Visayas traders call for gov’t action

ASIDE from calling for government to address the power crisis in the region, delegates of the 19th Visayas Business Conference (VABC) also passed resolutions on competitiveness, infrastructure, education and small and medium enterprises (SME) development for different provinces in the Visayas.

To increase competitiveness, the chambers asked the Tariff Commission to provide protection to the infant bio-fuels industry by increasing tariff on imported bio-ethanol fuel to 20 percent.

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It also asked the government to revoke the single procurement system that centralized purchase of goods and services for government agencies and retain the old procurement system where all government agencies were allowed to procure their requirements individually.

They also urged the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) to lower the stripping fees in all PPA ports as the additional costs can simply be passed on to consumers.

On infrastructure, the local chambers asked the PPA to construct a berthing facility and a common passenger terminal at Loboc International Port in Iloilo City for the use of fast crafts plying the Iloilo-Bacolod route.

Iloilo airport

The chambers also urged government to maximize the use of the Iloilo International Airport by opening flights to and from Hong Kong and South Korea to serve overseas Filipino workers from Western Visayas as well as Korean students and tourists entering the region.

They also urged the Department of Public Works and Highways to immediately rehabilitate the Panay Railways, the 117-kilometer railway system from Iloilo City to Roxas City.

The chamber also urged government to develop major access points between Iloilo and Guimaras by improving the jetty port in Parola and the ports of Jordan and Buenavista in Guimaras to accelerate trade, commerce and tourism in both areas.

Aside from this, they also urged the government to build a bridge to connect the islands of Negros, Guimaras and Iloilo and implement various road improvement and fast-track ongoing pipeline infrastructure projects in Cebu to speed up economic progress in these provinces.

To raise awareness on the environment, the chamber urged the Aquino administration to direct the Department of Education to include ecology as a separate subject in all school levels in both private and public schools.

On SME development, the local chambers urged the government to channel a certain percentage of the net revenues of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to local trade chambers to fund their SME development and promotion programs and services.

Senior citizens

As for other sectors, the chambers also called for the amendment of the Juvenile Delinquency Law, saying it encourages minors to engage in both petty and serious crimes because they are shielded from prosecution and punishment.

They also asked for the amendment of the Senior Citizens’ Law by giving dealers tax credits equivalent to the discounts granted to senior citizens. Without that, they said the law should be revoked. The three-day convention opened on June 25 and was attended by 17 Visayas business chambers.