by Christina Mendez (The Philippine Star)
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=550329&publicationSubCategoryId=63
MANILA, Philippines - It was another opportunity for presidential hopefuls to display their expertise in what matters most to many Filipinos – the economy.
Five presidential candidates presented their economic platforms yesterday before the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) at the Manila Marriott Hotel in Pasay City.
Taking a break from their campaign, Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno Aquino III, former President Joseph Estrada, Sen. Richard Gordon, administration bet Gilbert Teodoro Jr., evangelist Eddie Villanueva and Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Sen. Manny Villar took questions from the PCCI panel.
All candidates discussed the need to stamp out corruption, reduce the budget deficit, and ensure food security by developing agriculture.
Teodoro, in his opening speech, said efforts should be made to reduce the number of poor from 45.3 percent of the population in 1991 to 22.7 percent by 2015.
Aquino reiterated his anti-corruption campaign by ensuring transparency in government procedures and budgetary processes.
Estrada, for his part, said there can be no sustainable development without peace and order.
The presidential candidates agreed on the need to review the performances of the National Food Authority, Sugar Regulatory Administration and the Laguna Lake Development Authority.
Estrada lamented that the country has become the world’s biggest rice importer unlike during his administration when there was enough rice supply.
Villar said he would see to it that the economic growth under his administration would impact significantly on the lives of ordinary Filipinos.
“It is not enough for us just to grow (the economy) fast, but it is important that our people will feel the effects of high economic growth,” Villar said.
“It is very easy to formulate policies. It is very easy to prepare platforms. But it is very important to demonstrate our capability to do what we will commit to do and to be able to implement strategies,” he said.
On food security concerns, Villar said he intends to modernize agriculture to which sector 70 percent of the poor reportedly belong. “It is important to provide safety nets for the poorest of the poor,” he said.
“I see the potential of agriculture, especially in the last few years we neglected (it). And I would advise that there is interest in agriculture not only in the Philippines but all over the world and it’s best to revive agriculture now,” Villar said.
“In reducing loses, we have to work on entities like NFA,” he said, adding that it has been mismanaged and is no longer responsive to the needs of the people.
“Now I’m not saying I’ll abolish the NFA, I’m just saying that you have to redefine the role of the NFA,” he added.
“I’m very confident that we can be sufficient. Let’s start with the doables: number one, repair the existing irrigation system. We have to review the irrigation system for productivity per peso. Priority should be given to the doables,” Villar said.
On the issue of energy, Villar said the country has to attract more foreign investments in power. “We have to remove the cartel, if there is one, and welcome all investors,” he said.
Villar also pointed out how corruption could affect the flow of foreign direct investments.
“We cannot forget about corruption. This must be addressed. For me, it’s how you do it in the first 100 days that your term will not be corrupt,” he added.
Villanueva said he would “eradicate bad governance” and emphasized the need for the government to maximize the utilization of its natural resources to help propel the economy.
Stop smuggling
Gordon, of Bagumbayan party, called on the public to help government put a stop to smuggling as he also promised to set up a 24-hour desk at Malacañang where informants may relay information on smuggling activities.
“We must be a part of the process of change. We will have a 24-hour desk in Malacañang to receive reports on smuggling,” he said.
Gordon also called on the people to buy more Philippine-made goods to counter the flow of smuggled goods coming from China.
Gordon stressed that Filipinos should be proud of goods made in the Philippines in the same manner that he is proud of the goods manufactured inside the Subic Freeport.
When asked about his plan for job generation, Gordon said the Philippines may invigorate the domestic job market by strengthening its tourism sector.
“I speak from my experience in Subic. You have to show that you have the legal infrastructure in place. I will promote tourism. Tourism is the best way to generate jobs. We must develop tourism zones and develop the entrepreneurial spirit,” said Gordon, a former Tourism secretary and chief of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.
Meanwhile, Gordon also batted for responsible mining, saying the country could benefit much from the estimated $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits.
Gordon said that while mining may prove to be profitable for the country, it should be done with consultation with the local communities affected.
“$1 trillion ang nasa ilalim ng ating bansa (underground). But there must be responsible mining, a consultation with the community and the stakeholders. The national government should know what to do. We should have sustainable good mining practices. The law on this should be clear,” he said.
Gordon also stressed that Filipinos should develop a competitive spirit and take the initiative to solve problems.
“We need to handle ourselves as a country and as a people. We need to become a country that fixes the problem and not looking for blame. It is time now to stop others from performing better than we do. Our businesses here can compete with the rest of the world,” he said.
Gordon also called on business leaders to help inspire their countrymen to excel and build their future in the Philippines.
“We should find our future here. Let us cast aside our doubts. It is our doubts that hinder our dreams. We must realize that if we don’t act today, and if we don’t inspire our countrymen, we are not leaders,” Gordon said.
Biased
Meanwhile, Aquino complained of what he viewed as bias of forum moderator Tony Lopez for his closest rival Villar.
Aquino was apparently piqued by changes in the sequence of questioning from the PCCI panel.
Aquino was surprised when Lopez told him on stage in the third round that he would be the first one to answer the businessmen’s queries.
In alphabetical order, Aquino was the first one to speak among the presidential aspirants, and this was reversed in the second round, during which Villar spoke first. In the third round, what Lopez failed to do was remind everyone that it was back to the first round policy.
“He’s favoring Villar. He has already several articles on that matter,” Aquino said, apparently referring to Lopez’s column in the Manila Times. Lopez is a veteran journalist and a member of the Manila Overseas Press Club.
Aquino said he knew the background of Lopez from the very start, and just hoped he could get a fair deal. But Lopez made known his bias against Aquino from the very beginning, when he stated Aquino was for “imagination” while Villar’s policy was “action.”
Most impressive
PCCI vice chairman Donald Dee said “as usual Gibo (Teodoro) was most impressive.”
Speaking to reporters after yesterday’s presidential debate, Dee said Teodoro’s platform and answers stood out against other aspirants who attended the forum.
The PCCI panel, composed of representatives from various business organizations, was also reported to have been dazzled by Teodoro’s performance.
The panel was composed of Miguel Varela, chairman emeritus of PCCI; Alfonso Uy, president of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry; Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr., president of the Philippine Exporters Confederation; Edgardo Lacson, president of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines; Jesus Pineda, chairman of Philippines Inc.; Eusebio Tan, president of the Management Association of the Philippines and Gregorio Navarro, president of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines.
Ortiz-Luis criticized the stand of Aquino on fiscal prudence. “I have never agreed with fiscal prudence. We should spend in accordance with our growth targets. We have to expand our economy,” Ortiz-Luis said. With Jaime Laude, Delon Porcalla, Mike Frialde, Ma. Elisa Osorio
MANILA, Philippines - It was another opportunity for presidential hopefuls to display their expertise in what matters most to many Filipinos – the economy.
Five presidential candidates presented their economic platforms yesterday before the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) at the Manila Marriott Hotel in Pasay City.
Taking a break from their campaign, Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno Aquino III, former President Joseph Estrada, Sen. Richard Gordon, administration bet Gilbert Teodoro Jr., evangelist Eddie Villanueva and Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Sen. Manny Villar took questions from the PCCI panel.
All candidates discussed the need to stamp out corruption, reduce the budget deficit, and ensure food security by developing agriculture.
Teodoro, in his opening speech, said efforts should be made to reduce the number of poor from 45.3 percent of the population in 1991 to 22.7 percent by 2015.
Aquino reiterated his anti-corruption campaign by ensuring transparency in government procedures and budgetary processes.
Estrada, for his part, said there can be no sustainable development without peace and order.
The presidential candidates agreed on the need to review the performances of the National Food Authority, Sugar Regulatory Administration and the Laguna Lake Development Authority.
Estrada lamented that the country has become the world’s biggest rice importer unlike during his administration when there was enough rice supply.
Villar said he would see to it that the economic growth under his administration would impact significantly on the lives of ordinary Filipinos.
“It is not enough for us just to grow (the economy) fast, but it is important that our people will feel the effects of high economic growth,” Villar said.
“It is very easy to formulate policies. It is very easy to prepare platforms. But it is very important to demonstrate our capability to do what we will commit to do and to be able to implement strategies,” he said.
On food security concerns, Villar said he intends to modernize agriculture to which sector 70 percent of the poor reportedly belong. “It is important to provide safety nets for the poorest of the poor,” he said.
“I see the potential of agriculture, especially in the last few years we neglected (it). And I would advise that there is interest in agriculture not only in the Philippines but all over the world and it’s best to revive agriculture now,” Villar said.
“In reducing loses, we have to work on entities like NFA,” he said, adding that it has been mismanaged and is no longer responsive to the needs of the people.
“Now I’m not saying I’ll abolish the NFA, I’m just saying that you have to redefine the role of the NFA,” he added.
“I’m very confident that we can be sufficient. Let’s start with the doables: number one, repair the existing irrigation system. We have to review the irrigation system for productivity per peso. Priority should be given to the doables,” Villar said.
On the issue of energy, Villar said the country has to attract more foreign investments in power. “We have to remove the cartel, if there is one, and welcome all investors,” he said.
Villar also pointed out how corruption could affect the flow of foreign direct investments.
“We cannot forget about corruption. This must be addressed. For me, it’s how you do it in the first 100 days that your term will not be corrupt,” he added.
Villanueva said he would “eradicate bad governance” and emphasized the need for the government to maximize the utilization of its natural resources to help propel the economy.
Stop smuggling
Gordon, of Bagumbayan party, called on the public to help government put a stop to smuggling as he also promised to set up a 24-hour desk at Malacañang where informants may relay information on smuggling activities.
“We must be a part of the process of change. We will have a 24-hour desk in Malacañang to receive reports on smuggling,” he said.
Gordon also called on the people to buy more Philippine-made goods to counter the flow of smuggled goods coming from China.
Gordon stressed that Filipinos should be proud of goods made in the Philippines in the same manner that he is proud of the goods manufactured inside the Subic Freeport.
When asked about his plan for job generation, Gordon said the Philippines may invigorate the domestic job market by strengthening its tourism sector.
“I speak from my experience in Subic. You have to show that you have the legal infrastructure in place. I will promote tourism. Tourism is the best way to generate jobs. We must develop tourism zones and develop the entrepreneurial spirit,” said Gordon, a former Tourism secretary and chief of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.
Meanwhile, Gordon also batted for responsible mining, saying the country could benefit much from the estimated $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits.
Gordon said that while mining may prove to be profitable for the country, it should be done with consultation with the local communities affected.
“$1 trillion ang nasa ilalim ng ating bansa (underground). But there must be responsible mining, a consultation with the community and the stakeholders. The national government should know what to do. We should have sustainable good mining practices. The law on this should be clear,” he said.
Gordon also stressed that Filipinos should develop a competitive spirit and take the initiative to solve problems.
“We need to handle ourselves as a country and as a people. We need to become a country that fixes the problem and not looking for blame. It is time now to stop others from performing better than we do. Our businesses here can compete with the rest of the world,” he said.
Gordon also called on business leaders to help inspire their countrymen to excel and build their future in the Philippines.
“We should find our future here. Let us cast aside our doubts. It is our doubts that hinder our dreams. We must realize that if we don’t act today, and if we don’t inspire our countrymen, we are not leaders,” Gordon said.
Biased
Meanwhile, Aquino complained of what he viewed as bias of forum moderator Tony Lopez for his closest rival Villar.
Aquino was apparently piqued by changes in the sequence of questioning from the PCCI panel.
Aquino was surprised when Lopez told him on stage in the third round that he would be the first one to answer the businessmen’s queries.
In alphabetical order, Aquino was the first one to speak among the presidential aspirants, and this was reversed in the second round, during which Villar spoke first. In the third round, what Lopez failed to do was remind everyone that it was back to the first round policy.
“He’s favoring Villar. He has already several articles on that matter,” Aquino said, apparently referring to Lopez’s column in the Manila Times. Lopez is a veteran journalist and a member of the Manila Overseas Press Club.
Aquino said he knew the background of Lopez from the very start, and just hoped he could get a fair deal. But Lopez made known his bias against Aquino from the very beginning, when he stated Aquino was for “imagination” while Villar’s policy was “action.”
Most impressive
PCCI vice chairman Donald Dee said “as usual Gibo (Teodoro) was most impressive.”
Speaking to reporters after yesterday’s presidential debate, Dee said Teodoro’s platform and answers stood out against other aspirants who attended the forum.
The PCCI panel, composed of representatives from various business organizations, was also reported to have been dazzled by Teodoro’s performance.
The panel was composed of Miguel Varela, chairman emeritus of PCCI; Alfonso Uy, president of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry; Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr., president of the Philippine Exporters Confederation; Edgardo Lacson, president of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines; Jesus Pineda, chairman of Philippines Inc.; Eusebio Tan, president of the Management Association of the Philippines and Gregorio Navarro, president of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines.
Ortiz-Luis criticized the stand of Aquino on fiscal prudence. “I have never agreed with fiscal prudence. We should spend in accordance with our growth targets. We have to expand our economy,” Ortiz-Luis said. With Jaime Laude, Delon Porcalla, Mike Frialde, Ma. Elisa Osorio
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