THE European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) said it would hold monthly dialogues with local government units (LGUs) to identify growth areas outside Metro Manila ahead of the country’s planned shift to the federal system.
Henry J. Schumacher, ECCP senior advocacy adviser, said Interior Undersecretary Austere A. Panadero has invited the ECCP, which has over 800 member companies operating across the country, for talks every month.
“[T]hat makes a big difference. Now we can ask our members who face challenges or see opportunities with LGUs to join these constructive interactions,” read a statement quoting Mr. Schumacher and sent to journalists yesterday.
“The government is looking at decentralization and regionalization. We have started it.”
President Rodrigo R. Duterte in his inaugural address had urged Congress to amend the Philippine Constitution to pave the way for federalism, where the power to govern is shared between national and state governments. That bid gained some ground on his first month in office but the debate fizzled out somewhat amid disagreements over how to do the shift. Mr. Duterte had said he wants the shift done before he ends his term in 2022.
“We have to understand that we have to drive more investments in Visayas and Mindanao,” Mr. Schumacher said.
The group would start the regular dialogue with select LGUs across the three major islands, such as Puerto Princesa for Luzon, Tuburan (a second income class municipality in Cebu) for Visayas, and Cagayan de Oro for Mindanao.
“By having regular dialogues with the government, we will create opportunities to jointly address the challenges as far as promoting sustainable business and inclusive growth at the local level,” ECCP President Guenter Taus said in the statement. -- RSCC
source: Businessworld
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