The Sulong Pilipinas consultative platform initiated since 2016 by President Duterte to get the inputs of the private sector on how to improve governance best represents the “inclusive, responsive” approach to policymaking of his administration, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said Tuesday.

At the close of the last Sulong Pilipinas forum under the Duterte administration, Dominguez received the final set of the top actionable recommendations from the private sector, represented by George Barcelon, the president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).

These top actionable recommendations include: 1) compelling the participation of national and local government agencies in centralized government portals such as TRADENET and enforcing penalties for non-compliance with the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA) to improve the ease of doing business; 2) allocating a larger budget to the agriculture sector and providing financial assistance and capacity development for farmers to speed up agricultural modernization; 3) continuing the ‘Build. Build, Build’ program, completing projects as scheduled, and ensuring transparency in the bids and awards of contracts; 4) beginning the rollout of the regional innovation centers and completing them by May 2023 to foster an innovative and research and development-focused Philippines; and 5) imposing stricter rules and standards and implementing sustainable management guidelines by 2022 to maintain and deliver efficient and effective wastewater treatment.

The private sector also recommended 6) reforming the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED), placing early childhood care under the Department of Education (DEpEd) and improving qualification standards for professions to improve skills development; 7) agencies under the Department of Tourism (DOT), in cooperation with other national government agencies, must develop a road network for more organized provisions of tourism services to improve access to tourist destinations; 8) the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) must collaborate closely with the private sector in promoting financial literacy and responsible borrowing or lending to enhance financial inclusion.

“It has been a great privilege working with all of you in this truly democratic exercise. No administration can run on political will alone. It must also rely on the active participation of citizens,” Dominguez said after receiving the recommendations on behalf of President Duterte.

“Sulong Pilipinas helped the Duterte administration achieve this goal. We can only return the favor by committing to working hard until the last hour of our tenure,” added Dominguez.

Barcelon assured the government that “the PCCI will continue to support the goverment in revitalizing our economy by providing jobs, accelerating innovation, and expanding meaningful investments that will boost the competitiveness of our economy.”

“As we enter a new administration, we hope that Sulong Pilipinas will continue to serve its purpose of promoting the participation of citizens in the policymaking process. We will build on the Sulong tradition and look forward to seeing more of the people’s recommendations transformed into concrete government actions, in support of sustainable and inclusive growth,” Barcelon said.

Dominguez, who heads the Cabinet’s Economic Development Cluster (EDC) expressed the hope that the private sector will continue working closely with the next administration to ensure that the right programs and policies are implemented in the coming years.

He said the recommendations received by the government at the end of Sulong will be included in the transition documents of the EDC for the consideration of the next administration.

On the part of the Department of Finance (DOF), Dominguez reiterated that it is currently preparing a package of fiscal consolidation measures to sustain the economic gains over the past six years and help the would-be economic team of the next President further strengthen the country’s fiscal position.

“We look forward to your support and suggestions as we institutionalize this proposed package that will support economic recovery and, ultimately, benefit the Filipino people,” Dominguez told Sulong participants.

Dominguez said many of the Sulong recommendations over the years were adopted, pushed and implemented by the Duterte administration, which “listened intently (to) and acted decisively” on them to improve governance.

The past Sulong recommendations also helped strengthen the country’s fiscal resilience to weather the worst of the pandemic-induced crisis, Dominguez said.

“This conference has played a key role in shaping the policy agenda of President Duterte’s administration. It best represents the inclusive, consultative, and responsive nature of policymaking this administration has embarked on over the past five and a half years,” Dominguez said.

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