Official Gazette for June 8, 1973: THE PRESIDENT said the country’s development efforts are geared toward evolving a balanced agro-industrial economic system wherein each citizen must harness his full productive potentials for national welfare. In a speech keynoting the opening of the trisectoral symposium on the “Dynamics of Development”, sponsored by the Department of Public Information, at Malacañang’s Maharlika Hall, the Chief Executive equated national development to a social system where agriculture and industries share the primary task of shaping the nation’s economic well-being. The President, however, emphasized that development could only be effected where there is stability and security, especially for developing countries like the Philippines. Under an era of stability, each man, woman and child must harness his or her own productive capacities for this is the New Filipino’s role in the New Society, the President stresses.
THE GOVERNMENT’S localized socio-economic projects will be further bolstered when local governments receive their internal revenue allotments for fiscal year 1973-74. According to Secretary of Finance Cesar E.A. Virata, the provinces, cities and municipalities will start receiving their monthly BIR allotments through the Treasury field cashiers without any deficiency regardless of whether or not there will be sufficient collections in their respective provinces to cover fully said allotments. Pre-determined allotments for the incoming fiscal year amounted to P482,911,314.72. Aside from this the President has announced the release of P120,752,828.68 as financial aid to local governments for projects pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 144. The decree enjoins the local governments to appropriate in their general fund budget not less than 20 per cent of the annual allotment for development projects.
THE PRESIDENT extended anew the deadline for the filing of amnesty applications and ordered that all proceedings before military tribunals and civil courts against amnesty applicants be held in abeyance pending his final action on their applications. The President signed Presidential Decree No. 206, extending to July 15, 1973, the deadline for the filing of amnesty applications. It was the third time the Chief Executive extended the deadline for amnesty applicants. The original deadline was on February 28, 1973, but this was extended to March 15, 1973.
BOARD OF COMMUNICATIONS issued a five-point policy intended to integrate the Philippines’ telecommunications facilities and systems. Gen. Ceferino S. Carreon, BOC chairman, said the five-point policy is expected to hasten the development of the National Telecommunications Network. The five-point policy follows: 1) Domestic common carrier service (telephone and telegraph) should be made 100 per cent or wholly Filipino-owned corporations. 2) Telegraph and telephone firms should voluntarily enter into merger, consolidation or amalgamation in order to prevent wasteful duplication of service and unnecessary competition. 3) Plans for expansion of facilities and services by domestic common carrier firms should be referred to the Board for approval. 4) Telephone and telegraph companies are encouraged to go into voluntary interconnection (common use) of facilities. 5) Any proposed interconnecting agreement between a domestic common carrier and an international common carrier should secure prior approval of the BOC before its finalization.
THE GOVERNMENT’S program to rehabilitate and develop Mindanao has already gained ground in the fields of electrification, irrigation, road building and other infrastructure projects. This was the gist of a departmental-military briefing given to a high level delegation of Muslim diplomats in Malacañang. The Muslim resident envoys in the country were particularly apprised of ongoing rehabilitation and development projects in predominantly-Muslim areas in Mindanao and Sulu inasmuch as they had been earlier assured that the peace and order condition in the areas had already stabilized. The briefing will enable the envoys to draw measures their states could initiate to contribute in the Government’s rehabilitation efforts.
LESSORS of personal properties, not the lessees, should pay the three per cent contractor’s tax imposed by the National Internal Revenue Code. Secretary of Justice Vicente Abad Santos issued this opinion in reply to a query of the Director of the Bureau of Census and Statistics. The secretary stressed that the law explicitly declares that the tax is imposed on the lessors of personal properties and not on the lessees or any other persons. He added that the taxes imposed in Sec. 191 of the Tax Code are denominated contractor’s tax imposed on so-called independent contractors whose activities consist essentially of the sale of all kinds of services for a fee.
BUREAU of Plant Industry reported that crop exports of the country have been steadily rising during the last few years. During the first months of this year alone, some 8,819,169 kilos of mangoes, ginger, coffee beans, onions and melons worth $850,346 have been exported to Hongkong, Singapore, the United States and other countries. Crop
This morning was a busy day. Two presentation of credentials as ambassadors. Keynote speech before the Symposium of Development. And two interviews.
I attach the speech.
I worked farther on Tourism, the plans for Independence Day.
exports in the first four months of this year were broken down as follows: fresh mangoes, 6,366,422 kilos worth $545,031; ginger, 235,889 kilos worth $127,445; coffee beans, 1,129,538 kilos worth $166,066; onions, 51,000 kilos worth $9,240; and melons, 36,320 kilos worth $2,564.
DEPARTMENT of Trade has initiated a trade promotion which will systematize and categorize exportable Philippine products, whose trade potentials could be generated and expanded in the foreign market. Secretary of Trade Troadio T. Quiazon, Jr. said the move is in line with the intensive foreign trade promotion drive of the New Society not only in the traditional markets of Philippine products but in new international outlets, including the socialist and communist countries. The trade secretary announced the trade promotion activity in letters to manufacturing firms producing various products having great potentials for export like rattan and other wooden furniture, food items, textiles and shoes.
THE GOVERNMENT chalked up P176.1 million in customs collections last May. The May collections were P62.2 million higher (or 54.56 per cent more) than the collections for May last year which totalled only P113.9 million. Collections for the last two days of May, 1973 showed a remarkable vigor: P7.6 million was collected on May 30 while P9.7 million was collected on May 31. For the first half of fiscal year 1972-73 the gross general fund collection of the customs bureau amounted to P914,523,457, exceeding that of the same period during the previous fiscal year by P78,435,676, or 9.38 per cent. Customs Commissioner Rolando Geotina attributed the increase in customs collections to the imposition of Martial Law which maximize standards of efficiency and the renewed spirit of dedication and honesty in customs personnel.”