A few decades ago whenever prices of vegetables still in centavos, threatened to double government would allow open spaces of public lend in Quezon City to be converted to vegetable gardens and growing spinach, (alogbati, saluyot), pechay and even camote.

Today, with vegetables and commonly eaten fish already priced in pesos and increase a hundred fold, there seems to be no serious effort to meet the challenge of relieving the average man and woman from grinding poverty.

The further rise in the cost of energy lately has in effect directly seen hitting the stomach of every consumer in urban centers. The price of cooking gas, at less than P200 a year ago, is now closer to P400.

Pres. Macapagal Arroyo’s balanced development program which will give us much emphasis on farm development as on industrialization, is the answer to the nation’s current dilemma. The earlier this program is implemented the better for the nation.

The unbalanced development of the economy so far, or some six decades after becoming sovereign, can be seen from a general physical look at the developed urban areas and the countryside. Big population centers like Metro Manila and Cebu with several million inhabitants, are so over developed they not only have built skyscrapers in Makati and the Ortigas Center and parts of Manila and Quezon City but even bridges on beautiful avenue like Rizal and Taft in Manila plus fences on fashionable Ayala and EDSA.

A more balanced development from now on should see to it that agriculture, although contributing only a small percentage (10 to 15 percent) to the gross national product should get more share from the national budget for its modernization. Increased food production should contribute to lowering the cost of living and stabilizing prices.

This development strategy will not only lift the countryside but assure the nation enough supply of food and other consumer goods at affordable prices but greater opportunities to earn foreign exchange from exports.