Journal. [1958]

The Business View
A monthly review of facts, trends, forecasts, by Manila businessmen

The Government
From Official Sources
EPTEMBER 1 - President and Mrs. Carlos P. Garcia are hosts at
breakfast to John D. Rockfeller and his daughter Sandra who both
came to the Philippines to attend the first presentations of the Magsaysay Awards; present also are Ambassador Charles E. Bohlen, former
Secretary of Justice Pedro Tuason, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Magsaysay Foundation, and other members of the
Foundation. After the breakfast the President receives three recipients
of the award who pay him a courtesy call,-Dr. Chan Mon-lin, Dr.
Mary Putnam, and Oscar Arellano.
The President reconstitutes the National Security Council, reducing the number of Cabinet members from 11 to 7, increasing the Congressional members from 6 to 10, and adding three "past Presidents",Messrs. Osmefia, Aguinaldo, and Laurel.
The President issues Executive Order No. 315 prescribing the rules
of procedure of the Reparations Commission created under R. A. No.
1789.
The President, after a conference with Ilocos Sur Governor Pedro
Singson Reyes, directs Constabulary Chief Brig. Gen. Pelagio Cruz to
transfer all Constabulary troops now stationed in Ilocos Sur elsewhere
and to dispatch fresh troops to ease the tension created in the province
by the killing of Vigan Mayor Lorenzo Formosa; he also approves the
Governor's recommendation that the efforts in the collection of unlicensed fire-arms be increased.
In the evening, the President receives Sergio Ortiz Luis, Acting
General Manager of the People's Homesite and Housing Corporation
who requests his assistance in securing the release of the balance of a
loan of P15,000,000 from the Government Service Insurance System;
he is accompanied by Emmanuel Clave and Manuel Leelin, directors
of the PHHC.
The President also receives A. D. Calhoun, Vice-President of the
First National Bank of New York, accompanied by Richard M. Henry,
Manager of the Philippine branch; Calhoun is on his way to a conference
of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in New Delhi.
Sept. 2 - President Garcia confers with Otto Koenigsberger and
Charles Abrams, United Nations housing experts, who urge the adoption
of a realistic housing program and the acquisition of land of low costs
in the suburban areas which could be re-sold at no more than 50 centavos a square meter.
The President orders all government relief agencies to extend immediate assistance to the victims of a P5,000,000 fire in Catubig, Samar,
which rendered some 3,000 people homeless.
Malacafiang announces the appointments of Antonio Yacapin as
Acting Director of the Bureau of Records and Management under the
Department of General Services; of Gabriel Daza and Cesar Sevilla as
members of the Board of Directors of the National Power Corporation;
and of Toribio Peralta as Acting Governor of Ilocos Norte, vice Antonio
Raquiza who ran for Congress in the last election.
Sept. 3-President Garcia, at ceremonies in Malacafang,
receives the credentials fItian Ambassador Alberto de Clementi.._ _ the appointment of Dr. Emeterio Roa as
Commissioner and Acting Administrator of the Social Security System,
succeeding Capt. Rodolfo P. Andal who asked to be relieved of his
duties with the SSS so that he could devote his full time to the GSIS.
Sept. 5 -- President Garcia inducts Dr. Roa into office.
The President receives Chairman Rodolfo Maslog and Commissioners Juan Alberto and Alejo Santos of the Reparations Commission
who discuss with him the Marikina River multi-purpose project and
the expansion of the facilities of the Government Telephone System.
He also receives Chairman Paulino Garcia and other members of the
National Science Development Board and the Philippine Atomic Energy
Commission who request the early release of P1,400,000 needed for the
initial operations of the two bodies.
The President, acting on the protests of the Tenants Association
of the Sapang Palay Estate, in Bulacan, states he will order a re-examination of the controversial purchase of the 752-hectare estate by the
PHHC which the tenants say is fit for agricultural purposes but not
for homesites; they had previously petitioned the Land Tenure Administration to buy the estate for subdivision and re-sale to them.

The President signs the appointment papers of Juan Locsin, Braulio Alfaro, Dr. Genaro Bomediano, and Jose Mercado as members of
the Board of Administrators of the Philippine Coconut Corporation,
and of Arturo Miranda, Jr. and Arcadio Matela as members of the Board
of Directors of the Agricultural Credit and Cooperative Administration; also of Atty. Maximo Calalang as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Rice and Corn Corporation.
Officials of the ACCFA complain to officials of the Presidential
Committee on Administrative Performance Efficiency (PCAPE) that
they are unable to expand ACCFA services to more farmers because
of their "limited" loaning fund of P100,000,000 a year and they suggest
that an additional P100,000,000 be made available during the next 5
years as previously requested; they state there are now 465 "Facomas"
with a total membership of 282,000 farmers in 625 towns, 11,714 barrios,
in 51 provinces.
Sept. 6 - President Garcia receives Governor Leon Fernandez,
of Sulu, who states that the ban on the use of vessels over 30 tons in
trading with Borneo is affecting many persons and may force them to
resort to desperate measures to feed their families; the President directs
Secretary of Defense Jesus Vargas to lift the ban unless there are strong
reasons to continue it; he also directs the Secretary to provide better
arms to the Sulu police forces as the lawless elements there are better
armed than they'and lawlessness is increasing.
Sept. 7- President Garcia, aboard the Santa Maria in the Bay,
and before proceeding to Cebu to join in the 80th birthday anniversary
celebration of former President Osmefia, receives Budget Commissioner
Dominador Aytona and Chairman Eduardo Z. Romualdez of the Development Bank (formerly the Rehabilitation Finance Corporation) who
arrived today from the United States where they have been working
with Governor Miguel Cuaderno of the Central Bank in negotiating
loans for the Philippine Government from banks and other private
sources.
Sept. 8 - Justice Buenaventura Ocampo, Chairman of the PCAPE,
recommends that the ACCFA exercise stricter supervision over the
classification of government tobacco purchases following inspection
of some 23,458 hogheads of low grade tobacco, classified as superior
by ACCFA purchasers in the bodega of the Philippine Tobacco FlueCuring Company.
Sept. 9 - Executive Secretary Juan C. Pajo administers the oath
of office to Vice-Mayor Sofronio D. Veloso, of San Juan, Rizal, as a
member of the Board of Directors of the Cebu Portland Cement Company.
Sept. 9 -- Justice Ocampo of the PCAPE announces that a special
committee will shortly be formed to study and evaluate the performance
of the PHHC the land purclasts of which have recently been subject
to extensive criticism.
Sept. 10 -Philippine Constabulary Headquarters Building in
Camp Crame is completely destroyed by a fire which was started by an
explosion in the Criminal Laboratory Branch in the basement; losses,
estimated at P2,000,000, include irreplaceable records though many
were reported saved; the building alone cost P600,000; six persons
were injured.
Sept. 12- President Garcia receives visiting U. S. Secretary of
the Army Wilber M. Brucker, accompanied by Ambassador Charles
E. Bohlen and a number of high American army officers.
The President receives Central Bank Governor Miguel Cuaderno
who reports to him on the status of the negotiations for various development loans; others present are Budget Commissioner Dominador
Aytona, Secretary of Finance Jaime Hernandez, and Chairman Eduardo
Z. Romualdez of the Development Bank of the Philippines.
Malacafiang releases the following statement of President Garcia
on President Eisenhower's speech:
"The speech of President Eisenhower is a frank, highly courageous, and realistic
appraisal of the Formosa situation in its implications to South-east Asia. He sets
forth once again, in clear and unmistakable terms, the position of the United States
on this raging controversy, and gives reassurance of his country's readiness to stand
by her commitments to her allies and friends on the Free World. It reasserts the
determination of the great American people to maintain a lasting and just and
honorable peace even at the risk of war. I warmly welcome the readiness of President
Eisenhower to seek for the resolution of the conflict at the conference table rather
than in the battlefield. This is very heartening, indeed, to all peace- and freedomloving peoples of the world."
Sept. 13 - President Garcia receives Lt. Gen. Alfonso Arellano,
Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, who leaves tomorrow for Bangkok to attend the 9th SEATO Military Advisers
meeting; Secretary of Defense Jesus Vargas is also present.

C, OMPETITION surely induces better efforts and greater production. But to compete in ways that are
designed to destroy someone else is very different from competing in terms of doing better than your
rival...When two companies are each trying to produce superior value, one may well be more successful
than the other, and deservedly earn greater profits. But to seek a crippling advantage over another company
is barely fair ccmretiticn and is certainly miserable ethics."- Dr. Lcuis Finkelstein, in the September,
1958, Fortune.

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THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL
October, 1958