Proceedings of the first Independence congress : held in the city of Manila, Philippine islands, February 22-26, 1930 / Published under the direction of Dean maximo M. Kalaw, executive secretary, University of the Philippines.

ECONOMIC SECTION

75

Judging from the statements made by our Speaker on his
return from his former trip to the United States where he went
to defend us against the threat of the limitation of our exports
to that country, the granting of independence will not be accompanied by an abrupt and immediate closing of the doors of the
American market by means of the imposition of the maximum
tariff rates on our products, considering us in this respect ipso
facto foreigners. Prominent Congressmen who favor the
granting of immediate political independence have stated that
we shall be given a reasonable period of time within which
we may readjust our economic and commercial conditions to
the circumstances arising from the new political status, in such
a way that the transition will be effected with the least possible upheavals and disturbances.
The obvious and logical norm of conduct which should be
adopted for such transition will consist of the imposition of
customs duties on our exports to the United States with rebates
gradually regressive until they reach the maximum tariff rates
upon the expiration of the period of time given for readjustment. On the other hand and in justice to the elementary
principles of equity, we shall be granted tariff autonomy giving
us the opportunity to extend similar treatment to American
products imported into our country, or in other words, the
imposition on the said merchandise of our own tariff with
rebates equally regressive in the same correlation as to amount
and time, so that the application of their maximum tariff
rates upon our products may coincide with the application of
ours to theirs, should we so elect. For instance, supposing that
the period of transition were five years: the first year we would
apply our tariff to American importations, with a rebate of
80 per cent, the second, with 60 per cent, the third, with 40
per cent, the fourth, with 20 per cent, and the fifth, with the
maximum rate.
The tariff which governs in our country for imports purely
foreign is a tariff established by the Congress of the United
States, with slight modifications introduced by our Legislature
which were approved by the highest representative of the American nation. It was established having in mind its effects on