Indonesian President arrives in Manila for state
visit, World Economic Forum
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
arrived in Manila on Thursday for a state visit and to attend the World
Economic Forum on East Asia (WEF-EA).
The Indonesian Presidential Aircraft (737-800)
landed at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City at about 12:50 p.m.
He was welcomed by Foreign Affairs Secretary
Albert del Rosario, Education Secretary Armin Luistro, Mindanao Development
Authority Secretary Luwalhati Antonino, Metropolitan Manila Development
Authority Chairman Francis Tolentino, Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia Ma.
Rosario Aguinaldo, Pasay City Mayor Antonino Calixto, and Philippine Air Force
Commanding General Lt. Gen. Jeffery Delgado.
President Yudhoyono was accompanied by
Indonesia’s First Lady Ani Bambang Yudhoyono and his delegation.
Meanwhile, Vice President U Nyan Tun of the
Republic of the Union of Myanmar arrived at the Manila International Airport
Terminal 3 at about 11p.m. on Wednesday.
President Yudhoyono and Vice President U Nyan
Tun, along with President Benigno S. Aquino III and Vietnamese President Nguyen
Tan Dung, are scheduled to give speeches at the opening plenary of the WEF-EA
at the Shang-ri La Hotel in Makati on Thursday. PND (ag)
President Aquino renews optimism on Philippine
growth potential
President Benigno S. Aquino III said his
administration is committed to sustaining the momentum of continuous economic
growth for the benefit of the people, especially the poor.
In his address during the opening of the 23rd
World Economic Forum on East Asia (WEF-EA) in Makati City on Thursday, the
President said reform measures spearheaded by his government have begun to bear
fruit, making the country more attractive to foreign investors.
"It is evident that our country is in the
midst of a dramatic turnaround in every sector, and we are intent on continuing
this trend and making certain that each and every Filipino enjoys the full
dividends of progress," he told the delegates and organizers of the
WEF-EA.
All signs for the future are pointing upwards,
he said, citing United Nations population projections that noted that by 2015,
the country will be hitting a “demographic sweet spot” that will last for the
next 35 years.
He said countries that experience such
conditions would post an average yearly growth of 7.3 percent over the next 10
years.
The government, he said, is poised to take full
advantage of the situation, having made strategic investments in education and
skills training to equip the country's future workforce.
“Good governance is good economics, and the
results of our reforms on the economic end are proving us right,” he said.
In 2013, he said, the Philippine economy grew by
7.2 percent, making it one of the fastest growing countries in Asia.
This growth was achieved despite successive natural
and man-made disasters that hit the country late last year, among them the
Zamboanga Siege incident in September, the Bohol earthquake in October, and
Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in November, he said.
He further noted the renewed perceptions of the
international community towards the Philippines. In the past year, all three
major credit ratings agencies gave the Philippines investment upgrades.
And just two weeks ago, he said, Standard &
Poor’s gave the country another upgrade—from BBB- to BBB.
The President thanked the WEF for improving its
outlook on the Philippines. From 2010 to 2013, the Philippines had moved up 26
places in the WEF’s competitiveness rankings—from 85th to 59th.
He also made a commitment to continue reviving
the manufacturing sector and increasing government spending on infrastructure,
which has already doubled from an estimated P200 billion in 2011 to more than
P400 billion in 2014.
The President pledged that his government will
continue to ensure food security with the appointment of Presidential Assistant
for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization Secretary Francis Pangilinan.
Apart from closely cooperating with other ASEAN
neighbors in ensuring food security, the Philippines is intent on taking
advantage of advances in technology to further improve its agricultural output,
he said.
Earlier in his message, the President mentioned
the bureaucratic reforms being carried out by his administration, among them
making the budgeting system more efficient, going after tax evaders and
smugglers, charging erring officials in the previous administration, and
implementing anti-poverty programs.
He also reported on the ongoing conditional cash
transfer program, as well as the reforms and projects in education, the
healthcare system and the military. PND (as)
