Palace vows to include wish list of businessmen in Sona

Palace vows to include wish list of businessmen in Sona

Malacañang assured on Thursday that President Aquino will definitely include the “wish list” of reform measures submitted by leaders of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the Makati Business Club (MBC) and the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) when the Chief Executive delivers his State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday.

Communications Secretary Herminio B. Coloma Jr. told the BusinessMirror that the list of concerns raised by the business community for inclusion in Mr. Aquino’s Sona are “encompassed by the first pillar of the Aquino-era Philippine Export Development Plan: Attain inclusive, sustainable and long-term economic development.”

“The President aims to address the concerns of all stakeholders, as regards the Filipino people as his bosses” in his annual report, or Sona, before a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives next week, Coloma added.

The PCCI, MBC and MAP earlier sought the President’s commitment to push the early passage of remedial measures covering “key economic issues and policy reforms,” even as the concerned business groups acknowledged that Mr. Aquino’s daang matuwid (good-governance) advocacy had significantly improved the country’s business climate.

PCCI President Alfred Yao said apart from pushing the passage of the proposed competition law, the biggest business group in the Philippines is also endorsing investments in hard and soft infrastructure that will provide safety nets to industries through competitive power rates; tougher reforms to curb smuggling, corruption and more transparency in public-private partnership projects; improved coordination between national and local governments for more consistent application of laws; labor-policy reforms to attract more investments that generate new jobs; as well as improved coordination between the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches “to ensure internalization of small and medium enterprises.”

For his part, MBC Executive Director Peter Angelo Perfecto said foreign chambers are joining his group in submitting to President Aquino by Thursday their own list of recommendations likely to include “action points on good governance, inclusive growth and foreign investments,” among others.

Source: http://businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/en/news/top-news/36013-palace-vows-to-include-wish-list-of-businessmen-in-sona