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.

260 INDEPENDENCE CONGRESS PROCEEDINGS
Passing now to other works of maritime type also, exclusively at the cost of the federal government as the arsenals,
naval stations, and ship-repairing plants, we see that up to June
30, 1929, there has been spent for them the sum total of
P4,186,229,170.06.
These data have been gathered in order to give us an idea *
of the enormity of the sums which in the United States, not
to cite any other advanced country on earth, the government
invests in improvements for the promotion of commerce, the
general interest of the nation, sums which are concentrated in
fixed localities only, without hearing any protest from sections
not improved.
In the same way, we have in our country certain strategic
points which should preferably be improved for the interest
of commerce and for general convenience. For the same reason,
if the government undertakes such improvement voting for it
a great amount from the Insular Treasury, the other sections
of the country should not feel that their projects have been
postponed neither should they see in it motives for resentment.
If the national interest calls for the construction of a great
insular highway from the northern Luzon through Manila to
the Bicol provinces, the other provinces not found on the way
should not complain. On the other hand if the government
undertakes, for instance, the dredging of a port in Samar or
Leyte, the construction of gangplank in Misamis or any other
point in southern Mindanao, or the enlarging of facilities for
navigation in Cebu, let not the other provinces see in these
works nothing that will indicate a desire to favor certain
specified sections of the archipelago.
I wish to emphasize once more that in adopting a general
plan in the way shown, the Department of Commerce and
Communications would separate-completely the considerations
over advantages of local importance in order to see only those
of collective interest, placing itself in an elevated plane from
which it can scrutinize the problem in its entirety with a serene
criterion and an ample and comprehensive vision.