Gov’t body questions accuracy of Swiss competitiveness survey

Short of saying that the World Competitiveness Report that ranked the Philippines at the bottom of 18 economies in the Asia-Pacific region this year was inaccurate, National Competitiveness Council (NCC) private sector chairman Cesar Bautista contested some of the criteria used.

Responding to the report presented by the Asia Institute of Management (AIM) policy center, the local partner of the Swiss institution that does the yearly competitiveness ranking, Bautista zeroed in on the low rating of the Philippines in solving poverty and the delivery of health and social services.

“These are not the result of our efforts at becoming more competitive, but are happening because we are a poor nation,” Bautista pointed out.

He did not, however, contest the conclusion that the Philippines has further slipped to 43rd out of 57 economies rated from its number 40 rank last year.

Briefing the media on developments in the competitiveness front, Bautista said that much has been done in human resource development, mostly short-term efforts by the NCC, in cooperation with the Department of Education, Tesda and the Department of Science and Technology.

Big strides are being made at improving English proficiency among new college graduates whose immediate prospects for employment is high in the business process outsourcing. The same proficiency is being drummed up in the elementary and high schools, he reported.

Reacting on the poor performance of the Philippines in providing basic infrastructure, the competitiveness czar said the NCC has initiated the preparation of a single infrastructure master plan for Luzon which he hopes will be completed this year. The plan is being prepared in tandem with the Department of Public Works and Highway and the Department of Transportation and Communications.

This, he explained, will be necessary so that the single master plan will be followed no matter who the next president will be. It will also solve the persistent problem of implementing the most urgent projects because agency heads tend to stonewall when others “invade” their turf.

He attributed the slow implementation of basic infrastructure to the changing plans and programs whenever there is a change of leaders. Many of the strategic projects the NCC has lined up for immediate implementation have been implemented in earnest this year.

Among them is the completion of the north and south expressway linkages up to Batangas, including the extension of the north superhighway to La Union. — PHILEXPORT News and Features