After his tour of duty in Europe and the United States, Director Fidel A. Reyes focused the efforts of the Bureau towards strengthening Philippine agriculture and entrepreneurship. With his wisdom and foresight, Fidel turned to the role of the youth in these matters. He encouraged young Filipinos to play a more active role in strengthening the economy by developing the countryside. In an article published in the Philippine Free Press on February 6, 1926, he challenged the youth to rethink their ambitions of working in the city and see the personal benefits and economic potential of the country’s agricultural lands.
“Young Men - Cultivate Our Lands or Other Peoples Will Do It” - Fidel A. Reyes
“A danger to our economic welfare is the present tendency of our young men to shun life on the farm where most of them were born.” declares Director Fidel A. Reyes of the bureau of commerce and industry.
“It seems that they prefer the more comfortable life in the city where they expect to find white-collar employment. If such a tendency continues, the time will come when our most valuable resource, the farm, will be abandoned, and the more enterprising foreigners may then step in and gain control of our agricultural industries.
“Young men in the Philippines should realize more fully the great opportunities open to them in our extensive uncultivated public lands. The struggle for education is by no means to be discouraged, but it must be coupled with practicality in order to make that education productive of really beneficial results. One’s schooling should not be unduly prolonged especially if the means are lacking for a thorough school or college training. Hundreds of young men are at present wasting their time struggling for academic degrees which may not prove useful to them in the long run, when they could start working right now in a homestead which in a few years will yield them a stable and sure income. Others are wasting their lives on meagerly paid clerical employment, when, with a little more energy and spirit of enterprise they could be much more prosperous, more independent, more contented in the healthful atmosphere of the farm.
“Our country is still preeminently agricultural, and it is destined to remain for a long time to come. Agriculture constitutes the major factor in our economic welfare and can not, therefore, be neglected. Upon the young men of the present falls the duty of preserving and developing the country’s agricultural lands. The fulfillment of that duty will redound to their own immediate benefits as well as promote the economic well-being of the nation.”
Fidel saw great possibilities for those who would dare to take a much more active role in determining their future and how this could contribute to helping the economy. It was through encouraging individuals to make more self-empowered life decisions that expansive changes such as the decongestion of cities and the equitable distribution of wealth throughout the country was possible. By supporting growth in the different provinces and encouraging people to continue to live and work in these areas, Fidel provided better alternatives to freedom, self-determination, prosperity, and sustainability in the lives of individuals and the nation as a whole.
He made sure inspiring success stories of Filipino entrepreneurs from different parts of the country were known. During his time as director, he served as managing editor of the Bureau of Commerce and Industry Journal and the editor of the Revista Economica, official journal of the Asociacion Economica de Filipinas, which was the country's first Filipino business organization. He campaigned to empower Filipinos from all walks of life, encouraging and strengthening their entrepreneurial spirit.
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| "Cultivate Our Lands - Fidel A. Reyes", 1926 |
He made sure inspiring success stories of Filipino entrepreneurs from different parts of the country were known. During his time as director, he served as managing editor of the Bureau of Commerce and Industry Journal and the editor of the Revista Economica, official journal of the Asociacion Economica de Filipinas, which was the country's first Filipino business organization. He campaigned to empower Filipinos from all walks of life, encouraging and strengthening their entrepreneurial spirit.
It has been said that Don Fidel A. Reyes himself could very well have been the subject of one of the inspiring stories he made a point to publish in Philippine business journals. In later years, he was able to turn his favorite pastime into one of the most successful business in Batangas province. Don Fidel took much pleasure from farming in Batangas, where he grew rice, different fruits, and hardwood trees such as yakal, tindalo and bagarilao. He also raised poultry and harvested eggs, which his daughters would help sort before they were sold to the local market. His brother Carmelo Reyes, remembers how returning to farm more extensively back in his hometown brought much success and joy to Fidel later in his life.
“After his retirement, he decided to dedicate himself fully to the cultivation of his lands in Lipa, in which he was eminently successful, becoming one of the largest citrus and coffee growers during the citrus boom in the province. He was very particularly proud of a special variety of oranges which he called Lado, and delighted in showing the small trees - almost a man’s height only, but loaded (hitik) with bright red mature coffee beans.”
“After his retirement, he decided to dedicate himself fully to the cultivation of his lands in Lipa, in which he was eminently successful, becoming one of the largest citrus and coffee growers during the citrus boom in the province. He was very particularly proud of a special variety of oranges which he called Lado, and delighted in showing the small trees - almost a man’s height only, but loaded (hitik) with bright red mature coffee beans.”
Fidel had also seen the growth of an expansive real estate business in which choice lots he had purchased in Batangas and Manila proved to be very lucrative. The wealth and prosperity he had enjoyed was generously shared to those in need. His most significant gesture was the donation of a two and a half hectare site in Lipa for the first SOS Children’s Village in the Philippines, through the help of his daughter, Josefa Reyes-Luz. The site was donated in memory of Fidel A. Reyes’ late wife, Josefa M. Katigbak, who throughout her life shared his dedication to helping those in need. As a couple they were known for helping others in empowering ways, allowing people to eventually flourish on their own with confidence and dignity.
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Josefa M. Katigbak,
wife of Fidel A. Reyes with daughters (L-R Josefa, Alicia, and Isabel) |
The family home of Fidel A. Reyes and Josefa M. Katigbak in Manila had always had its doors open to help people from all walks of life. On several occasions, they would have the children of friends and relatives from Lipa live in their home, which allowed them to finish their studies in Manila with minimal expense. When one young man could not afford his tuition, Fidel did not offer to pay for his schooling but instead helped him find a job in the city so he would be able to support himself. Pepita, as his wife was fondly called, helped several families in their neighborhood in her own way. She would buy much needed household items and instead of simply giving them away to her neighbors as charity, she allowed them to pay her over time without interest. It was with respect for the capabilities of every Filipino that they provided their help, starting in their own community.
Agno Street in Malate, Manila where they had lived for many years was later renamed, Fidel A. Reyes Street as a tribute to the man whose love of country, wisdom and generosity touched the lives of many. My grandmother had so many fond memories of her parents, especially the loving nature of their relationship and the graciousness they extended to others. In one of her last handwritten notes, “About Tatay” she wrote:
I have no doubt that my grandmother’s life as a businesswoman, world traveller and philanthropist was because of the influence of her parents. Her rural bank business in Batangas was encouraged strongly by her father. She was involved in the SOS Children’s Village in Lipa for several years not only as a board member, but as a constant support to the staff and a loving grandmother to the children. I remember accompanying her to the children’s village for the first time as a child and watching in confusion as hoards of other children ran to greet her in excitement calling her "Lola" (Grandmother) just like I did. It was overwhelming to see the joy in the children's faces and how much her visit meant to them. I held on to my Lola's hand a little tighter that day as she acknowledged each and every child that came to welcome her.
Agno Street in Malate, Manila where they had lived for many years was later renamed, Fidel A. Reyes Street as a tribute to the man whose love of country, wisdom and generosity touched the lives of many. My grandmother had so many fond memories of her parents, especially the loving nature of their relationship and the graciousness they extended to others. In one of her last handwritten notes, “About Tatay” she wrote:
“There never was or ever will be a father like Tatay (Father). He was the epitome of understanding, charity, goodness and thoughtfulness. He was so righteous and kind. He did not stop and count the cost of what he believed was good for others. It was far from his thoughts to be repaid. He it all from the goodness of his heart.
Inay (Mother) saw all of this and recognized and respected all of his qualities. Tatay was her unfaltering love and withstood the hardships of her having four brothers. She was an only girl. In the second marriage of her father, she had five sisters all of whom respected and loved their kuya (older brother). Whatever he planned and advised them, they never forgot. They so looked up to him. All of them after finishing high school moved to Manila until they married and graduated.
Our home was a real extended family where love and consideration was to be found. Father also welcomed relatives on his side of course. Not only these but in-laws and families of in-laws felt at home and did not hesitate to come stay, more so when the visitors had to come to Manila for medical care or some other necessity. We were used to having people come and go staying for days. As a child, I just took things for granted although now, I realize the great qualities of Tatay and Inay.”
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| The Mariano Solis Katigbak Family, 1927. (Fidel A. Reyes standing third from left, his wife Josefa Katigbak-Reyes seated in second row third from left, and daughters seated in front row: Alicia seated third from left, Josefa seated fourth from left, and Isabel seated seventh from left). |
I have no doubt that my grandmother’s life as a businesswoman, world traveller and philanthropist was because of the influence of her parents. Her rural bank business in Batangas was encouraged strongly by her father. She was involved in the SOS Children’s Village in Lipa for several years not only as a board member, but as a constant support to the staff and a loving grandmother to the children. I remember accompanying her to the children’s village for the first time as a child and watching in confusion as hoards of other children ran to greet her in excitement calling her "Lola" (Grandmother) just like I did. It was overwhelming to see the joy in the children's faces and how much her visit meant to them. I held on to my Lola's hand a little tighter that day as she acknowledged each and every child that came to welcome her.
Lola Phine also established a children’s feeding center in Leveriza, Manila, visited the sick and dying in hospices, and gave her handmade rosaries to prison inmates. In 1981, she was honored with a Papal award for her distinguished works of charity and service. All this she did with the same humble nature of her parents who taught her by example, that there was so much she could do to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
