Phl-China joint exploration on disputed islands pushed

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Francis Escudero pushed anew yesterday for the joint exploration by the Philippines and China of the disputed islands in the West Philippines Sea during a creative economic session of the Open Collaboration with East Asia New Champions (OCEAN) 14 at Movenpick Hotel in Cebu City.

In a statement, Escudero stressed the need for government to tap private partnership in a bid to ease the growing tension between the two countries.

Rather than engage other countries in diplomatic rows, Escudero said the Philippines should have an open mind in acknowledging the need of government to tap the private sector to look into possible joint exploration.

He noted this was akin to the non-traditional style of governance where a big chunk of government duties should be done by the private sector.

Escudero cited the tapping of private partners in the delivery of services in licensing at the Land Transportation Office (LTO) as well as vehicle emission testing.

Escudero, a 2008 young global leader, discussed his idea with participants of the OCEAN 14, an event held after the World Economic Forum in Manila.

In the same session, Monchito Ibrahim, deputy executive director of Information and Communications Technology Office of the Department of Science and Technology, discussed ways to ignite initiatives for innovation with the Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

He noted how the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector has become key in the country’s economic activity in recent years.

Ibrahim said BPO has become an $15.5-billion revenue generating venture.

He said the government hopes to boost its BPO revenue to $26 billion by the time President Aquino steps down from office in 2016.

The DOST official said that in Cebu alone about 143,000 people are employed in the BPO sector since it started in 2008 as government had to address the “overheating” of the industry initially centered in Manila.

Through collaboration with private firms, Ibrahim said the government was able to create stakeholder groups in the city dubbed as the “Cebu model” that eventually became replicated in other areas in the country.

Its economic impact resulted in  P300 million fresh money infused in the local community of Bacolod, which model the government hopes to follow in 15 other communities in the near future, Ibrahim told participants of the two-day OCEAN 14 workshop yesterday.

Mark Vlasic, of the United Nations, noted the “tremendous energy” in the Philippines, especially in terms of PPP.

Vlasic also discussed how leverage technology and new media could be tools for innovation.

Participants in Sunday’s roundtable said Vlasic touched on how crisis affected families around the world can be provided safe and reliable access to energy.