Tuesday, October 10, 2006 Groups pledge seed money for nat'l competitiveness body
BUSINESS federations and chambers in the country threw their support to a national action agenda on competitiveness by committing to raise the seed fund for the operations of a National Competitiveness Council.
The same group likewise volunteered resources for specific programs covered by the action agenda approved during the summit.
The pledge made by the major business groups was formalized in a covenant of support signed by the heads of 14 organizations who committed logistical resources to activate and help sustain a National Competitiveness Council.
The council was organized towards the end of the National Competitiveness Summit held at the Heroes Hall of the Malacañang Palace called by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo last October 6.
The council has been tasked to push a national action agenda on competitiveness prepared by task groups on six major sources of competitive advantages that were refined and finalized during the summit. It was a product of the partnership between the government and the business community.
Committed on a program to build a pool of competitive Filipino workers and professionals, the group has promised to expand the Manggagawang Pinoy training program pioneered by the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (Ecop) and promote nine professions identified with high export potentials and include their plans in the rolling Philippine export development plan.
The summit was called in the heels of a succession of ratings report made by international institutions, the latest of which was a report by the World Bank (WB) that the Philippines is one of the worst places in the globe to do business.
The signatories in the covenant were Ambassador Donald R. Dee, president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI); Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis Jr., president of the Philippine Exporters Confederation (Philexport) Inc.; Francis Chua, president of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FCCCII); Miguel B. Varela, chairman of Ecop; Mars Chua, president of the Philippine Retailers Association; Franco del Rosario, vice president; Management Association of the Philippines; Jesus M. Pineda Jr., chairman, Philippines, Inc; Meneleo Carlos, chairman of the Federation of Philippine Industries; Alegria Limjoco, chairman of the Philippine Franchise Association; Feliciano L. Torres, chairman of the Philippine Automotive Federation, Inc.; Emerico de Guzman, president of the Personnel Management Association of the Philippines (Pmap); and Ernesto Santiago, Executive Director Semiconductors and Electronic Industries of the Philippines Inc.
The covenant was a rare display of unity in a business community that has had a long history of rivalry not only because of business competition but in divergent views on economic and other national issues.
In the covenant, the business leaders agreed to "commit to provide logistical, administrative and other resources to help promote and implement fully the specific programs and projects under the National Competitiveness Agenda which consists of quick wins and strategic recommendations in a short, medium and long-term" timeline.
In addition to putting in private funds to the program, the group pledged to work with their counterparts of government on specific programs and projects that address actual problems in financing small and medium enterprises (SMEs), building pivotal infrastructure, addressing the deteriorating quality of education and manpower training, red tape and corruption in government, issues on high power rates and future energy supply and corporate and public service governance. (Abe P. Belena/Philexport News and Features/Sunnex)
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