Go to government, LGUs: Prepare attractive trade, industry policies

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Bong Go has urged the national and local governments to begin drawing up a stable and conducive policy environment that will entice stakeholders and investors to start businesses in the provinces to support the plan for the implementation of a “Balik Probinsya” program once the country overcomes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.

“While we are fighting the COVID-19, we are preparing the ‘new normal’ where we can face the effect of the crisis on our economy and day-to-day living. We want to make sure that the country can rise above the challenges and be more prepared with any crisis ahead of us,” Go said in Filipino.

He said motivating city dwellers and “incentivizing” businesses to relocate to the provinces would be the long-term goal, and key programs of different agencies that can help promote the Balik Probinsya initiative must be identified and prioritized.

“While we want Filipinos to go back to their provinces from cities like Metro Manila, one of the goals of the proposed Balik Probinsya program is to ensure preparedness and entice businessmen to invest in the province,” Go said.

“To attain progress, national and local governments should start planning to make trade and industry roadmap and concrete policies to make sure that investments will go to the provinces,” the senator added.

Go said the policies must complement the objectives of the proposed Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act or the CITIRA bill, now pending in the Senate.

The bill, which seeks to reform the corporate income tax and incentives system in the country, will provide a fair ground of tax collection and incentive for urban and rural areas and benefit local and rural communities with the new investments coming in.

It is primarily authored by Sen. Pia Cayetano and was certified as urgent by President Duterte in March.