Entice foreign investors? Cha-Cha is the way!

For tonight’s special presentation on Straight from the Sky, we help celebrate the Silver Jubilee of the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF), the only private organization that’s one of Cebu’s shining stars as they are always on the ready to rescue anyone in trouble, whether it is someone who needs immediate medical attention or people involved in accidents.

 I can’t forget that two years ago, ERUF joined the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) for a simulated air crash exercise and they responded very quickly and, more importantly, they were very thorough in their separating the injured from those who were considered dead. This was the first simulation of this kind in Cebu…unfortunately it was the last as the new members of the MCIAA Board did not make any follow-through.

 With us tonight is Dr. Kenneth Chan, Vice-Chairman, Dr. Jesus Ravanes, Board of Trustees, Mr. Medardo Cortes Batiller ERUF Operations Head and Nagiel Bañacia, a volunteer, and they will tell us the history of ERUF and more importantly what are its capabilities in air, sea and land rescue.

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 Not many people know that this week is the beginning of the “August Moon Festival” but isn’t it September already? I gathered that this Chinese Festival is celebrated on the 15th (which is a full moon) of the eighth month of the year. Apparently August in the Chinese or Lunar calendar falls in September as we use the Gregorian calendar. Hence, the August Moon Festival falls on Sept. 15. Sounds a bit confusing, but isn’t this just as confusing as the Chinese language itself?

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 I attended the Congressional Consultation on Economic Reforms for the Constitution at the Social Hall of the Province of Cebu which was chaired by Rep. Loreto “Leo” Ocampos, Rep. Neri Colemenares, Partylist Bayan Muna, Rep. Orlando Fua of Siquijor, Rep. Jorge Almonte of Misamis Occidental, Rep. Alfredo Garbin Partylist Ako-Bicol and Rep. Pablo Garcia of Cebu’s 2nd District. It was Pabling Garcia who gave the historical account of the various Constitutions for the appreciation of the audience, many of whom were students from the various universities.

 There is no question that we need to amend the 1987 Constitution. I have been fighting for this since this Constitution was approved simply because we already knew the problems that would come up in the future especially on the issue of foreign ownership. Any Filipino with money can go to Canada or the United States and buy a house there. That same fellow can set up any business in those countries and hire anyone he likes without being required by the Constitution to have a Canadian or American partner.

 The members of Congress who participated in that information drive wanted that constitutional proviso removed from the 1987 Constitution so it would pave the way for Direct Foreign Investors (FDI) to the Philippines. They showed a chart that revealed that in ASEAN, the Philippines had the smallest share in FDIs. But in my book, the problem of the country isn’t only in this particular proviso. We have a host of problems that require the entire overhaul of our Constitution. So if you want FDIs, cha-cha is the only way!

 A case in point is the recent meeting between Pres. Benigno “PNoy” Aquino, III and Al Haj Murad of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Tokyo last month. What the MILF wants is a “sub-state” which Pres. Aquino cannot give without calling for charter changes (cha-cha). But then this President doesn’t like cha-cha, so in the end, he is not solving the problem by refusing to move forward and amend our Constitution, which was already outdated when we approved it.

 There is no question that we in Cebu had our share of FDIs and the clearest examples can be found in our Mactan Export Processing Zones (MEPZ) I & II, which gives jobs to more than 50,000 Filipino workers. Look at the AsiaTown I.T. Park, these are FDIs doing business here in Cebu City. I can just imagine what would happen if we amended our constitution and allow foreign ownership in our businesses… there might not be enough land available for these companies to open here in Cebu!

 But while we need to amend our charter, we would like to impress upon our local government units (LGUs) that they too must work to entice foreign investors to stay. Mactan is Cebu’s most important tourism destination because of resorts like Plantation Bay, Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa and yes Moevenpick Hotel, which took over the Hilton Hotels. But surely Mayor Paz Radaza must have passed through that stretch between the Shangri-La and Moevenpick. That stretch is unlighted, the road is badly potholed and I cannot understand why the officials of the City of Lapu-Lapu cannot do this very basic service to their foreign investors?

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