“Six months after the people elected President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and a new set of leaders into office, people want to see and feel the President’s call, and promise for unity”
“Onward to New Beginnings: Sustaining and Improving Philippine Development” is the theme of the Pilipinas Conference 2022 organized by the Stratbase ADR Institute which starts today after two years of going virtual, coming back as a live event.
Philippine and international thought leaders from the government, the academe, civil society, and top industry movers come together for two days of comprehensive analyses and strategies in addressing the most critical issues now confronting the country in the context of evolving threats of new COVID 19 variants and the geopolitical disturbances causing economic shock waves in the world economy.
Six months after the people elected President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and a new set of leaders into office, people want to see and feel the President’s call, and promise for unity.
It is therefore important to engage the new administration in setting a united roadmap with all sectors aligned in vision, objectives, priorities, and how we can optimize our human and natural resources to achieve results at the shortest timeline.
Now on its 7th year, the conference sessions will tackle the challenges in governance, security, and the economy. Three key areas of development that the Marcos Jr. administration must focus on with urgency.
The topic of first session is on “Governance and the Private Sector: Carving Paths to Inclusive Development.”
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman’s keynote address will talk about “Open Government and Digitization Efforts of the Department of Budget and Management.”
In the panel of speakers are Dr. Francisco Magno, Trustee and Program Convenor, Stratbase ADR Institute discussing the value of e-Governance in Philippine development; Dr. Philip Arnold Tuaño, Dean, Ateneo School of Government will talk about areas for citizen participation and engagement with Government; political and economic columnist, Mr. Andrew Masigan will explore reforms needed in economic and political institutions.
Dr. Ronald Mendoza, Former Dean of the Ateneo School of Government is the session moderator.
The second session of Day 1 which I have been given the honor of hosting and moderating is on “Bolstering Private Sector Initiatives: Promoting Investment-led, Sustainable, Resilient Economic Growth.”
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ma. Antonia “Toni” Yulo-Loyzaga will give her keynote address on Engaging the Private Sector in Managing the Country’s Environment and Natural Resources.
We shall hear the perspectives and best practices of the private sector and how responsible stewardship of the environment should be everybody’s business from sustainability advocates Mr. Guillermo “Bill” Luz, Chairperson, Liveable Cities Philippines;
Mr. Rene “Butch” Meily President, Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation; Mr. Gerard Brimo, Vice Chairman, Chamber of Mines of the Philippines; and Mr. Raymond Ravelo, First Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of Meralco.
Geopolitical issues will be the focus of the afternoon sessions where experts will give their deep analyses and recommendations on “Fostering Multilateral Cooperation in Addressing Maritime Security Challenges in the Indo-Pacific.”
Foreign Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Affairs Jesus Gary Domingo will talk about Upholding Civilian Security in a Rules-Based International Order and Coast Guard Rear Admiral Roy A. Echeverria’s topic will discuss how the government is addressing transnational crimes.
From the academe, Dr. Charmaine Misalucha-Willoughby, Associate Professor, International Studies Department of the De La Salle University – Manila will reveal the “Threats of Gray Zone Operations to National Security.”
Mr. Richard Heydarian, Non-Resident Fellow, Stratbase ADR Institute and Senior Lecturer, UP Asian Center will point out the strategic importance of forming alliances to achieve civil maritime security.
Civil Maritime Strategies for the need for inter-agency cooperation in implementing civil maritime strategies will be discussed by USec. Edmund Tayao, the Executive Director of the National Coast Watch Council Secretariat.
The second session on the geopolitical theme is on “The Future of the US-PH Alliance: Prospects for Peace and Security in the Indo-Pacific Region.”
Rear Admiral Rommel Jude Ong (Ret.), Professor of Praxis, Ateneo School of Government, proposes to pursue defense cooperation with like-minded States in the Indo-Pacific.
Col. Raymond Powell, US Air Force (Ret.) and US Army Officer, Major Angela Smith, both from the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, in the Stanford University, will discuss how to leverage publicly available data to deter intrusions into Philippine waters.
Dr. Renato de Castro, Trustee and Stratbase ADRi Program Convenor and Professor of De La Salle University – Manila will explore “The Future of the US-PH Alliance under the Marcos Administration” while Amb. Laura del Rosario, MA, M.Ed., the President of Miriam College, and former DFA Undersecretary, will delve into the strengthening of US-Philippine economic diplomacy.
The open forum will start with messages from US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson of the US Embassy in the Philippines and Ambasaador Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez, Philippine Ambassador to the US.
This is just day one. I’ll be featuring day two in my next column.
The insights from this extraordinary roster of speakers will have a direct impact on all of us.
I highly recommend that you follow the Pilipinas Conference at the Stratbase ADRi Facebook page.