Seminar Forum Discusses Italy, Ferment in Asia

"Filipinos feel discriminated against, regarding themselves as poor relations" in respect to financial aid from the United States and the upholding of the "one-sided" parity treaty, Primo Tongko, Filipino political scientist, asserted last night at the International Seminar.

Tongko, speaking on Filipino-American relations, pointed to the fact that while the U.S. has given more aid to countries traditionally less friendly, even former enemies, it has made an economic puppet of the Philippines. Rather than appear as debtor, his country has now been trying to collect the "omnibus claims against the U.S., both moral and legal, running back to 1934."

Tongko also upbraided the U.S. for refusing to grant complete sovereignty to the Philippines over criminal cases involving American military personnel. Because of these injustices, he said, many of his countrymen feel that it "doesn't pay to be a loyal and trusted friend."

Malayans Fight Communism

Switching the scene to the Asian continent, Lokman Musa, Malayan Minister of Education, discussed his country's fight against the Communists, whose forces have now been pushed back to the jungles and to rural communities. Their pretext of opposing colonialism, while the country has achieved independence, and their rejection of amnesty offers have shown the people the obvious failure of the Party, he said.

Vinigi Grottanelli, Italian anthropologist, and Maria Grendi, of Florence's II Ponte, spoke on "Perspective on Italy," in the second half of the program.