Business execs dissatisfied with gov’t efforts to curb smuggling – survey

Manila, Philippines – Majority of business executives are dissatisfied with the government’s efforts to fight smuggling even as they found most government agencies to have shown satisfactory performance in the second year of President Aquino’s administration, according to a survey conducted by the Makati Business Club (MBC).

The MBC’s Executive Outlook Survey (EOS) for the second semester released yesterday which covered 55 respondents from the period of June 19 to July 23, showed that 70.9 percent of business executives are not satisfied with the government’s anti-smuggling efforts.

More than 27 percent meanwhile, said they are satisfied with current efforts to fight smuggling while 1.8 percent declined to give their take on the issue.

When asked if they are satisfied with the government’s tax policies and administration, business executives were equally divided, with 49.1 percent saying they are pleased and 49.1 percent saying they are not satisfied, while 1.8 percent did not give a response.

As for the result of the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, 81.8 percent said they agree with the decision, while 12.7 percent said otherwise and more than five percent did not give their views on the verdict.

The respondents were also asked to rate the performance of government offices and agencies over the period of July 2011 to June 2012.

The survey showed that 36 out of 53 government agencies and offices received positive net satisfaction scores.

“In comparison, only 25 out of 45 government agencies, offices, and services got positive net performance ratings in MBC’s Second Semester EOS in 2011,” the MBC said in a statement.

In this year’s survey, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) maintained its top rank with 96.4 percent saying they were satisfied with the performance and 1.8 percent saying otherwise, resulting in a net score of 94.6 percent.

The BSP’s net satisfaction score this year was at its highest since the MBC started conducting the annual survey in January 1993.

Placing second were the Department of Finance (DoF) and Department of Tourism (DOT) which both had a net score of 81.8 percent.

Majority or 90.9 percent said they are satisfied with the DoF’s performance while 9.1 percent said they are not.

For the DOT, 89.1 percent said they are pleased with the department’s performance while 7.3 percent had the opposite view.

The DoT’s net score for this year was the highest it has received since the start of the survey.

Other top performers were the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) which had a net score of 70.9 percent (83.6 satisfied and 12.7 percent not satisfied); followed by the Securities and Exchange Commission which got a net score of 69.1 percent (81.8 percent satisfied and 12.7 percent not satisfied); the Philippine Economic Zone Authority with a net score of 67.3 percent (81.8 percent satisfied and 14.5 percent not satisfied); the Department of Trade and Industry which received a net score of 65.4 percent (81.8 percent satisfied and 16.4 percent not satisfied); the Office of the Vice President (OVP) with a net score of 58.2 percent (76.4 percent satisfied and 18.2 percent not satisfied); the Department of Education which had a 56.4 percent net score (78.2 percent satisfied and 21.8 percent not satisfied); and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) getting a 56.3 percent net score (74.5 percent satisfied and 18.2 percent not satisfied). –Louella D. Desiderio (The Philippine Star)