EJAP slates forum on rising liquidity

MANILA, Philippines - The Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines, Inc. (EJAP), the premier organization of business reporters, editors, and media practitioners in the country, will hold a forum on the pressing issue of the country’s growing liquidity amid observations that the economy has yet to fully feel the benefits of this resource.  

 Key personalities from government and the private sector are expected to attend the forum, which will be held on July 13, from 8 a.m. to 12 noon, at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City.

 The forum, titled “Awash in cash: Making liquidity work for the wconomy”, is aimed at discussing the economy’s growing liquidity such as those in the forms of remittances, bank deposits, foreign portfolio investments, and assets of the domestic capital market and providing suggestions on how to make this more meaningful for the economy, specifically in terms of helping achieve the country’s growth targets for the medium term.

The theme of the forum was anchored on the fact that despite the huge liquidity that the economy enjoys, the country remains faced with the problem of unemployment and relatively high poverty incidence.

Esteemed speakers for the forum will give an outlook on liquidity over the short to medium term, and provide prudent strategies on how the economy can maximize the benefits of the available resources.

Speakers from the government sector include Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and BSP Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo. Purisima will discuss the national government’s overall plan on how to use liquid resources to achieve the administration’s goal of sustaining a robust growth rate for the economy until 2016, while Guinigundo will talk about the strategies used by the central bank in managing liquidity.

World Bank’s Bert Hoffman will present ‘tips’ from the foreign developmental institution on how the Philippines should take advantage of the growing liquidity to achieve its economic target.

Speakers from the business sector include Nicholas Kwan (head of research for the Eastern hemisphere at Standard Chartered Bank), Sanjiv Vohra (country officer for the Philippines at Citi), and Eduardo Francisco (president of BDO Capital & Investment Corp.). They will talk about the trends on portfolio investments and the role played by the banking sector in maximizing the benefits of liquidity, among others. 

EJAP, now on its 26th year, has membership from the country’s major broadsheets, news wires, and television stations.