PIA Dispatch (20 May 2010)

PGMA says incoming administration should continue JPEPA

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday (May 19) said the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) should be continued by the next administration.

In an interview with NHK-Japan Broadcasting Corp. at Kalayaan Hall in Malacañang, the President described the economic deal with Japan as a “win-win agreement”, describing Japan as a “strong ally and partner for the Philippines and for the region.”

“JPEPA certainly strengthens that partnership, especially during this time of global economic crisis,” the President said.

JPEPA was signed by President Arroyo and then Japan Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in Helsinki, Finland, in September 2006. It was ratified by the Philippine Senate two years later.

On the trade aspect, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) projects JPEPA would increase Philippine exports to Japan annually by 20 percent and would open an estimated P300 billion worth of pipeline investments ranging from automotive parts to garments, allowing the country to diversify its trading reliance on the United States.

On the labor side, President Arroyo said “JPEPA brings the benefits of our strong cooperation to the people themselves in the form of opportunities for more job creation, business opportunities, and economic growth.”

The President, however, said Japan should expand its language training program to help Filipino medical workers and caregivers find work in Japan.

“I just hope that Japan will be able to maximize the cooperation on language training so that out caregivers and medical workers can take better advantage of opportunities, which will also be good for the older Japanese people,” the President said.


Palace glad over improved RP competitiveness ranking

Malacañang today expressed satisfaction over the four-step improvement in the ranking of the Philippines in the World Competitiveness Yearbook released by Switzerland-based IMD World Competitiveness Center.

In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Ricardo Saludo said the government felt gratified by the rating improvement because it has in particular strived to maintain the country’s economic growth and to address inefficiencies in government.

“Our economy has been among the top performing in the world during the global recession. We were one of the few economies that maintained our growth, which the Arroyo administration has maintained for more than nine years, including second quarter of 2010,” Saludo added.

The Palace is certainly very happy about this achievement and now we are happy that the world has acknowledged this and will hopefully improve perceptions of investors regarding our country, Saludo said.

The Philippines rose from 39th with a score of 56.526 out of a perfect score of 100, from 43rd last year from among the 58 economies included in the report.

Among the Asean peers, Singapore had a perfect score of 100, Malaysia ranked 10th with a score of 87.228, Indonesia, 26th with 73.233 and Thailand, 35th with 60.745.

The report said that for 2010, the Philippines has to hurdle challenges like applying the rule of law and restoring faith in public institutions, ensuring food and energy security, planning for natural disasters and climate change, providing entrepreneurial opportunities, jobs, skills training and education in the countryside, and addressing migration into cities and configuring urban areas appropriately.

Saludo said the second area of focus is government efficiency, particularly in processing permits, licenses and other procedural requirements for businesses and investments.

This was addressed by Civil Service Commission, which Saludo used to chair, when it adopted the Anti Red Tape Act.

“This was a one-year deadline given to CSC and we completed it in September 2009 with 4,000 government entities having been made compliant with the Anti Red Tape Act,” Saludo added.

Saludo said the implementation of the Anti Red Tape Act has helped improved government efficiency rating and he hopes that this would be maintained.

He said he hopes that the massive infrastructure achievements of the Arroyo administration will somehow be acknowledged by the rating institution into changing its current negative rating on this area. In this aspect, the Philippines was ranked 3rd to the last at 56th place with a score of 9.888 in infrastructure.

Saludo said that certainly the Ro-Ro [roll on roll off], the nautical highway, the expressways that have been built, the airports and ports, tourism centers, the massive irrigation works that have been done exceeding a million hectares in new or rehabilitated areas plus our efforts at improving the power supply despite the brownouts this year, have improved our infrastructure for business and we hope that future surveys will acknowledge these.

Under the infrastructure sub-index which include basic infrastructure, scientific infrastructure and education, the country ranked 56th. However in health and environment it got a ranking of 48 and in technological infrastructure, it placed high at 29th.


Keep faith in modern election system—Saludo

Malacanang spokesman Secretary Ricardo Saludo today called on the people to be circumspect and not lose faith in the country’s resolve to modernize its electoral process because of minor and still-unproven allegations of electoral fraud.

“Hindi dapat hayaan ang pahayag ng isang tao at mga problema sa ilang mga dokumento at materials na mapawalang bisa ang buong halalan (We should not allow hollow allegations of one and a few purported documents of fraud to undermine the results of the recent elections), “ said Saludo in a press briefing today.

He said the issue is already being addressed in the ongoing committee investigation at the House of Representatives following accusations of electoral fraud from a still-unidentified “whistle blower”.

Saludo said that the recently conducted elections is widely accepted by the people as credible and recognized as a success by foreign observers.

He shared the view of the private-based poll watchdog, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), that the accusations be followed by proof, under the principle “that the burden of proof lies in the accuser.”

Saludo also reminded that there are proper venues to address electoral concerns. He added that the minor problems on the electoral process should not in any way hinder the canvassing and proclamation of election winners.

He said that the unhampered canvassing of votes is important because there is a constitutional deadline for the proclamation for the country’s new set of leaders.

Saludo said he hopes that the proclamation of winners could proceed on schedule so that there will be smooth and proper transition of governmental power to the next President by June.


Lakas to keep dominant role in RP politics—Saludo

Despite its election setbacks, the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD remains the dominant party in Philippine politics and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who recently reassumed party leadership, hopes to further improve the party’s position in the future.

In a news conference in Malacañang, Presidential Spokesman Secretary Ricardo Saludo said while few deserted the party during the campaign period, Lakas-Kampi still has the most number of members in the House of Representatives, which, he said, gives the party the status of being a major force in legislation.

“It (Lakas) continues to be dominant. It is the largest party in the Lower House. We still have governors and mayors all over the country,” Saludo said, counting about 109 Lakas members who won seats in the House of Representatives during the May 10 polls.

He said that as party head, President Arroyo wants to see the party maintain its political dominance and has vowed to focus on rebuilding the party.

“That is the long-term goal of the President,” Saludo said.