Leni Robredo’s promise: Jobs for all

VP Leni Robredo recently announced her presidential reform agenda called “Hanapbuhay para sa lahat” (Jobs for all). At last, a presidential candidate finally presented a viable, realistic and sensible plan on how to move the country forward and improve our lives. No motherhood statements here – only concrete plans of action. It’s a welcome change from the hollow promises of Marcos who baits us with Yamashita’s gold and a return to the golden years of the seventies. Those “golden years,” mind you, are the very reason why the country has remained poor for 45 years.

At the heart of Robredo’s plan is the promise to provide jobs for every Filipino. In one masterplan, Robredo ventures to solve the nation’s biggest problems – poverty, unemployment and income inequality. The creation of jobs also translates to wealth generation for individuals and the country. This will help solve our clear and present threats such as the rising national debt, gaping budget deficit and the lack of funds for social services. So you see, job generation cuts through all our problems. It is genius and brilliantly composed.

The first item on the Robredo plan is to restore trust in government. Restoring trust means leveling the playing field, quashing corruption and reverting to rules-based governance. Robredo promises to clamp down on influence peddling, syndicates and red tape since these are the tumors that make the Philippines unideal for doing business and uncompetitive in attracting investors. With confidence restored, investments will pour in, jobs will be created and lives will improve.

The second aspect of the plan is to awaken Philippine industries. I was delighted to see the inclusion of maritime industries or “the blue economy.” I’ve been an advocate of the blue economy for years. Blue industries include shipbuilding, ports & shipyards management, logistics services, seafarer crewing, maritime financing, aquaculture and offshore energy exploration.

The Philippines has the world’s 5th largest coastline at 36,289 kilometers. Our maritime domain is 2.2 million square kilometers. We are the second largest provider of shipping crew and officers. Plus, we are in the center of the world’s richest fishing grounds. Given these assets, the Philippines has the potential to be a maritime powerhouse, one that can generate trillions in revenues. I’m glad Robredo recognizes this – no other president has.

I have also advocated the re-activation of the manufacturing industries and I am glad it is included in the plan. There is simply no way out of it – we must industrialize if the country is to grow in wealth. We must recalibrate the economy from being 73 percent consumption-driven and only 27 percent production-driven. We must expand the number of products we can competently produce and export from just 194 today to 2,000, which is the Asian average. Further, industrialization will allow low-income workers in the agricultural sector (25 percent of the workforce) and minimum wagers (23 percent of workforce) to migrate to higher paying jobs in factories.

Robredo aspires to climb the technology and value chain in the IT-KPO space. She commits to position the country as a center of excellence in artificial intelligence, cloud services, genetic medicine and the like. She also aims to make the Philippines the center of climate industries. This includes manufacturing of electric vehicles and parts, adoption of climate resilient agriculture and use of renewal energies. All these, I concur.

It was an inspired idea to make government prioritize MSMEs in its procurement of goods and services. This is the shot in the arm that the sector needs. If I may add, maturing MSMEs must be incentivized to graduate to export markets.

Adding my two cents, there are certain industries that offer tremendous opportunities but was not mentioned in the plan. Among them are auto and auto parts, aeronautics, next-gen electronics, construction, creative industries, e-commerce and data hubs. The continuance of the infrastructure development is vital too, albeit without corruption and through public-private partnerships.

Lacking too is support for the mining industry. I am aware that mining is politically contentious – but our minerals are the God-given resources that can change our fortunes. Minerals are the Philippine equivalent to Saudi Arabia’s oil. Not to utilize it is a disservice to our people. Three impediments stand in the way of a flourishing mining industry. The ban on open pit mining, the power of LGUs to enact ordinances banning mining and the zonal ban on mining, which is hyper-excessive. I hope lifting these impediments is considered.

Fundamental to re-activating manufacturing, blue industries and high-tech industries is the ability to attract foreign direct investments. We simply cannot do it alone. Restoring confidence in government is a step in the right direction but reforms must go deeper. The restrictive provisions of the Constitution must be amended to make us competitive. In particular, the 60-40 rule on equity ownership, the opening of mass media and advertising to foreigners (which is basic if we are to compete in knowledge-based industries) and lifting the prohibition of foreign nationals from professional practice and be represented in corporate boards of directors.

The passage of the Public Services Act was mentioned in Robredo’s plan. However, we must also pass the Foreign investment Act and the Retail Trade Liberalization Act to truly open up the economy.

If I may, I strongly recommend the formation of the Office of Strategic Investment Promotions & Economic Coordination (OSIPEC). The OSIPEC is envisaged to be the Philippine counterpart of the highly successful InvestVietnam.

Not to be confused with the Board of Investments, the OSIPEC is proposed to be under the Office of the President. Its core function will be to undertake non-stop outbound investment missions, provide investor concierge services for ease in entry and liaise between government agencies and foreign investors. The OSIPEC will co-operate with the DTI in industrial planning and aggressively court strategic investors to fill supply chain gaps. I also agree that the National Competitive Council should be reactivated. I recommend that it be placed under the auspice of the OSIPEC.

The Robredo agenda also includes a plan to end job discrimination and assistance for those who lost their jobs.

Having brought forward her reform agenda, Leni Robredo is now the most prepared candidate for president. Coupled with her honesty, integrity and trustworthiness, the dignified lady from Bicol can very well lead us towards becoming an upper income economy sooner than we think.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow him on Facebook @Andrew J. Masigan and Twitter @aj_masigan