DAVAO City – Finance secretary Carlos Dominguez III said spinning off the annual “Sulong Pilipinas” consultative conference into regional forums across the country underscores the importance given by the Duterte administration to the business sector in its pursuit of high and inclusive growth.
Dominguez said in a statement on Friday the government has doubled its efforts this year to connect with the private sector by involving small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs), which represent “a crucial component in our economy,” given that they account for 99 percent of business entities and employ the bulk of the country’s workforce.
To also step up such efforts, regional workshops, now dubbed the “Sulong Pilipinas-Philippine Development Forum,” were held in Cebu City last Nov. 9, in San Fernando City in La Union on Nov. 14, and at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga on Nov. 26.
“We believe consultations between government and the private sector should be an ongoing affair,” Dominguez told a news conference during a break at the daylong “Sulong” workshop held here on Wednesday.
“To improve representation of all parts of the country and increase access for stakeholders, we have decided to hold regional forums, with the purpose of primarily gathering the inputs and recommendations of representatives from our small and medium enterprises or SMEs,” he added.
“Here in Davao, where businesses are flourishing, and the spate of infrastructure investments under President Duterte’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ program will catalyze its growth potential, we anticipate a lively discussion in the country’s robust economic and fiscal position,” Dominguez said. “We also anticipate a wealth of insight from the private sector on how to power our economic breakthrough.”
The finance chief said that earlier forums held in Luzon and Visayas secured for the government the support of SMEs and the rest of the business sector in its proposed reduction in corporate income tax, which, they said, would enable them to expand their businesses, raise their employees’ salaries and even hire more workers.
He said SMEs have also backed the reforms outlined in the Ease of Doing Business law, especially the provision on the “zero-contact” policy, which they believe will create the most significant positive impact. (PNA/PN)
