Take 2 for JPE, foreign chambers: Cordial this time

MANILA, Philippines – The first time they encountered Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile last year, leaders of the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) were publicly told to “get out of the country.”

Last Tuesday, behind closed doors, about 10 JFC executives met for the second time with Enrile, now the Senate President, and received a more cordial reception.

Hubert D’Aboville, president of the European Chamber of Commerce, presented Enrile with two coffeetable books: one on the history of the ECC, and another on Philippine churches, which was published by his company.

Senate sources said the foreign investors lauded several legislative initiatives of the Senate and Enrile to promote foreign investments.

In turn the investors were reassured that the Senate was receptive to suggestions from the foreign business community on ways of improving the investment climate.

Foreign investors have pointed out that the Philippines has been left behind by its neighbors in Southeast Asia in attracting foreign direct investments (FDI).

Two years ago, the country received only about $3 billion in FDI. Last year it dropped to $1.5 billion. This year the amount is expected to slump further to only $750 million.

Senate sources said the meeting with Enrile lasted for over an hour, during which there was no progress on one of the principal complaints of the foreign chambers: an end to the importation and resale of used vehicles at Port Irene in Cagayan, home province of Enrile. The operation is managed by one of Enrile’s relatives.

Since the operation started in 2005, thousands of used imported vehicles have entered the country through Port Irene.

The issue was not touched when the JFC faced the Senate in June last year. Instead Enrile as well as Senators Joker Arroyo and Miriam Defensor-Santiago railed against the investors for addressing a letter to President Arroyo instead of the Senate in May 2008 in connection with proposed amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act. Enrile was the main proponent of the EPIRA amendments.

The JFC wanted the EPIRA to be given time to work without amendments.

During that encounter, wherein the JFC executives were invited as resource persons, Enrile called foreign investors “carpetbaggers, predators and buccaneers,” adding, “To them, I say, the hell with you, get out of this country.”

Several European diplomats, aghast over the outburst, said they were forced to report it to their governments because the remarks were made by a prominent Philippine senator.

D’Aboville, the group’s spokesman at the time, had greeted the Senate with some Tagalog words, having lived in the country for 31 years and married a Filipina with whom he has four children. Enrile chided him for mangling the Filipino language.

Senate sources said that during the meeting earlier this week, D’Aboville again used some Filipino words, which this time did not elicit a rebuke from Enrile.

The JFC also meets about once a month with Finance Secretary Margarito Teves but has no similar meetings with Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila. – Aurea Calica