Live Blog by Rappler (View on Rappler’s page)

LIVE BLOG: #Arangkada! Realizing PH potential

Rappler, 26 February 2013

MANILA, Philippines – Amid the Philippines’ newfound rock star status, are industries and key economic drivers really on track toward maximizing the country’s potential?

The country’s movers and shakers gather on Tuesday, February 26, to share their thoughts and discuss the results of the 2013 annual assessment the Joint Foreign Chambers prepared.

Arangkada Philippines 2013 carries the theme “Realizing the Potential,” putting in the spotlight agribusiness, infrastructure, manufacturing, mining and tourism.

Rappler’s business journalists — Lala Rimando, Cai Ordinario, Aya Lowe, Christian Bautista and Lean Santos — bring you a blow-by-blow account of the goings-on at the Arangkada annual forum in Makati City.

Source: Rappler

Philippine Daily Inquirer, 4 March 2013.

Our economy’s growth rate may have stepped up to 6.6 percent from 3.9 percent in 2011, but that’s still not quite growing twice as fast—the declared goal of last year’s “Arangkada” forum of the Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines (JFC). Last week, the JFC gathered once again for “Arangkada 2013” to assess progress on a package of recommendations they made in late 2010 toward achieving accelerated and broad-based growth for the Philippine economy. More than two years hence, the group again took stock of forward movement—or the lack of it—in some 470 recommendations embodied in the 2010 document of the same name.

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The Philippine Star, 4 March 2013

The Aquino administration continues to inspire business confidence, but impatience is starting to creep in. There is also uncertainty over the sustainability of reforms and the lack of long-term plans in several key sectors.

This can be gleaned from the latest annual assessment of progress in 471 recommendations first presented in 2010 by the Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines to improve the business climate and speed up economic growth.

The title of that 470-page document was “Arangkada Philippines” – or acceleration. The 471 recommendations were the product of nine focus group discussions over six months involving about 300 Filipino and foreign investors.

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The Philippine Star, 6 March 2013

Arangkada Philippines is an initiative of the Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines whose memberships include companies with large business interests in the country. As such, they are all stakeholders in the nation’s progress. Arangkada means accelerated motion. Rising economic growth helps them increase their business in the country. But most of all, economic growth raises everyone’s income and well-being. As they say, a rising tide raises all boats.

“The Arangkada project.” To enhance their contribution toward improving the business climate, they set up the Arangkada project with the support of the USAID. Unlike other development activities to improve policies, the approach mobilizes the private sector to support policy making.

The Joint Foreign Chambers in the Philippines is composed of the Philippine chapters of the American Chamber of Commerce; Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce; Canadian Chamber; European Chamber; and the Korean Chamber; and the Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters (PAMURI). A notable non-member of the group is the Japanese Chamber of Commerce in the country.

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Malaya Business Insight, 6 March 2013

‘The benefits from the apparent economic improvements have not yet been felt by the lower socio-economic groups to which most Filipinos belong.’

ARANGKADA Philippines is a cooperative undertaking of all foreign chambers of commerce in the country led prominently by the oldest and biggest one, the American Chamber of Commerce. The project is designed to help foreign companies interested in doing business in the Philippines by collecting and disseminating information about economic and investment conditions in the country. It works in close coordination with the Philippine government and private entities whose functions include encouraging foreign commercial involvement in the country.

Last year, Arangkada held its first public forum showcasing a report that assessed the overall social and economic status of the country after the first year of the Aquino government. The report also featured a number of recommendations and suggestions to further improve the climate for more engagement by the international business community in the national economic development efforts. Then, Arangkada was generally optimistic and supportive of Filipino initiatives in most areas of commerce and industry.

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GMA News, 1 March 2013

Further development of the Philippines’ information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and creating a nurturing environment for internet products is needed to seize the sectors’ contribution to the economy, a top Google Inc. official said recently.

“All the potential of contribution of internet to the economy is present. (The Philippines is) poised for terrific internet growth in the coming decade, the question is how to capitalize on them?” Google chief financial officer Patrick Pitchette in a recent “hangout” interview with GMA News Online.

“It should be a priority agenda of your government and private sector to develop infrastructure and products for internet use, because this will help in growing small businesses and therefore an economy,” he added.

Pitchette noted the importance of such initiatives as Google projects the next one billion internet users to come from emerging markets, like the Philippines.

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