PCCI drifting back to Estrada government

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) is back to its role as the business sector’s mouthpiece in the advocacy for reforms to solve the country’s economic problems, PCCI president Miguel B. Varela said yesterday.

Varela said "life goes on" for businessmen who can not afford to sit back and wait for the impeachment trial of President Estrada to be concluded.

Among the urgent economic problems facing businessmen is the high cost of doing business in the Philippines such as high credit costs and power costs.

After joining other business groups in calling for President Estrada to resign as a quick solution to the country’s worsening political and economic crisis, the PCCI went into some kind of a hibernation and maintained a low profile.

As most business groups called for President Estrada’s resignation, the government has been having difficulty arranging meetings with representatives of the business sector to discuss vital economic reforms. Last week, top government officials met with San Miguel Corp. as virtual business advocate to discuss general economic topics.
Slowly, Varela said the Estrada government has regained a measure of confidence in the business sector, with officials of PCCI and foreign chambers attending the official turnover of the leadership of the Economic Coordinating Council from President Estrada to Finance Secretary Jose T. Pardo.