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Sunday, April 22, 2007
Arroyo tells Asia forum to help uplift poor
MANILA -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo urged leaders in the Asian region to “think outside the box” and use “every tool available” to help the indigent sector of society through equitable, sustainable growth.
Arroyo arrived Saturday afternoon from a shortened trip to China, less than 24 hours after leaving Friday night.
Pinoy Votes: Sun.Star Election 2007 Coverage
In her keynote speech at the plenary session of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), Arroyo urged Asian countries to learn from other nations and create their own sustained path to development.
"We must think outside the box, harness technology and use innovation to break the cycle of energy dependence and environmental degradation," she said at the three-day confab in China’s southernmost island of Hainan.
Arroyo was one of four keynote speakers who included Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Microsoft Corporation chairman Bill Gates and Wu Bangguo, chairman of the standing committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China.
In calling for "tools," Arroyo referred to education, technology and microfinance as the major drivers of sustainable growth.
To illustrate the need for thinking outside the box, she cited Gates and Microsoft's success, saying the "power of innovation" allowed them to "change the world for the better."
Arroyo also pointed out that China’s remarkable rise reflects the promise and challenge "of the world we live in." "We see your dramatic growth lifting millions out of poverty and springing your nation squarely onto the world stage as a new global power. And you also need to balance growth with concerns for the environment and the quality of life," she said.
But she reminded them China and India that as they eventually grow into political and economic giants, "their obligations to their neighbors will increase, and separate from their own obligations to their citizens."
"Ascendance onto the world stage carries implications not just for economic development, but for management of our environment on a sustainable basis and for sustaining broader peace and stability in the region and the world," she said.
She pushed for greater economic integration between Southeast Asia and the robust economies of China, India and Japan, as chairwoman of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
Arroyo welcomed the surge in economic growth of the three countries as a healthy development for the Philippines and the region as a whole.
"The internal market demands and domestic consumption of these nations are having a direct and positive impact on our nation in terms of job creation, investment and balance of trade," she said.
Earlier, she issued a departure statement where she said the Philippines can expect "a number of economic agreements that will create new jobs for Filipinos and support infrastructure development to raise the competitiveness of our country."
"These commitments are testament to the progress we have made in enhancing our economic environment and the confidence of the international community in our country and economy," she said.
"While our visit to China has been shortened, we will make the most of this opportunity to send a clear message to business and government leaders attending this year’s Boao Forum that we are bullish on our region’s future, but our challenge in Asia is to think outside the box, not live within it. And we must use every tool available to us - education, technology, microfinance - to lift up our poor, if we are to achieve equitable, sustainable growth," she added.
Joining her in China were Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila and Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, and a Philippine business delegation. (JMR/Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. (April 22, 2007 issue)
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