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these conventions, the industrialists committed themselves to exercise their social responsibility SO that the benefits of progress might filter down to the broad masses of the working population. It was then that the various sectors began stressing the need for social conscience, including the Government, in order that the less privileged could be more effectively assisted in liberating themselves from the degradation of their poverty and insecurity. The Philippine employers agreed with the concept that economic development was meaningless if the fruits of progress were not shared by the working man. They held the view that the development of man should be the basic object of economic development and that economic progress should be accompanied by social justice. Human resources was the most important of all resources that went into a country's social and economic development. The matter of social security was a joint effort of the government, the private employer and labour. However, while the employer played the godfather role for the realisation of social security programmes, the government imposed the minimum of regulations which should be within the capacity of the employers to sustain. Social security and its provisions largely rested upon the employers who could always achieve the minimum prescribed by the government as well as what had been provided for in collective bargaining agreements. It was for this reason that the participation of the private sector in this seminar was most welcome. This seminar had the objective of involving social security in national and economic planning. This was indeed a very novel approach which made people realise the value that might accrue to the economy in society when social security was tied on to employment, agricultural income, credit and institutional reforms, wages, taxation and public health. Some might say that social security was such а minor component and might only be indirectly relevant to the national economy. The employer representative stated, however, that the employers were quite optimistic and hopeful that this seminar would result in something more definite, something that would be for the benefit of all, because relating social security to planning for the national economy was simply an approach to discovering how social security might effectively serve to improve performance and productivity of labour and eventually the national output in the economy.
When this was dissected, the benefit was likely to accrue
the individual employers themselves and for this reason the employers wholeheartedly supported this undertaking. The flow of benefits would go into three directions, the government, the employers and labour. The employer representative, however, warned that inefficient management of social security programmes might only cause disappointment or disaster, instead of helping beneficiaries of the system. In this connection it was, therefore, necessary to bear always in mind the implementing stage and not just the concepts.
7.
Speech of Mr. Foberto Oca, representative from the labour group
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Mr. Oca stated that he had not many things to say after the Secretary of Labor had spoken, because he spoke for labour.
He would, therefore, merely urge that working people of developing countries would like to kn cw when they would obtain and enjoy the social security benefits being enjoyed by their fortunate brothers in the developed economy. MI. Oca hoped that in carrying out its work, the seminar would keep in mind this aspiration of workers not only in the Philippines but also in other developing countries.
He was convinced that under the guidance of the ILO, the seminar would produce meaningful results which would benefit all the working people of the developing economy.
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8.
Speech delivered by Hon. Reynaldo J. Gregorio, Acting Administrator Social Security System
MI. Gregorio stated that this seminar, the first of
its kind in Asia, represented a new energy now at work within the region of Asia. Essentially, the obstacles that confine nations to the categories of underdeveloped or developing could now be treated as subjects of both national and regional planning. He pointed out that the significance of this seminar could not be measured in terms cf consequences. The seminar could be reassured by the fact that it would, at best, lay down the postulates that hopefully would be utilised by every participating country within the agenda of their individual national goals. For, indeed, needs were similar and approaches to answer those needs might find sanctuary and solution within this forum.
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