Food on every table

Fernando Poe Jr.’s motherhood slogan "Food on every table", which can be presumed to be his "platform" (for lack of one), has not been buttressed by any proposed policy or program of action that can indeed provide food for every Filipino.

Lina Araneta-Santiago, civic-minded daughter of the late Dr. Salvador Araneta, contends that it was, in fact, her father’s lifelong mission to provide food for every Filipino. However, unlike FPJ, Dr. Araneta had a program for his mission, the New Deal formula which he propounded more than half a century ago.

Mrs. Santiago continues: "To address the problem of unemployment, Araneta, who was then Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources, called for the adoption of a NEW DEAL Program which was patterned after the New Deal Formula of President Roosevelt. The NEW DEAL FORMULA was an effective cure for one-third of American who had become ill-clad, ill-housed and ill-nourished because of unemployment.

"Araneta proposed the mass emigration of people from the congested areas of Luzon and Manila to Mindanao and Mindoro. He also proposed that the same kind of aid and assistance being handed out to surrendering Huks be given to law-abiding citizens to give them a start in their new life.

"Added to this NEW DEAL Formula, there must be rapid program of road construction; the immediate parceling and sale of our landed estates; strategic placement of a few processing plants for agricultural products, and to ‘crown this’ with the establishment of more industries, particularly, basic heavy industries following the example of those established by the Government of Japan in the thirties.

"Araneta pointed out that the United States and Great Britain used the same strategy for winning the war during times of peace to keep all the people at work to solve their own problem of unemployment. HE argued that if World War II was financed in an unprecedented scale without undue inflation (which was the worry of economists) why not finance land reform and other programs that would boost production? Araneta’s proposal was never implemented because of the lack of political will on the part of Magsaysay.

"The NEW DEAL approach is not an obsolete formula to help the unemployed and marginalized. Currently a NEW DEAL formula is being proposed by the Prime Minister of Canada, Paul Martin, to uplift the cities of British Columbia from their cash-strapped economic situation. This would provide housing, infrastructure and social services and therefore, employment and aid to citizens in need in a first world country.

"Not to be deterred in his quest for a society based on justice, Dr. Araneta proposed a new approach: CAPITALISM FOR ALL using the Kelsonian approach. The type of capitalism Dr. Araneta endorsed was one aimed at making everyone a capitalist. This would be accomplished not by taking away from the haves to give to the have-nots, not by dividing the pie, but by creating new capitalists and industrial wealth.

"What has been done by previous and current government authorities to eradicate poverty? On economic policies, have our economists taken us along the real road to economic recovery? On national policies, do we have one that spreads property ownership, economic power and political power? Or are they self-centered towards those in power?"

Dr. Araneta said, "If our present leaders in the government cannot do their job, they should think they are not equal to the job rather than think it is an impossible job."