FOR the country to survive and stay competitive, special envoy for trade negotiations Donald Dee stressed the need for all stakeholders—the private sector and the government—to focus on export development and investment.
By doing so, he said, stakeholders would be able to zero in their efforts on the right target sectors.
“What sector (of the economy) should we focus on? Would it be services against manufacturing? We have to focus as to which market and which area in that market to help,” he said.
Dee cited information technology (IT), which has grown significantly in Manila and is also growing in Cebu, Laguna and Cagayan de Oro. These areas are becoming important hubs for IT, he said.
He said to realize further growth in IT, the academe has to develop a curriculum that answers the needs of the industry.
Dee, however, urged the public to change its mindset and not to expect the government to protect industries through tariff
walls or other measures that would encourage corruption and smuggling.
He pointed out that the policy on food must also change and that the government should find ways, such as through efficient use of land for agriculture, to ensure that demand is met.
Dee also recommended that tourism, mining and agriculture should also be considered priorities.
Project
To help institutionalize these sectors and their efforts, the research and advocacy think tank of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, called the Universal Access to Competitiveness and Trade (U-Act) that Dee chairs, will implement a three-year project from May this year until March 2011.
Dubbed as the “Institutionalization of Multi-Stakeholder Consultation Program on Trade Policy and Negotiations (I-Must for Trade),” the project is designed to increase the participation of business groups and development organizations in crafting trade policies that address the challenges of global liberalization and strengthen the country’s competitiveness.
The project received P18 million worth of technical assistance from the British Government.
U-Act already met with private sector representatives in Palawan for South Lu-zon, Clark for North Luzon, and Cagayan de Oro for Mindanao. Yesterday, Dee and U-Act personnel were in Cebu—the last leg of the series of consulations—to meet with the private and public sectors in the Visayas.
The consultations are expected to produce a “well-researched, effective and coherent” agenda for trade policy strategy formulation and negotiations, Dee said. (NRC)
