Government mulls 5-star projects to raise RP competitiveness

MANILA, Philippines - The National Competitiveness Council (NCC) plans to undertake five-star projects to boost the country’s world competitiveness ratings.

In its latest survey, the World Competitiveness Yearbook studied 57 countries and came out with a list showing the Philippines among the least competitive at number 43 down three notches from its number 40 ranking last year.

The World Competitiveness Yearbook measures economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure — several factors affecting overall efficiency of a country.

The five-star projects include: an integrated logistics infrastructure master plan for Mega Luzon (Region 3, NCR and Region 4A) towards world-class supply chain capability; development of local government unit (LGU) “sparkplugs,” a streamlined business permits and licensing system; use of a corporate governance scorecard rating system on government agencies; an online updating system in public finance management process; a faster discharging process for imports and exports; a process monitoring system for appeals or complaints addressed to Malacañang; an IT system that tracks cases filed with the Office of the Ombudsman; and the drafting of a strong investors assistance process.

A top priority among these projects is the call for LGUs to serve as economic “sparkplugs” by assisting local establishments on “sunrise” or up and coming industries such as agri-business, tourism, information technology-enabled (IT-E) services, mining, manufacturing, health and wellness, and supply chain logistics to become more productive.

The NCC hopes to drive a seven-percent annual growth if their target of 120 sparkplugs will be established this year.

Ambassador Cesar Bautista, co-chairman of the National Competitiveness Council, stated in a report that 85 LGUs are now working together with business establishments. He said a public-private partnership is crucial in improving the country’s overall competitiveness.

“The real measure of competitiveness is in the productivity of firms. This is consistent with the principle that ‘nations do not compete; companies do.’ The government’s role then, is to provide the right environment for these businesses to grow, flourish and expand,” Bautista said.

In addition, Bautista identified the six areas of productivity in reference to the Porter Diamond Model of the Harvard Business School — competitive human resources, management expertise in both public and private offices, effective access to financing, upgraded infrastructure and transport network, reduced transaction costs and improved transaction flows, reduced energy costs and secure supply of energy.