The business community has urged President Gloria Arroyo to immediately act to rehabilitate the agricultural areas affected by the recent typhoons to address food security and implement measures that would improve the overall competitiveness of the country before her term ends.

This was contained in the 35th Philippine Business Conference (PBC) resolutions submitted to President Gloria Arroyo that the business community led by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry would like to be addressed and respond during her keynote speech Tuesday at the Manila Hotel.

Even as the President Arroyo’s term is coming to an end in less than eight months, PCCI president Edgardo B. Lacson cannot be a lame duck president given the recent calamities that wrought havoc to the country’s agriculture and infrastructure.

“She cannot be a lame duck president. She still has until June next year to quack,” Lacson said as he noted the massive reconstruction efforts that must be done to rehabilitate the typhoon ravaged agricultural areas and infrastructure facilities.

Lacson said that in the history of the PBC, at least 60 percent of their resolutions have been acted upon and implemented by the government.

“The government should address the PBC resolutions because these would make the country competitive,” he said.

This year’s PBC carries the theme, “One. Global. Filipino “Regional Economic Development – Frontline to Sustainability.”

On the short term, the PBC resolutions highlighted the need for the government to allocate substantial resources to rehabilitate affected areas and crops in Central & North Luzon as well as come up with measures to augment farmers incomes including the provision of agricultural production and post-harvest machineries to replace affected machineries.

This can be done by fully implementing the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act to make it more effective in expanding agri-food exports, modernization of the sector and promote growth.

The President was also urged to direct the Department of Agriculture to expand the implementation of the concept of the FIELDS program to cover other export winners and crop production zones in strategic regions Private Finance Initiatives under the BOT and BOO concepts in partnership with the local government units.

On infrastructure development, the PBC has listed four major infrastructure projects whose implementation need to be fast-tracked this year.

These are LRT 1 South Extension, MRT 2 North and South Extensions, Caticlan runway extension and NLEX Extension to Pangasinan.

The PBC has also pushed for the passage of 13 priority legislative agenda before the 14th Congress closes.
These are Amendment to Customs Brokers Act (pending 2nd reading); Department of Information and Communication Bill (DICT) SB 2546 (pending 2nd reading) and endorsed by President Macapagal Arroyo in her SONA;

Freedom of Access of Information Bill* SB 3308 (pending 2nd reading);

Rationalization of Fiscal Incentives Bill* (pending in Economic Affairs Committee); Simplified Net Income Tax Scheme* (SNITS) (pending in Senate Ways and Means Committee (SWMC); Anti-Smuggling Bill (pending SWMC); Amendments to the BSP Charter Bill (pending in SWMC); Land Use Bill (pending in Natural Resources Committee); Residential Free Patent Bill (pending in Constitutional Amendments Committee); OECD Tax Compliance Amendments (pending in SWMC) Ratification of the Revised Kyoto Convention Pre-Need Code (for consideration by the Bicameral Committee); Real Estate Investment Trust Bill (still pending with bicameral committee); Amendments to the BSP Charter Bill (pending in House Ways and Means (HWMC); Anti-Smuggling Bill (pending HWMC); Land Use Bill (pending in Land Use Committee); and OECD Tax Compliance Amendments (pending in HWMC).

To protect domestic industries, the PBC also pushed for the immediate creation of an Industry and Services Advisory Council an appointment of a permanent trade negotiator to institutionalize private sector participation in trade negotiations.

The government is also urged to undertake a study and impact analyses of the various free trade agreements to the Philippine business in the next five to ten years.

The business community has also urged the government to champion the introduction of a legislation on competition and investment practices that would minimize if not eliminate monopolies and cartel in the country.

To develop the small and medium enterprises, the president was urged to set-up a Development Fund to finance developmental programs and activities to help finance developmental programs and activities.

For the medium term, the PBC has urged for urged the Department of Transportation and Communication, and the Department of Agriculture to address logistical issues that serve as deterrents to more efficient transport of perishable food products by expanding the Green Lane Pass to Visayas and Mindanao.

Other resolutions include addressing the infrastructure gaps critical to the development of the Subic-Clark Batangas logistics corridor, the C6, DMIA terminal 2 and the high-speed train from Clark to the Central Business District.

To further develop the regions, which the PBC said is crucial to the development of the country, the president was asked to fast track the implementation and completion of key infrastructure projects in the super regions.

The PBC also asked for the issuance of an Energy Program Commission Study to achieve regionally competitive power rates and reliability of supply within the shortest possible time; and
submit the formal report and recommendation within 150 days.

On investments, the government was asked to create the Business Registry Databank System in the country with the end-goal of establishing a consolidated repository of data on enterprises that will help in business- matching and in crafting business-friendly policies.

On labor, the business community would like the Philippine Overseas and Employment Administration and the Overseas Welfare Workers Administration to provide mechanisms to protect current and returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from the perils of overseas work such as piracy, hijacking and terrorism.