BusinessMirror |
The seven members of the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) of the Philippines will host their tenth annual Arangkada Philippines Forum on December 1 and 7, 2021 via Zoom.
The forum’s theme this year is Pathways to a Better Future. More than 50 private and public sector leaders are expected to identify policies and programs to put in place during the decade of the 2020s as the Philippines regains its economic vitality as the pandemic fades.
In addition to keynote speeches by senior government and business leaders, the forum will feature six panels that build on the core advocacies discussed in past annual fora and in the numerous publications of Arangkada Philippines.
On December 1 a panel will explore “Pathways to Economic Recovery and Beyond” that looks at the key growth sectors of the Philippine economy and prospects for high levels of foreign investment. Another panel will take a hard look at infrastructure modernization in airports, bridges, power, rail, roads, seaports, telecommunications, and water as a result of the Duterte Administration achieving sustained annual spending of 5% of GDP on infrastructure. The third panel will discuss “Pathways to an Educated and Healthy Workforce” to highlight the challenges facing the country’s youth to prepare them to succeed in the more sophisticated economy of tomorrow. The day will end with an important address describing the coming effects of climate change and possible remediation strategies.
December 7 will be bracketed by keynote speeches by DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez and NEDA Secretary Karl Chua. There will be three panels in between. The first will discuss opportunities to increase foreign investment in agribusiness, creative industries, IT-BPM, and manufacturing, mining and tourism. The next panel analyzes overall country competitiveness among regional peers and explains recommendations to improve efficiency in bureaucratic, logistics, manpower, and power costs in order to attract more investment. And the final panel will host presidential candidates who will be asked to discuss their policies for the economy and foreign investment.
Aside from the speeches and panels, there will also be four breakout sessions each day featuring guests and experts discussing a variety of subjects. The JFC will also award its Lifetime Achievement Award and hold a press conference.
The Arangkada Forum is an initiative of the JFC that provides a platform for collaborative engagement among business leaders, industry experts, representatives from the public sector, the diplomatic community, and the media.
In 2010, the JFC published Arangkada Philippines, an advocacy paper promoting seven sectors with high growth potential: agribusiness, ITBPM, creative industries, infrastructure, manufacturing and logistics, mining, and tourism, with recommendations to build a more competitive Philippine economy. The Arangkada Philippines Project of the JFC has also produced various policy briefs and policy notes on how to improve the country’s investment climate.
The JFC is a coalition of the American, Australian-new Zealand, Canadian, European, Japanese, and Korean chambers and the Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters, Incorporated (PAMURI). It supports and promotes open international trade, increased foreign investment, and improved conditions for business to benefit both the Philippines and the countries the JFC members represent.
To register for the 2021 Arangkada Philippines Forum, visit https:// investphilippines.info/forum2021/ or contact Angelie Payuyo at avpayuyo@ teamasia.com or at +639178813702 (Mobile or Viber). You may also direct your inquiries to forum@ arangkadaphilippines.com
For more information, visit www. arangkadaphilippines.com.