A specialreport

2

The Sunday Times

■ DE LOS REYES FROM A1

De los Reyes, Juan Carlo “JC”

Ang Kapatiran

nerable, which states: The moral test of a society is how it treats its most vul- nerable members. The poor have the most urgent moral claim on the con- science of the nation. Our Christian faith calls on all of us to embrace this preferential love of the poor and vul- nerable, to embody it in our lives, and to work to have it shape public policies and priorities.

Consonant to this principle is

AKP’s specific policy objective con- tained in its Political Platform No. 26 (under Good Governance), which

states: Accord high priority to projects and programs for the underprivileged, the indigenous peoples, the elderly, the prisoners, the disabled, the veterans and the youth, and support nongovernment organizations or communities whose projects directly benefit the poor.

To bring this about, however, cor- ruption—the biggest culprit and major cause of our nation’s poverty and hunger—must be addressed head on by tearing down structures that breed it through AKP’s five- point program of:

(1) ending and prohibiting politi- cal dynasties as enshrined in the Constitution.

(2) adhering to the Constitu- tional mandate of passing the law on full public disclosure of all gov- ernment transactions.

(3) abolishing the pork barrel sys- (4) abolishing laws, rules and

■ ESTRADA FROM A1

tem.

Estrada, Joseph “Erap”

Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino

working for steady economic growth that is felt by the masses.

Gross national product (GNP)

growth is meaningless if poverty and hunger levels and other measures of quality of life remain poor. Therefore an Estrada Administration will in- crease growth while also increasing the country’s human development index. This will be achieved by strengthening the country’s domes- tic economy, specifically in the field of agriculture, instead of relying on overseas remittances to increase GNP; and by ensuring that the bulk of the budget goes to services that trickle down to the poor, such as so- cial services and education, instead of to debt servicing or overpriced in- frastructure projects.

The Erap administration will be more earnest in making the cash- transfer programs work so that any help to the poorest families will re- ally result in the children of these poor families going to school and being taught knowledge and skills and formed into citizens who are hardworking and willing to contrib-

■ GORDON FROM A1

Gordon, Richard “Dick”

Bagumbayan Party

tion should, therefore, be number one. We have to provide quality edu- cation so that Filipinos will become more productive, competent and competitive. I would raise the sal- ary of public school teachers to P40,000 so that the best and the brightest would go into teaching. High school students should learn a skill so that, if necessary, they can finance their education and land a job after they graduate.

The bulk of our people belong to the poorest of the poor. Instead of “dole- outs” our government must teach our people new skills and create more jobs. We need to give our people the oppor- tunity to enrich themselves. Moreover, we should look at tour- ism and its role as a prime engine for growth and development. Tourism means jobs and international tour- ism is the largest and fastest growing economic sector in the world. We have a beautiful country, rich culture and warm people, I will work hard to turn the Philippines into Asia’s prime tourism destination. As a minimum, I am setting the target of five million tourist arrivals and one million new tourism jobs by 2013.

Investments. Job creation and political stability

investors need.

The next president must give the nation a government that works—effective gov- ernment. The government should be an engine for national modernization, pro- ductivity and development.

Public investment must be made in the modernization of the nation’s highways, ports, airports and com- munications. But as in tourism, genuine partnerships with the private sector must be forged. What the gov- ernment cannot provide in terms of capital, the private sector will be en- couraged to supply. How do we do this? We simplify and streamline the rules and proce- dures for doing business: it must be Fast, Focused, Friendly, Flexible, For-

regulations that give government personnel, like the BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue), the discretion to allow or disallow certain deductions or exemptions, etc., and

(5) making representations be- fore the Supreme Court and Con- gress to bring about the speedy ad- ministration of justice. By eradicating graft in govern- ment, more funds can be channeled for the improvement in delivery of basic public services—in education, health care, housing, sanitation, needed subsidies, public infrastruc- tures and many others—for the ben- efit of the marginalized sectors.

Investments. Job creation and political stability

investors need.

a. We sorely lack the direct invest- ments—both national and for- eign—that create decent jobs. Question: How do you propose to deal with economic opening; with job creation and with creat- ing the political stability that in- vestors need? What do you propose to do (if

you think you should) about the protectionist economic provisions in the 1987 Charter? b. The bulk of our jobless (2.8 million people) are poor, young, undereducated, rural residents. Question: How do you propose to ease their plight—considering

ute their share in improving not just themselves but the whole society. They will not only be qualified to do BPO, call center and informa- tion-technology work but could even become technicians and engi- neers who will help revive Philip- pine industrialization.

Rural jobless.

Our emphasis in food security and reviving the argricultural sector will result in jobs for the most numerous jobless, who are in the rural areas. The Erap administration will be trusted for being transparent and ex- tremely honest. Our efforts to in- crease investment will not just be directed to foreign investors only but also domestic ones. We will make sure that laws are uniformly applied and there will be no sud- den changes in the way these are interpreted.

Job creation. Investments. Political

stability investors need.

This way the local and international businessmen will see that my adminis- tration has made a stable economic and business environment and the Philip- pines has become an attractive place for their job-creating investments.

ward-looking. We have done it in Subic, we can do it for the entire country.

Protectionist economic provisions.

I feel that there is a need to re- visit the protectionist provisions of the Constitution. We have to real- ize that there is a global community out there that we can utilize to pump prime our economy. While I favor allowing foreign ownership of commercial lands in the country, agricultural, mineral, timber, and forest lands must remain reserved to Filipinos. Practice of professions by foreigners should likewise be re- viewed in terms of what we can learn from them—technology trans- fers and the like.

Rural jobless. Overseas

contract work.

Our people are our country’s great- est resource. And this has been proven many times over by our OFWs. Working abroad should be an option and not the only choice. Filipinos should find their future, not in foreign shores, but in our own native Filipinas.

The technical and vocational skills of our people must be en- hanced so they can work with dig- nity and pride. We can teach them to be welders, plumbers, waiters, bartenders, etc. We also have to maximize the infrastructure that we already have so that we can invite more investors especially in areas where there are airports and sea- ports like in Subic, Clark, Batangas, Cebu, Iloilo, Davao, or General Santos. We should put up factories, schools, subdivisions and hospitals in the idle lands and create sustain- able communities where homes can be near the workplace. I will work together with non-

government organizations and the private sector to promote the growth of small and medium sized enter- prises, which are our country’s top job providers. I will cultivate our people’s entrepreneurial spirit and stimulate business by cutting gov- ernment’s red tape and simplifying the rules and procedures for doing business in the country.

SUNDAY

that they are unsuited for the jobs in BPO and IT that are opening up? What is your view of overseas con- tract work? Do you regard it as a stopgap measure or as a develop- ment strategy?

There are direct investments that ought to have located had it not been for national and local corrupt officials who stifle these invest- ments. Coupled with AKP’s priority agenda on eradicating graft and cor- ruption, which it believes will pro- vide the necessary conducive cli- mate for private business (local and foreign) to flourish and for more job opportunities to be created, our Po- litical Platform No. 32 (under Eco- nomic Development) states: Ensure rapid and sustained eco- nomic growth for sustainable pov- erty reduction and better quality of life for all by:

a) reviewing and rationalizing all outstanding public debts and limit- ing future government borrowings within the growth level of our ex- ports, OFW remittances or GDP. b) raising private and public sav- ings rates to increase total invest- ment rate;

c) enhancing investments in hu- man resource development, espe- cially by strengthening education in the sciences, mathematics, engineer- ing and English;

d) streamlining government bu- reaucracy to reduce personnel ex- penditures (besides educing corrup- tion);

e) drastically improving tax ad- ministration and revenue collection; f) abolishing laws, rules and regu-

■ PERLAS FROM A1

Perlas, Nicanor “Nick”

Partido Kalikasan

augment nonfarm income espe- cially of the poor. We should aspire to ground the true essence of economic activity on soli- darity, not mere competition or neo- liberal economics. Instead, we will advance an economic approach that: (1) recognizes the vital relation- ships between the different eco- nomic actors; and (2) considers the interdependence of the market with different societal institutions. At the same time, we will ensure that the fruits of economic activity are shared more equally among Filipinos and the different regions and provinces. Investments. Job creation and political stability investors need. We need to move away from de-

structive neo-liberal economics uses competition as the cornerstone of progress. Instead we will install a new economic approach that aligns and harnesses economic, trade, taxa- tion, fiscal, and development poli- cies towards genuine integral sus- tainable development. To measure progress, we will move beyond GNP/GDP but instead use a

■ VILLANUEVA FROM A1

Villanueva, Eduardo “Bro. Eddie”

Bangon Pilipinas

Investments, Job creation and political stability investors need. The eradication of bad govern-

ance, which takes first place in the Bangon Platform of Government, will ensure political stability. As I have said, we will inspire the peo- ple themselves to create wealth; there- fore they will be the ones creating jobs. At the same time, we will ease the establishment and continuation of all legitimate businesses whether

■ TEODORO FROM A1

Teodoro, Gilbert Jr. “Gibo”

Lakas-Kampi CMD

Government with greater resources to spend more on human capital for- mation that will improve the living standards of our people.

Investments. Job creation and political stability

investors need

Pushing good governance policies, investing in human capital by pro- viding Filipinos with quality edu- cation and health care, and com- pleting large-scale infrastructure projects that would interconnect the country’s ports and seaports, would entice more investors to bring their money here, thus fur- ther stimulating the economy and generating more and better jobs. Cutting red tape to simplify pro- cedures and slashing the cost of do- ing business here is also a must for government to encourage more in- vestors to relocate here.

Protectionist economic provisions.

As for economic reforms in the 1987 Constitution, we must make our people realize that our political sys- tem has to evolve with the times— and that constitutional reforms are needed to open our economy and

May 2, 2010

lations that give government person- nel, like the BIR, the discretion to al- low or disallow certain deductions or exemptions, etc.;

g) prioritizing agricultural devel- opment to attain a high degree of self-sufficiency by encouraging pro- ductivity through the introduc- tion of new technologies and sup- port-infrastructure;

h) creating micro-finance and other credit facilities for small enterprises by harnessing OFW (overseas Filipino worker) remittances and more exports for economic development; i) encouraging livelihood through the formation of coopera- tives and other small enterprises and development programs to alleviate poverty in the grassroots level; j) implementing the Agrarian Re- form Program;

k) promoting industrialization by encouraging the expansion of use- ful industries, including telecom- munications and information tech- nology, to more effectively harness our God-given resources for the eco- nomic well-being of the people; l) attaining a stable balance of

trade by encouraging the develop- ment of new export products and improving existing ones.

Protectionist economic

provisions.

In light of the above, the economic provisions of the 1987 Charter need not be amended in the meantime. The Party is clear on its stand on adhering to the present Constitution. The most overwhelming problem this country faces is not in our Constitution nor

basket of indicators, which also measures quality of life and the ef- fectiveness of governance. Other measurements will be: the true costs of economic projects; costs to soci- ety; to nature; and thereby stopping market price distortion. We will mobilize the Filipinos’ entrepreneurial spirit to create new industries based on the real economy and the creation of new wealth. We will attract new invest- ment finance that seeks returns based on social responsibility and green criteria. It will be an economy that will be dynamic, socially just, inclusive and sustainable. I want to emphasize the connec- tion between moral and effective governance and economic progress. When we get rid of corruption, do- mestic and foreign investors will pour their money into our economy. These investments, especially when geared towards integral sustainable development, will accelerate the equitable and sound development of the economy and society.

Rural jobless. Overseas contract work.

My jobs creation program is linked with the first pillar: Eradicate Poverty and Enhance Quality of Life. To illustrate, we

local or foreign by maintaining fair and consistent rules from registra- tion to taxing. We will also encourage, through

incentives, the setting up of foreign businesses in whatever field locals are weak—provided these do not unnecessarily exploit and/or dam- age our natural resources. We aim not so much to protect local businesses from competition, but to nurture their growth until they are strong enough to compete both locally and globally.

Rural jobless. Overseas

contract work.

We will make full use of Tesda in giv-

make it more attractive to investors. I am in favor of a freely elected Constitutional Convention that will have no other mandate but to study and to consider the subject of liber- alization through direct foreign own- ership in the industrial, commercial and residential areas. But we must keep agricultural lands, marine resources and timberlands un- der the exclusive control of Filipinos. We have to do so not only for our sake but also for those of future generations.

Rural jobless. Overseas

contract work.

As for the OFW issue, overseas mi- gration is a reality that we should not ignore, given the economic benefits the country gets from overseas work- ers by way of their dollar remittances. In return for boosting our coun-

try’s dollar reserve and stimulating domestic consumption, migrant Fili- pinos should be provided by govern- ment with portable social security benefits and stronger institutions aimed at assisting distressed OFWs. The protection of our migrant

workers actually begins with protect- ing them at the point of recruitment. We must install more safeguards so recruiters can provide more assur- ances of safety for our OFWs. Also, there should be a more active

network of support systems to moni- tor the conditions of each and every Filipino worker abroad. Hence, gov- ernment must help establish a system of mutual assistance abroad to help OFWs cope with illnesses, legal entan-

in the form of government, but those in government—that inbred culture, which allows unbridled corruption causing enslaving poverty. It is in giv- ing our constitution a chance to take shape and come into its own, whose promise is yet to be realized in the minds and hearts of Filipinos where it may “develop its sinews and gather its strength.” This is where the moral challenge lies.

Overseas contract work

Overseas contract work shall be re-

garded as a stopgap measure rather than a development strategy. Until such time when we can actually en- tice back all our oversees workers to participate in nation-building, all domestic laws and international agreements governing the treatment and protection of migrant workers including anti-trafficking of women and children, must be implemented with zeal. Labor export as a tempo- rary solution to the lack of available employment domestically must be guided by bilateral agreements as a national policy to ensure that rights and responsibilities of all parties are protected and enhanced. Psycho- social programs and interventions among others, must be pursued without let up to mitigate actual and potential negative impacts on families particularly on children of oversees workers. The social cost of this lingering phenomenon is tremendous and endless and must be dealt with in the long term through a national development program of industrialization and employment generation.

need to create more jobs in the country- side. Massive support for ecological ag- ricultural modernization will result in millions of jobs as agriculture accounts directly and indirectly for more than 70 percent of our GDP. Our country also offers opportunities in the eco-cultural tourism, another labor-intensive job gen- erating sector. In addition to vitalizing the rural economy, we have to mobilize hundreds of mature technologies that are simply gathering dust at our state colleges/ universities. We have to create hubs by link- ing microentrepreneurs, scientists, and business people towards fast-tracking vil- lage level microindustries, resulting in greater value and massive employment. We appreciate the massive sacri- fice and contribution that OFWs are making. However, we will broaden the foundations of our economy and balance our over-reliance on OFW remittances to prop out our economy. The individual, family, and social costs of the OFW-based economy are too high and are unsustainable in the long-term. And most OFWs themselves prefer to make their living in the Philippines once local jobs are available. Instead we will focus on creating the neces- sary quality jobs in the country so that Filipinos do not have to go abroad in order to survive.

ing our jobless crash training pro- grams in all manner of jobs in- cluding, and above all in, entrepre- neurship. But we will also establish Community-Based Entrepre- neurial High Schools to train poor youth whether in the urban and rural areas in the creation of wealth.

Public primary schools will enforce the policy of mother tongue-based multilingual edu- cation so that our poor will be able to grasp as well as advance concepts in their own language, thereby empowering them to transform not only their local-

■ VILLAR FROM A1

Villar, Manuel Jr. “Manny”

Nacionalista Party

out of poverty in no time.

There will be zero tolerance on corrup- tion, applied from top to bottom; sub- jecting all public officials from the twin principles of transparency and account- ability. We will spend more on basic serv- ices such as housing and healthcare, re- spond to the needs of our farmers, invest on education, fast track infrastructure projects, give Mindanao its due, and de- velop the entrepreneurial spirit among Filipinos. We want positive competitive- ness ingrained in our culture. We will im- prove the investment climate and bring in more investors and more jobs at home. All these will be done simultane- ously with emphasis on results; and with the effective and efficient use of limited resources.

Investments. Job creation and political stability investors need. Protectionist economic

May 2, 2010

■ AQUINO FROM A1

Aquino, Benigno 3rd “Noynoy”

Liberal Party

better equip them with the skills required by the job market. We will also invest in modernizing agricul- ture to help our farmers and fisher- men increase their incomes and gain access to reasonable fiscal schemes for housing and be able to live in their own homes.

Job creation. Investments and political stability investors need.

Generate jobs in the local economy so that working abroad is a choice, not a necessity, is a top priority. Cur- rently, there is practically no manu- facturing base in our country and it has sunk to a point where the ability to create new wealth and generate jobs is severely diminished. To over- come this, an Aquino- Roxas admin- istration will do the following: • We will level the playing field for businesses. We will encourage free and fair competition in a level playing field. • We will have easier, streamlined business procedures. • We will strategically target as- sistance to SMEs (small and me- dium enterprises), and key indus- tries where we have a competitive advantage to maximize our poten- tial for job generation such as agribusiness, business process outsourcing, creative industries, in- frastructure, manufacturing and lo- gistics, socially responsible mining and tourism and retirement. • We will invest in our country’s top

resource, our human resource, to make us more competitive and employable. • An Aquino Administration will

improve infrastructure in transpor- tation and housing.

Protectionist economic provisions.

I don’t think that we need to change our Charter in order for us to grow eco- nomically as a country. We will ration- alize fiscal incentives early in my ad- ministration to plug a lot of unneeded tax leakages. This uniformity will al- low the market to decide what invest- ments should come in, instead of let- ting the government decide. A predict- able, rational and apolitical tax system will attract more investors instead of a political patronage system.

Rural jobless. Overseas

contract work.

We must invest in modernizing agricul- ture so that many people will be em- ployed by this sector, especially our rural poor. We should also train our youth in technical or vocational courses because a lot of workers are needed in the technical and vocational field in special economic zones, SMEs and cottage industries. An Aquino-Roxas government will uphold

the State’s policy of not pursuing overseas employment as a development strategy and establish concrete policies and steps towards more sustainable alternatives. We should gen- erate jobs in the local economy so that work- ing abroad is a choice, not a necessity.

ity, but the nation and the world.

With the infinitely more breathable atmosphere af- forded by a Bangon Pilipinas Villanueva administration, our beloved compatriots won’t need to go abroad; indeed, many of them will start to come home to rebuild our country with us. Certainly overseas contract work is an evil punishment that only the most insensitive of despots can foist upon our people. We will NOT stand for it, even as we will not prevent anyone from leaving the country on their own volition.

spending and address the power crisis in Visayas and Mindanao. We will review the current level of our tax rates relative to our neighboring economies and will bring it down, if necessary, to a level that is investor- friendly. Various incentive packages should be rationalized.

Rural jobless. Overseas

contract work.

We should not limit the capability of our people to BPO and IT jobs alone. That is why I am advocating entrepre- neurship. I will pave the way for an environment that is entrepreneur- ready and entrepreneur-friendly. As long as the government is committed to finding the right solution to the problems and is ready to extend assist- ance, there is hope for everyone. OFW remittances are a big help to our

provisions.

Political stability is borne out of a strong leadership, which I can provide. A stable government, and good peace and order situation throughout the nation will boost investor confidence. We will trim down the cost of do- ing business by simplifying business procedures and curbing down corrup- tion. We will fast track infrastructure

economy but one that is not sustain- able—we are particularly vulnerable by global economic trends. Overseas con- tract work also involves high social costs. Jobs must be created through increased domestic and foreign investments. There will be greater employment opportunities by encouraging the expansion of our pri- vate sector and rural industries (such as di- versification of export-related businesses) as well as increased microfinance activities specifically targeting the poor.

The ideal scenario that we should

strive for is a strong, growing internal economy; one that is capable of sup- porting the needs of its people and can provide the foundation for progress and development. Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20