Another question often asked is why the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) is involved in advocacies like infrastructure, energy and water, VAT refunds or excessive regulations.
Here are some answers:
1. ECCP members need a ‘level the playing field’:
a. Integrity / ethics – we have made progress in the last few years but much more needs to be done; we started with the private sector, then engaged the national government and have now expanded to LGUs (including the Cebu Provincial Government) and civil society (also engaging the Catholic Church);
b. Fair Competition – having the Office of Competition under the Department of Justice is a good step forward but legislation will be needed to establish an independent Fair Competition Commission; we are hopeful that this legislation will be finalized within the next few months;
c. Opening the economic provisions of the Constitution and remove the limitations for foreigners – the debate is ongoing and is supported by local business organizations like the Makati Business Club (MBC) and the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP); it is widely understood that such a move would create more competition which will result in better products and services at a better price for Juan de la Cruz;
2. Business costs - costs must be kept in check to increase investments, both domestic and foreign. This means restraining the granting of paid holidays and leave benefits, lowering electricity costs through effective ‘open access’ and energy efficiency, more efficient transport with focus on sea- and airports, roads and rail. Also, less red tape is needed which could be achieved by the creation of e-government which should be a major task of the Department of ICT (DICT) which will hopefully be formed this year;
3. Energy Supply Security at competitive costs– economic growth will not be sustainable if the energy sector is not getting its act together. Investors will only locate here if the power supply is secure and the electricity rates are competitive. As they are currently not, we are in deep discussions with government to maintain fiscal investment incentives, tax holidays and lower corporate taxation. Energy Efficiency, coupled with renewable energy, is high on our agenda; we added water conservation, water treatment, water distribution and general water policies. Waste management is part of this advocacy;
4. We will continue to drive sustainable consumption and production in cooperation with the industry sectors that need to implement the strategies. The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) are our partners in this effort – specifically the regional offices in Central Visayas;to showcase this initiative,ECCP manages a facility called Materials Innovation Centre (MATIC) in collaboration with CFIF, Cebu GTH and Cebu FAME.
If you feel that ECCP is an interesting business organization to partner with, we invite you to join us and become part of the work we are doing, driven by our battle cry:
Stop complaining, be part of the solution!!!
For more information, visit www.eccp.comor send an email to schumacher@eccp.com.