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.

'88 INDEPENDENCE CONGRESS PROCEEDINGS

important than this is the fact that this free trade has to stop
the moment we secure our promised independence.
We know, therefore, that this tariff arrangement is only
temporary, and when it is stopped, the main pillar of our eco-.
nomic structure will be taken away. The structure must then
topple down. We have erected and are still erecting it high
upon this uncertain foundation. The free trade has nurtured
the growth of industries here which could not have become
what they are today 'Without it. Our sugar industry, as we
all know, has had its tremendous growth during the last
twenty years mainly because of the pampering and coddling it
has received in the American market under the free trade. Not
compelled to compete on equal footing with similar industries
in Cuba and Java, our sugar industry has not reared itself as
strongly as it should have, and as a result, it is now dependent
almost wholly for its existence in its present state upon the
continuance of the free trade.
We do not want of course to develop more industries in this
way. We should not keep on building the economic life of
our country upon such an unsound foundation. We need to
develop here industries that will successfully withstand free
and open competition in the international markets. The Philippines must sell the bulk of its production abroad, and keen
international competition is a factor that must be reckoned
with in the development of our industries. No sound and
permanent foundation for our economic growth as a nation
can be laid unless our export industries can compete successfully in the markets of the world.
The present free trade is a serious obstacle to Philippine independence. It has tightened and is tightening the commercial
ties that bind us with the United States, and the longer we
keep on with it the more economically dependent upon the
ruling nation we shall become, and the more difficult will be
to sever our political relations with her.
We must, therefore, work at once for the abolition of the
free trade. But in order to make this necessary change in our
tariff system less disturbing to our economic situation and to
mitigate to some extent the economic shock that it would cause