The winner is GoNegosyo - ASK GONEGOSYO By Joey Concepcion

Funny how some people who read my column last week thought GoNegosyo was a party list running for a congressional seat. I guess the point I was trying to drive at is that we need to elect people into office not just because of popularity but because of what they have done and what they can do. It is like choosing people to join your corporation, you have to make sure that the leader of your organization, or not even a leader but the greater number of the people that will run your business are enterprising and competent.

Senators, congressmen and local officials are part of Philippines Inc, and this corporation competes with many countries internationally. In order for us to be competitive, we have to get good people. We cannot just have a good President; we must have a good number of enterprising people in government too.

Based on the initial results, it is very reassuring to know that Filipinos have become more vigilant and involved in this May 14 election. First, there is a high voter’s turnout last Monday (75-85 percent). Based on what I read from online reports, voters in general have also somehow matured as the initial election results showed that popular or celebrity candidates did not automatically win the votes of the majority. In General Santos, Darlene Antonino-Custodio has been leading the congressional race against national boxing icon Manny Pacquiao. In Pampanga, Fr. Eddie Panlilio is still leading the gubernatorial race despite the black propaganda against him. I think these are signs that Filipinos have become more intelligent and conscience-based voters.

So will GoNegosyo be the winner? We will see it in the final tally of those we voted for. If the winners in the elections are people who can help create an enterprising nation and possess key attributes such as passion, creativity and innovativeness. This is in a way why Mr. Palengke Mar Roxas came out with his commercial on vote wisely, with the famous song “Hoy, hoy hoy (Mr. Suave)”. Clearly, Mar has good people in helping put across his message. Maybe it is time that we give in to young leaders to move this country forward; People like Arthur Yap, Ace Durano, Lray Villafuerte, Mar Roxas, Carissa Cruz-Evangelista and Senatoriables Kiko Pangilinan, Manny Villar, Loren Legarda, Mike Defensor, Peter Favila, just to name a few, and from the private sector, we in GoNegosyo would like to count ourselves in as a young leader trying in our own little way to help push progress through entrepreneurship advocacy and direct mentorship to our aspiring entrepreneur-kababayans.

We have the remaining three years of PGMA’s term to really push the Philippines towards sustainable recovery and a major player in the ASEAN region and not just what we call “saling pusa”. It is about time we give Filipinos who are thinking of migrating the chance of really looking at the Philippines as an option where he could raise his family. It’s about time we see the light of hope that this nation has indeed a future. In basketball, we have the last 2 minutes for us. For us it is the last 3 years of PGMA, do we give her our full support in making this country a progressive nation?  A nation worth dying for? Or do we continue to criticize her government, create more pessimism and destroy the hope of countless OFW’s ? These are OFWs who really want to come home for good as they miss their families, and who are abroad just to help their families survive in the Philippines. The fact that the real estate market is sustained by a lot of OFWs and balikbayan Fil-Ams/Fil-Europeans is a testament that one day they would all like to retire here and come home for good. I hope and pray that instead of people jockeying for the next presidential elections and using unwarranted criticisms just to gain popularity, they should really start working for what will be good for the future of this country.

We launched GoNegosyo during one of the darkest moments of PGMA’s presidency last year when there was an attempted coup. Despite all the pessimism in the air, we continued to try to bring this advocacy of hope to greater awareness and fortunately we have seen the Philippine entrepreneurship climate turn for the best. I have always said that the economic team of PGMA is one of the best teams assembled. As big business continues to support this government, we will also see the business community chambers come together to help create more optimism. We have started to see a lot of good things happen, an appreciating peso from 56 now breaking 47 and I see this in the low 40’s by the end of the year, a stockmarket that is the best performing in Asia, record breaking remittances, progress towards balancing our budget deficit, a better trade balance, and optimism is at the highest level after so many years. We have yet to see more good things happen and ultimately economic progress will redound to better jobs and income for people. With this, I can definitely say that GoNegosyo is a winner.

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[For feedback, you can email me at [email protected] or thru sms at 09175591245. For free business advice, visit www.gonegosyo.org or watch the Go Negosyo Bigtime TV Show every Monday, 10:30pm in RPN9.]