 And then in the history of the entire world, they didn't say that rice is life. Not only in the Philippines, and not only in Asia, defines human life and well-being. In fact, it was quite the opposite. The world faced the prospects of seemingly endless bammons. There were predictions that Asia would be facing starvation for the foreseeable future. When I was in university, I was reading books entitled BAM in 1975 at Google Survive. And the recommendations of the wise and famous were that the West should abandon Asia because there was no way that Asia could beat itself. Fortunately, visionaries in the Rockefeller Foundation, Board Foundation, thought that they would seek another path. They recognized that science was just beginning to tap into the potential of crops. This was already being seen in the West. But in Asia, the benefits of the science applied to agriculture get to be realized. These visionaries came together and committed themselves to dedicating science, research, for agriculture to improve food security in the world, particularly in Asia. After much deliberation, they selected the Philippines as the site of the first international agricultural research center dedicated to achievement food security for the board and for Asia. And they selected the Philippines for very good reason. There was the World Class Agricultural Research Institute in Los Vales, the University of the Philippines in Los Vales. They really served as a nexus of agricultural intellect at that time. So it made a lot of sense to create a theory in the Philippines located in Los Vales. The agreement between the Philippine government and theory that created the International Rights Research Institute was signed 50 years ago yesterday in New York City, between the presidents of the Rockefeller Foundation, the Board Foundation, and the Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources in the government of the Philippines. The memorandum of agreement stated very clearly what theory was about. It stated simply that the area was established as an organization to do basic research on the rice land and applied research on all phases of rice production, management, distribution, and utilization. A very clear target, a very clear mandate, something that we follow very closely to this day. And I think we come together today to celebrate not just 50 years of work, but also to commend the vision of those very, very wise people who over 50 years ago saw fit to apply science to challenges facing the world's poor. Madam President, in 1962, your father, President Diostado Macapagal, and your mother visited here, along with John V. Macabola III, to inaugurate the institution's infrastructure. We have sense-hosted yourself, of course, and many other state businessmen and high officials and royals. Here, it has had a tremendous track record of success. Beginning in its first decade, it surpassed the wildest dreams of its founders with the development of the first semi-bored rice variety that they built on many, many hundreds of rice varieties developed around the world, and spread throughout Asia like wildfire. Over 75 varieties of rice, if they're released in the Philippines alone, they can trace the parentage back to rice varieties developed in the Institute. But here is it only about rice varieties. It's also about managing the crop, protecting the region of space, and possibly most importantly, developing fine young minds focused on the challenges of rice production, creating generation after generation of rice scientists. Here, it was also pivotal in the creation of PhilRice, a leading institution in Asia demonstrating the way forward of how countries can focus their resources to address the problems of their farmers and rice consumers. Here, PhilRice, a university of field needs and those fine youngs, work very closely together in addressing policy issues and opportunities that we can bring our forces together to bear on. We have been educating or working with PhilRice and the University of Philippines to educate young Filipino scientists over the years. We have trained more Filipino scientists than rice scientists in any other country in the world. And we also have about 45,000 schoolchildren who visit Erie every year. It's a very important part of our goal to sensitize the youth of the Philippines to the importance of rice and rice research. We believe that Erie represents a major investment in international agriculture in the Philippines and it gives more than just straight economic benefit to the country. I think the partnership between Erie and the Philippines is really something that many countries look to as an example of how international and national organizations can come together and work in an effective partnership. It's our hope that the international prestige that Erie may bring to the country is something that will serve to inspire other countries to adjust in partnerships and rice research. It's something that we believe is an example of a success that is unparalleled on the face of the earth today.