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A Speech of Manuel L. Quezon President of the Philippines At Camp Keithley, Lanao
[administered on June 6, 1936]
People of Lanao:
We have come to visit here for two purposes—primarily is to inform you of what the National Government has in mind with reference to you, and secondly is to find out what is your current situation here. With me have come the Vice-President, the Speaker, the Floor Leader, and almost a majority of the membership of the National Assembly. Also, some of the provincial governors are accompanying us on this trip.
You must barely know that a change in the Government of the Philippine Islands has taken place since last November. The powers of government, insofar as our domestic affairs are concerned, are entirely in the hands of the people of our country. You took part—you, the people of this province—in the election of the President of the Philippines in the same way as you took part in the election of the man who become the leader of this Nation and now who represents you in the National Assembly.
I have invited these members of the National Assembly by visiting Mindanao because it is the purpose of your Government by bringing to realization the so-much-talked-of the development of Mindanao Provinces. The National Assembly, not the Chief Executive, is vested with the power of determining our national policies. While my duties concern as an Executive is to make recommendations to the National Assembly, the last word rests with that body.
Mindanao is one of the most valuable components of the Philippine Archipelago. In many respects, this island excels every other distinct island of the Philippines. Here you have the highest mountain in Philippines as well as a scenic view as beautiful as that which one can explore not only just in any other part of the Archipelago but also anywhere in the world; and above all, you also have here a soil which is the richest that this country can offer, plus the advantage that you do not have the frequent typhoons which visit our other islands. Also, You have the abundant hydraulic power, and all that is needed is to harness your rivers and waterfalls to utilize that power by producing such amount of enough useful current electricity.
So our Government is more than justified in giving impetus to the development of Mindanao, and the time has come for an action and not for further talkings. I have Already authorized the expenditure of a fund placed in my hands by the National Assembly in its last session for the purpose of completing some the road systems here. Next year it will be possible for people residing in Cagayan de Oro to go by automobile through Davao, Lanao, Cotabato, and Bukidnon, and if the National Assembly will allocate the necessary money I expect to have all these projects completed during my administration's regime. I hope starting now on that the responsible officials of the Philippine Government who have the power to establish the policies of this Government will look into the development of Mindanao from a more realistic point of view.
It is with this object in mind that I request the Speaker and the members of the National Assembly to make this trip with me. I demand the members of the Assembly to realize the great responsibility on their shoulders with regard to Mindanao. I want them to witness how vast the resources of this country are, and in that way realized the importance of the work placed in their hands. I want them to bear in mind that they are not merely administering the affairs of their districts, of the municipalities containing those districts, or the barrios constituting those municipalities, but that their responsibility far transcends their particular communities. Indeed, their people expect of them the wise disposition of this vast domain given by God to the inhabitants of this country.
I am sure that every member of the National Assembly has been thrilled by the beautiful sight that has been before his eyes since he landed in Iligan. Now, as for you, you must feel and act from now on as the constituents of one great nation. Let us have no more of that fiction that Moros and Christians cannot get along together; no more of that nonsense that Christian Filipinos cannot govern their non-Christian brothers. You, the Mohammedans, and you, the Christians, constitute one people, and over you preside a Chief Executive and a National Assembly elected by you, and you alone. Mohammedan Filipinos will receive exactly the same consideration, the same protection, the same treatments as the Christian Filipinos. In this country Mohammedan Filipinos will feel the weight of the hand of justice as much as the Christian Filipinos, if they violate our laws. The first and most important duty of every government is to maintain peace and order, and this duty will be performed by the Government of this Commonwealth. The first and most important duty of every citizen is to be peaceful and law-abiding, and I hope that this duty in turn will be performed by our people.
If you have complaints to make, present them to the proper authorities. If you have grievances, go to the courts when it is a matter of judicial adjudication, or go to your provincial authorities if it is a matter of administration. But never try to use force when you want redress of your supposed or real grievances. For no matter how right you may be, the moment you use force you are in the wrong. Now, my friends, I hope that, hereafter, no news will report the disturbance of public order in the Province of Lanao. You have one of the most beautiful spots in the world right here. You have also a very rich country. You can live here in peace, comfort, and happiness. Life is very dear even when the country is not as beautiful as Lanao. It ought to be, therefore, doubly dear in Lanao—and I ask you to try to conserve you own life here.
We are considering just now whether the National Assembly should resolve to develop Dansalan into one of the principal cities of the Archipelago. Not only will you be connected with the other end of the Island of Mindanao, which, as I said before, is an accomplished fact, but also, if the National Assembly will approve it, we are going to build a road around Lake Lanao so that the land there may be properly cultivated and you may be sure that its yield will increase your prosperity. All that we ask of you is peace and cooperation with the Government. Don’t quarrel among yourselves. Now, my friends, I am very happy to have come here. I am sure I express the sentiments of the Vice-President, and of the Speaker, the Floor Leader, and the members of the National Assembly, when I say that we are grateful to you for the opportunity you have afforded us of seeing you.