Official Gazette for April 21, 1972: PRESIDENT MARCOS had two speaking engagements, one in Laguna and another in Quezon City.
At about mid-morning, the President flew to Los Baños, to address the 10th anniversary of the start of research work at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
In his speech, the President said that the discovery of the “miracle rice” by the International Rice Research Institute has given new hope to the hungry and malnourished multitudes in Asia and elsewhere.
The President, however, stressed that “the fight against higher prices and periodic shortages has by no means ended in spite of the dramatic gains that have been made in the 10 years since IRRI “began its work.” He cited the experience of the country in the production of high-yielding varieties of rice.
The Chief Executive stressed that the Philippine experience—affirming that the “rice revolution” is a continuing struggle both of production and marketing—could be instructive for all Asian countries facing the same problems and challenges.
The President emphasized that these very difficult issues could be settled if approached in the proper spirit. He said that the example of the IRRI, “an international undertaking where people from many countries have gathered to meet a common problem,” sets the tone. He said that it is the spirit of cooperation that will in the end, bring comfort as well as solutions to the grave problems of the world.
The President paid special tribute to the men who guided the IRRI since its founding, namely: Dr. J. George Harrar, president of the Rockefeller Foundation; Dr. Robert Chandler, president of the IRRI; and Dr. Forrest Hill, chairman of the IRRI board of trustees.
He also expressed the hope that the next decade of the IRRI “will be as exciting, as fulfilling, as rewarding, and as successful” as IRRI’s first 10 years.
From Los Baños, the President helicoptered at 11:00 a.m. to the SSS building in Quezon City, where he was guest speaker of the Fifth Labor-Management Congress.
Addressing some 500 delegates representing labor and management as well as the government sector, the President urged the delegates to work out a realistic proposal and guidelines for enhancing industrial peace.
He also pointed to the great challenges facing the nation, which entail a response from labor and management as well as the government.
The President emphasized that the “thrust of our social effort is not merely towards bread but towards bread with justice and freedom.”
The Chief Executive enjoined the congress to “come to terms with the social and economic realities of our times so that, together, labor and management may voice their aspirations and demands about the kind of society that is most responsive to their welfare.”
“You are called here not in the role of economic combatants but as statesmen of labor and management impelled by common goodwill to find solutions to problems and achieve a broad era of agreement on some nagging and stubborn issues of our times.”
The President gave the congress some pointers in discussing the ways to insure free trade unionism and collective bargaining, as follows:
1) Management, in many medium and small sized industries, continues to resist unions and find every available means of blocking them.
2) Inter-union rivalry is not conducive to industrial peace as may be seen from the fact that 47 percent of all strikes in 1970 were caused by inter-union rivalry.
3) The conciliation and mediation arm of the Department of Labor lacks funds and facilities and, therefore, Congress should appropriate more funds to maintain this agency.
“But a more lasting victory has yet to be won since the first two factors create a climate inimical to industrial peace while the third represents the inability of government to expand facilities enough to meet the demands of industrial conflict,” the President warned.
The President was back in Malacañang early in the afternoon.
The rest of his working hours were spent on paper work.
After the dinner Friday
for the IRRI people
and Señorita La Martinez-Bordiu
Helicoptered to IRRI [International Rice Research Institute] for the 10[th] Anniversary at 9:00 to arrive 9:30 AM. I spoke of the paradox of man, uniting to grow food while attempting to liquidate each other. I ended with the hope that where the politicians, the statesmen and world leaders have failed, they may succeed—to unify man into one human family.
Then helicoptered to the Q.C. [Quezon City] circle at 10:30 AM after the speech of Dr. Robert Chandler arriving at 11:00 AM at the SSS [Social Security System] building to speak up to 12:00 before the Labor-Management Congress.
Back to the Palace and the inauguration of the Population Foundation Center at 4:30 PM where lmelda and I delivered a speech.
Back at 6:20 PM. And dinner at 8:00 PM after I had asked Imelda to rest for about an hour.
We have Mariola (Señorita Maria de La [sic] [del Carmen] Martinez-Bordiu, grand daughter of Generalissimo [Francisco] Franco) on board but Imelda had to be brought to bed as she was beginning to feel a heaviness of the abdomen and she is POSITIVE for pregnancy with the Gravindex test. She took an anti-spasmodic pill—a Spastrine during dinner. And she has just been given a Progesterone injection.
We go to Talaga for some water-skiing.