A good start to something is always, err… good; but, in this case, it’s even better.
Yes, what better way to jumpstart one’s administration than by engaging in that sector from which you would draw most, if not all, of your ten-point socio-economic agenda: business. And this is what the incoming administration of President-elect Rodrigo Roa Duterte just did, together with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and the Mindanao Business Council (MBC): Engage the business community in a conference dubbed Sulong Pilipinas: Hakbang Tungo Sa Kaunlaran at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City to promote inclusive growth and the aforementioned ten-point agenda.
This is a good indication of things to come. I have yet to recall an incoming administration engage the business community to a collaborative effort even prior to coming into office. It just goes to show that the incoming President acknowledges the business sector as his able partner in good governance.
The two-day conference, composed mostly of consultative workshops, was the opportunity of the incoming administration to present its VMG (vision, mission, goals) to the business community in a language that was more familiar to them. President Digong’s economic team, led by incoming Finance Secretary Carlos “Sonny” G. Dominguez, emphasized collaboration and the coalition between government and business, and that these are vital to ensure that their targets would be met.
The business leaders who attended the conference were all in agreement with what the incoming government officials were saying, especially about fighting corruption and about upholding the sanctity of contracts.
Speaking of corruption, incoming DOTC Secretary Art Tugade surprised conference participants with these words: “The expectations are so high that we, in government, should not be corrupt. Our expectations are as high that you, the business community, should not try to corrupt us…” This, of course, was met with much surprise. He goes on: ““You want us not to be corrupt? Do not bribe and bind yourselves to us and gain our patronage!” In the end he asked the business community present if he could expect from them not to corrupt the incoming government officials, to which the participants answered with a resounding “Yes!”
Likewise, my good friend and co-panelist in the Go Negosyo Meet The Presidentiables Series, incoming DTI Secretary Mon Lopez, also spoke about the ease of doing business in the Philippines and cited the example of Davao City in the expediency of processing documents. He said that it was the goal of the Duterte administration to reduce the bureaucracy or red tape by as much as 50%. According to him, businessmen should worry more about their businesses and not be made to wait in line just to process documents.
All in all, the businessmen that I talked to there showed much enthusiasm and were very appreciative of this move by the next administration. Why not? In the end, it’s all about government and business working together for the common good of the common people. It is a partnership that is indispensable for the nation to move forward.