More wishes to wish for

At the closing of the most recent conference of Philippine businesses was the predictable presentation of a wish list for the government of P-Noy to act on.

The Philippine Business Conference, a brainchild of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is now on its 37th year, and we can presume that there have been 37 wish lists that have been drawn up through the years, all in the hopes of creating a better business environment.

You could also say that these wish lists are a work in progress, where you can tick off items when they’re “done,” and retain or modify those that have received little or no attention by the incumbent government concerned. It would be interesting to see a track, if it were possible to have one.

This year, businesses represented in the 37th conference called on Congress to pass a National Industrialization Plan. It would be also be stimulating to get further details on what exactly does this grand planning exercise would entail, and how it would dovetail with the current thrust of government.

Government’s thrust

In his speech before the congress participants, trade secretary Gregory L. Domingo outlined the three key thrusts that government will be pursuing to encourage economic growth until 2016.

The first covers key industries identified in the Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016 and the Philippine Export Development Plan 2011-2013. These include electronics manufacturing, shipbuilding, ship repair, steel fabrication, mining, information and communications technology and business process outsourcing (BPO), especially the contact center industry.

The second thrust is aimed at revitalizing the tourism industry by developing more destinations. This is also aimed at encouraging more micro, small and medium enterprises to provide products and services for this industry and, therefore generate more jobs for people in rural areas.

And the third component will deal with “new” areas that show huge potential for growth, such as car manufacturing, palm oil and rubber production and processing.

Businessmen’s wish list

Business, on the other hand, presented a 14-point wish list covering sectors such as agricultural, education, energy and power, environment, good governance, housing and construction, industry, intellectual property, mining, MSME development, taxation, trade, transport and logistics.

Three strategic priority areas for improved Philippine competitiveness were also defined. First was transparency and accountability among public institutions. Second was economic sustainability to enable reforms that would lower the cost of doing business, sustain the ecology, improve agro-industrial performance, develop tourism, and build a globally competitive educational system. The third pushed for the completion of an inter-modal infrastructure roadmap.

Businessmen also urged the government to pursue openness, transparency and effective competition in public-private partnership projects by issuing an executive order on joint ventures, and amending the implementing rules and regulations of the Build-Operate-Transfer Law.

Among the items in the wish list pertained to addressing the energy and power related concerns of the country. Businessmen called for the formulation of a five-year electric power roadmap with specific action programs and milestones that would bring down power rates to competitive levels, ensure adequate power supply in Luzon; and resolve the Mindanao power supply situation.

Competitive office

One of the highlights of this year’s conference is the participation of Justice Secretary Leila A. de Lima who was invited to give a more detailed view of what the new Office for Competition will be doing.

An offshoot of Executive Order No. 45 signed by P-Noy last June assigning the Office of Competition under the Department of Justice to oversee matters that relate to antitrust in business, this move is apparently part of government’s response to the controversy that ensued with the acquisition of Digitel by PLDT earlier in March.

The EO would apparently affect the many bills now pending in Congress to revamp our present laws on monopolies. There are at least two in the Senate: Senate Bill No. 1, otherwise known as the Competition Act of 2010; and Senate Bill No. 123, or the Fair Trade Act of 2010.

In the House, there are a dozen or more related to competition and fair trade that had been filed, but are now being consolidated. De Lima has said that her office would take a more active role in monitoring state policies and actions to ensure agencies are not undertaking anti-business and anti-developmental initiatives.

This would also mean a review of unnecessary and cumbersome rules and regulations that prolong business registration, as well as many other areas that supposedly impede competitiveness not only among big businesses, but even at the micro level.

Translating hope to reality

Now if you’re confused with all these declarations and demands, with all the grand designs unveiled and the promises delivered, I am too. Let’s hope that some rhyme and reason will emerge from the huge cacophony of noise that arose from the three-day conference.

One thing though that I would like to point out: Will be ever see the Philippines taking off? For as long as most of us can remember, all we’ve wanted is to see the economy improve, and consequently, bring a better life for more Filipinos.

And yet, we always find ourselves short of reaching targets, hence the resulting inability to translate efforts to something more tangible. Need we be reminded that our neighbors like Thailand, India and Malaysia have already moved ahead?

And now, we’re seeing other countries like Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam moving ahead.

We are not lacking in ideas and talk. Where are we lacking? –Rey Gamboa (The Philippine Star)