of mechanical engineers, including the establishment of a separate Board of Mechanical Engineering examiners to conduct board examinations.
We now take a major step toward making the Filipino mechanical engineer more globally competitive and better prepared to meet the technological challenges of the coming century.
A law that impacts greatly on the future development of the country’s science and technology is R.A. 8496, which establishes the Philippine Science High School system.
This law ensures that the most gifted in science and technology among our high school students will be given a learning environment to sharpen their talents in the Philippine Science High Schools in Metro Manila, Eastern Visayas, Western Visayas and Mindanao. With their intensive training, the graduates of these high schools are envisioned to be the country’s future leading lights in the pure and applied sciences, including the new technologies.
It has been the consistent policy of this Administration to strengthen its thrusts in science and technology, especially for our bright young people who will become our future scientists, engineers, researchers, mathematicians and technologists. In this respect, we have encouraged schools to upgrade their teaching methods and facilities in science, mathematics and technology at all levels of education.
Integrating the Philippine Science High Schools
This new law integrates the Philippine Science High Schools into a coordinative mechanism—to ensure that uniform high standards are observed and to encourage the sharing of expertise, resources and facilities among various campuses. The policymaking body of the Philippine Science High School system is boosted by this law, which allows the participation of sectoral representatives in its board of trustees. The result should be more relevant policies to meet the changing needs of industry and the labor market.
High-quality science education for competent high school students in Mandaluyong is the aim of R.A. 8497. In following our Constitution’s mandate to give priority to education, science and technology, Mandaluyong Science High School is being established, which is apart from the Philippine Science High School system but will also provide special science education to elementary graduates. We congratulate the people of Mandaluyong for this new center of excellence in secondary science education, and we hope that this new school will also apply the strict standards of our foremost science schools.
A new State university in Zambales
A new university will rise in the province of Zambales as provided by R.A. 8498. The Ramon Magsaysay State University has been established by merging the Ramon Magsaysay Polytechnic College in Iba, the Western Luzon Agricultural College in San Marcelino, and the Candelaria School of Fisheries in Candelaria, all in the province of Zambales.
This new State university is a concrete application of the famous lines of President Magsaysay: “Those who have less in life should have more in law,” and is expected to help enable the people of Zambales to recover sooner from the disastrous lahar flows of Mount Pinatubo. This university will also provide a modern bridge for Zambales to return to its growth momentum.
Under R.A. 8499, another province devastated by Mount Pinatubo also gets new opportunities for development through education. The Gonzalo Puyat School of Arts and Trades has been established in San Luis, Pampanga, to provide the people of San Luis and contiguous towns more affordable education and better income-generating skills.
It was the dream of the late Congressman Emigdio Bondoc, who sponsored this bill, to offer the youth in his district an alternative that will keep them away from dangerous or nonproductive activities and give them a sure means of earning a living.
Finally, we congratulate the people of Kidapawan, Cotabato, for being the residents of the country’s newest city. R.A. 8500 transforms Kidapawan town into a city in recognition of its fast pace of growth. Once again, we have another proof of sustained countryside growth in Central Mindanao, exemplified by Kidapawan City, the 80th city of the Philippines. Along with our best wishes for Kidapawan are our hopes that with cityhood and improved delivery of services, this new city will help spur peace and development in Mindanao.
Architecture of reform
Social and economic reforms have been the priority of this Administration. I thank both houses of Congress for also making these their priority, as evidenced by these ten new laws signed today.
With only two more days left for its special session and a number of vital socioeconomic measures still awaiting approval, I know that the members of Congress have a great load on their shoulders. It is a burden, however, that we must gladly bear in the service of our nation, and I thank you all for cooperating with the executive branch in faithfully working for the passage of the remaining bills that will complete our architecture of reform.