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ANZCham Angelica Pettersson Opening RemarksPBG-JFC Press
Conference, September 11, 2013
In December 2010 the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC)
releasedArangkada Philippines 2010: A Business Perspective at a
press briefing at theDTI with Secretary Domingo.
Arangkada Philippines 2010: A Business Perspective is about
creating abright future for the Philippines, the 12th most populous
country and probablythe 10th or 9th by 2030. Arangkada Philippines
is a comprehensive ten-yearroadmap to help create $75 billion in
new foreign direct investment, 10million jobs, and 1 trillion pesos
in public sector revenue for the Philippineeconomy within this
decade. It is a guidebook to a better Philippines, with theper
capita income of a middle-income economy, robust investment
levels,better infrastructure and higher government revenues to pay
for socialservices, especially education and health. Absolute
poverty would be reducedby inclusive growth with less malnutrition,
crime, and insurgency.
Arangkada Philippines 2010 contains 471 recommendations
fromFilipino and foreign businessmen and women for building a more
competitiveeconomy, reform-by-reform, leading to high growth and
millions of new jobs.Catching up and keeping up is an imperative,
not a choice. The Philippineshas lagged for too long, losing
competitiveness, despite its immensepotential and location in the
fastest growing region with 60% of the globalpopulation. More than
ever, opportunities abound for the Philippines toimprove trade and
investment ties in Asia and elsewhere and advance thecountry
towards high-income status.
The country recently saw some of the fruits of hard work to
raisecompetitiveness by a 6-place improvement to 59th in the World
EconomicForum ranking of the Philippines. This follows back-to-back
ten place rises inthe ranking for the two previous years. The
Philippines is now counted amongthe top 40% of 148 countries ranked
by the World Economic Forum. Thiscontrasts starkly with 2009 when
the Philippines was 87th out of 133countries and among the bottom
third. But rising to 59th place is no reasonto rest. The goal set
by the National Competitiveness Council to reach the top1/3 in 2016
is very attainable. This performance is an excellent example ofthe
theme ofArangkada which is Move Twice as Fast!! Passing
neededreform legislation is another example of how the Philippines
can move twiceas fast.
To pursue the legislative advocacies in the Arangkada, the
JointForeign Chambers (JFCs) collaborated with five Philippine
business groups(PBGs) and recommended to President Aquino and the
Senate and House ofRepresentatives 41 reform measures for
consideration in the 15th Congressin late 2010. The proposed
reforms were discussed in high level exchangesbetween the PBGs and
JFCs with House leadership and chairpersons of keyHouse and Senate
Committees during the 15th Congress. Suchcommunication and
cooperation between Congress and business groups hasbeen crucial to
the passage of reform laws. The PBG-JFC also actively
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participated in committee deliberations of these reform measures
in bothHouses.
Speeding up the pace of enactment of new laws and amending
oldones was accomplished during the first half of the Aquino
administration. The15th Congress enacted significant laws necessary
for the country to adapt to
changing times and supporting economic development and
consistentgrowth. With the enactment of at least 29 business and
economic reformmeasures, the 15th Congress surpassed the 22 such
laws enacted in threeprevious Congresses. This is a considerable
amount of progressive legislation,supporting the image of an
advancing Philippine economy with improvinginternational
competitiveness rankings, encouraging investment, andeventually
creating jobs. With strong leadership and cooperation between
theexecutive and legislative branches in the 16th Congress, it
should be possibleto equal and exceed the record of the 15th
Congress and even hastening thepace of legislation.
Given the importance of laws and updated legislation to the
growth of
the economy, it is essential that business groups continue their
role asadvocates for the passage of reform laws. This role was
exemplified whenleaders of 6 Philippine business groups and 7
foreign chambers wrote toExecutive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa, Jr.
on May 27, transmitting a list ofbusiness and economic legislative
reform measures for the 16th Congress forconsideration by the LEDAC
and President Aquino. A subsequent letter wassent to President
Aquino on June 19 signed by the same groups.
