"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future."
- Presidents Day Quotes by John F. Kennedy
"There are two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live."
- Presidents Day Quotes by John Adams
"My observation is that whenever one person is found adequate to the discharge of a duty... it is worse executed by two persons, and scarcely done at all if three or more are employed therein."
- Presidents Day Quotes by George Washington
"Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you."
- Presidents Day Quotes by Thomas Jefferson
" ‘Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt."
- Presidents Day Quotes by Abraham Lincoln
"The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted."
- Presidents Day Quotes by James Madison
"I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man."
- Presidents Day Quotes by George Washington
While thinning my files over the long election-day weekend, I came across an undated clipping that I had cut some years ago on the late business leader, rancher, and philanthropist, Enrique Zobel's advice to an incoming president, enumerating the subjects to which he would give top priority if he were president. In brief, his priorities lay in the fields of agriculture, housing, food security, and law and order.
First and foremost, he stressed the need for law and order, especially for close associates who might wish to use their closeness for personal gain at the expense of the general public. "We single out Filipinos who rape children and give them lethal injections," he pointed out. "Why don't we do the same for people who rape a whole country?" Among these he cited the "big time" drug smugglers and human traffickers. And "when I tell the law enforcement agencies that the law should apply equally to everyone, they should believe I mean everyone."
Then he would turn his attention to food security, and ask his secretaries of agriculture and agrarian reform for a comprehensive program to boost production. Let us plant crops in areas free from typhoons, he suggested, and raise cattle where rains are plentiful.
On the subject of employment, he pointed out that thousands of young people graduate each year, but what jobs are available for them? The government should provide incentives for labor-intensive businesses while improving education.
As for housing, he would decongest Manila and clear out illegal occupants, and provide incentives for housing developments outside urban areas, with the necessary infrastructure to serve them.
His dream Cabinet would include at least three women, of the caliber of (the late) Haydee Yorac, Winnie Monsod, and Judge Harriet Demetriou (then head of Cabinet).
"I would need the cooperation of senators and congressmen and local government officials." "When I say cooperation I mean a gentleman's agreement that this is not the time for grandstanding but for delivery of what the people need in terms of basic services."
In a separate article on food, Zobel called for more attention and resources to the agricultural sector and the cattle industry. At that time, the Philippines was importing rice, corn, and cattle. "Even goats."
Incoming president grew up in public power hotbed. (What's Happening).: An article from: Bulletin (Northwest Public Power Association)
