PRESIDENT BENIGNO S. AQUINO III’s SPEECH
DURING THE FFCCCII AND THE FILIPINO-CHINESE COMMUNITY
JOINT CELEBRATION OF THE 117th PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE DAY
Reception Hall, Philippine International Convention Center (PICC)
CCP complex, Pasay City
June 08, 2015
06082015B
(applause) Marami pong salamat. Maupo ho tayong lahat.
Senate President Franklin Drilon; Excellencies of the Diplomatic Corps: His
Excellency Bill Tweddell, His Excellency Phillip Goldberg; Secretary Mar Roxas;
Secretary Greg Domingo; Secretary Ronald Llamas; Congresswoman Naida
Angping; Mr. Angel Ngu; the FFCCCII Honorary President, Dr. Alfonso Siy; Mr.
Jimmy Tang; Dr. Robin Siy; Dr. John Tan; Dr. Alfonso Uy; Mr. Tan Ching; Dr.
Henry Lim Bon Liong; officers and member of the Federation of FilipinoChinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc.; fellow workers in
government; honoured guests; ladies and gentlemen: Good evening.
Tonight, we gather as friends in order to anticipate the 117th Anniversary of the
Proclamation of Philippine Independence this Friday; and to celebrate the
longstanding friendship between the Filipino and Chinese peoples, as well as
the contributions of Chinese-Filipinos to our national development.
These occasions hold significant meaning for all of us, perhaps best illustrated
in the image you see before you. This picture was taken in 1899 in Yokohama,
Japan. The man seated is Dr. Sun Yat Sen, honored as the Father of Modern
China. Standing beside him is Mariano Ponce—a close personal friend of both
Dr. Sun Yat Sen and our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal—and thus a member of
the generation who fought for the establishment of an independent Philippines.
In 1898, a year before this photograph was taken, we Filipinos proclaimed our
independence in Kawit, Cavite. In 1911, Sun Yat Sen overthrew the oppressive
Qing (pronounced Ching) Dynasty. Both these men were spurred to action by
the principles of freedom and equality, and the desire for progress, peace, and
stability for their countrymen. These very aspirations brought them together,
as friends and as partners who sought to help each other in their respective
struggles.
Many of you would have heard the saying: “A picture is worth a thousand
words.” This photograph encapsulates the solidarity and the drive for
independence of our forefathers. These, and friendship, are the legacies our
founding generations have left to us, borne of shared experiences. We Filipinos
had to reclaim our sovereignty from foreign colonizers; we had to do so again in
1986, from a dictatorship imposed by one of our own countrymen. China has
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likewise had to reclaim its dignity and sovereignty from the impositions of
foreigners in the past. Thus, today, we are given an opportunity to revisit the
fundamental basis of our relationship: a relationship consecrated by the heroes
we revere and focused on our goals for our peoples: prosperity, stability, and
the rule of law.
The full integration of Chinese-Filipinos into our society is itself proof of the
solidarity that can be realized from such a relationship. History has shown us
that Chinese-Filipinos were not treated as full citizens of the Philippines back
in the day, yet your forefathers chose to set this aside, in favor of contributing
to national development. Indeed: in every sphere of public life, whether in the
days of our forefathers or in the present, excellence has been displayed by
Chinese-Filipinos. General Ignacio Paua fought alongside the heroes of our
revolution in the struggle to claim independence. Decades later, it would be
General Vicente Lim engaging in battle during the Second World War. In
politics, we have Sergio Osmeña, our first Speaker of the House, our first
elected Vice President, and our President from 1944 to 1946. In law, there is
the example of Claudio Teehankee, who did not hesitate to stand up for the
rights of the people during the Marcos dictatorship. Filipino art and culture
bear the mark of Ang Kiukok, a National Artist for Visual Arts. As Filipinos,
they, in their everyday lives, did their part to build our nation.
This is being continued by the FFCCCII. Your economic and civic contributions
are vast; you have provided jobs to so many of your countrymen through the
companies you manage and own. At the same time, you have taken it upon
yourself to empower them in other ways: building classrooms for public schools
and housing for Filipinos affected by Typhoon Yolanda; providing assistance to
victims of other tragedies, including that of the recent Valenzuela fire;
conducting medical missions, and supporting our national police, among
others. For everything you have done and you will continue to do, let me
express our gratitude: Thank you for all your efforts. (applause)
This is the kind of solidarity that must go beyond our national borders; it is the
kind of solidarity all nations of goodwill must strive to accomplish. Countries
can no longer rely solely on their own strengths. In many ways, our successes
and failures are dependent on the successes and failures of partners and
friends in the global community. Challenges such as pandemics, global
terrorism, and climate change, or even those related to economic growth,
become infinitely less daunting when we work to overcome them in unison with
others.
That is why we have always been determined to work with other nations to
improve our collective fortunes, economic or otherwise. For example, as proof of
our intentions to have friendly relations with the People’s Republic of China, we
need only look at the sector of tourism.
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At the time of my State Visit to China in 2011, the Philippines was sending
almost 830,000 tourists to China; while Chinese tourists also visited the
Philippines and they numbered around a 190,000. The situation has seen
some improvement over the years. In 2013, over 426,000 Chinese tourists
visited the Philippines. This still does not compare, however, to the almost one
million Filipinos who traveled to China, visited its historical and cultural sites,
and contributed to its economic growth in 2013. The discrepancy is heightened
especially when you take into consideration the fact that our country
represents roughly about one-thirteenth of China’s total population.
This trend continues in trade and investment. In 2011 again, during that same
visit to China, I spoke to a gathering of businessmen. It was pointed out that,
back then, Filipino direct investments into China totaled roughly 2.8 billion
dollars, while Chinese investments into the Philippines were roughly at 600
million dollars.
Indeed: The kind of world we live in today demands greater solidarity from all
nations, based on the truism that stronger relationships between nations
redound to the benefit of their peoples, and also to the entire world. In trade
and investment, as with all other aspects of the relations between the
Philippines and China, there is much that we can improve on—as long as our
relationship is strengthened by mutual respect, the determination to maintain
fairness and harmony, and a firm commitment to the rule of law. Let me
emphasize that this does not only take place on the level of governments:
everyone, including businessmen and captains of industry like yourselves,
have a role to play.
It is my hope that we all bear this in mind, as we commemorate the
independence of the Philippines—an occasion that likewise underscores our
interdependence with the world and, consequently, our desire, then as today,
to be and to act as a responsible member of the community of nations. Moving
forward, may we all strive to do our part in enhancing cooperation and unity,
as our forefathers did: whether to uplift the lives of Filipinos on our shores, or
to work towards fostering stability that will redound to the benefit of all.
Thank you. Good day! (applause)
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