Business convenors’ summit to be held in Davao

A two-day business convenors’ conference is being organized by incoming finance secretary Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez to be held next week in Davao. The business “summit” is an initiative to get the pulse of businessmen about their expectations under the administration of president-elect Rodrigo Duterte, and to also get their feedback regarding the economy and to know the concerns of various sectors and industries.

We’re told that some of the country’s biggest groups such as the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FFCCCI), the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) and other major organizations have been invited to take part in the upcoming conference. The event was originally planned with about 250 participants but over 400 individuals had already signified their intention to join this summit which could turn out to be the biggest business convention so far.  

One of those who will be joining is the group of hotelier Arthur Lopez, president of the Philippine Hotel Owners’ Association, who is expected to present the concerns faced by hospitality industry players, among them the issue of “endo” or contractual employment. Considering the seasonal nature of the hospitality industry (since the number of required personnel is dependent on the number of tourists or visitors that spike up during peak season but wane during lean months), Arthur and his group have several recommendations based on their industry roadmap. 

We’re not sure though if the members of the Makati Business Club have been invited because president-elect Duterte had some choice words for the MBC during a previous press conference in Davao where he called the members “elitistang ulol” (elitist fools). Duterte was apparently ticked off by the insistent questions about his plans with regard to infrastructure and the economy, responding that since he is a lawyer, he could talk for days about the law – but when it comes to the economy, he has his Cabinet appointees to take care of that. Hopefully, the MBC will also be invited because it is a major business organization and the members can do a lot to help the country prosper, both individuality and collectively. 

Last year, various business groups gave their “wish list” to outgoing president Noy Aquino, outlining the critical reforms that could help generate jobs, reduce poverty and put the Philippines on the global map as a serious competitor.  Aside from the bureaucratic red tape that continues to make it difficult to put up a business (specially small and medium enterprises), among the concerns raised involve the energy reserves gap in Luzon and the need for policies that will give priority to the welfare of agriculture industry workers since they make up a third of the country’s total work force, among others. 

The incoming finance secretary, who is a businessman himself, has assured business groups that the Duterte administration will work to enhance economic gains and make sure that these gains would be felt by ordinary Filipinos. Even before his actual assumption, Sonny has been working double time to effect a smooth transition, going over voluminous documents, among them the proposed tax reform package that is supposed to broaden the tax base while correcting inequities.  

While foreign ratings agencies have given positive outlooks and have praised the country’s impressive economic growth, Dominguez noted that the average Filipino has not really benefitted from that growth, saying that the 22 percent gain in per capita income in the last five years has not done much to reduce the poverty that continues to be widespread, with some three out of 10 Filipinos still living below the poverty line.  

Is the US becoming the most dangerous place to live in?

The recent shooting in a club in Orlando, Florida has once again opened debates regarding gun control laws in the US, with President Barack Obama reiterating calls for stricter gun control, saying that the “massacre is therefore a further reminder of how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon that lets them shoot people in a school, or in a house of worship or a movie theater, or in a nightclub.” 

The latest act of terror – with the shooter Omar Mateen said to have pledged allegiance to ISIS prior to the attack – is the deadliest so far in US history with 50 people dead and 53 wounded, reminding Americans and the rest of the world about the senseless shootings that have taken innocent lives including schoolchildren as seen in the 2012 killing spree at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut that left 27 people dead including 20 elementary school children. In 2007, 32 people were killed by a rampaging South Korea-born student who stormed Virginia Tech, which was the biggest mass shooting in the recent history of the US prior to the Orlando massacre. 

The Philippines is being dubbed as the deadliest place for journalists but the latest shooting is making many wonder if America is the deadliest place to live in by ordinary citizens, with more than 325 people dead from mass shootings since the time an American engineering student named Charles Whitman stood on a tower at the University of Texas where – for about an hour and a half – he started shooting people at random, killing 18 and wounding 32 others in 1966.  And we’re not even talking about the individual shootings that have snuffed out innocent lives over the years. 

For sure, the Orlando massacre is going to be a major campaign issue in the US elections, with Donald Trump focusing on radical terrorism as the problem – not gun control – telling Obama to step down and saying the US president could not even bring himself to say the words “radical Islam” as the problem.

***

Email: [email protected]