President Aquino vows to address business sector’s
concerns on energy, port congestion
President Benigno S. Aquino III on Friday vowed to
address the concerns of the business sector, especially those on power supply
and port congestion, to achieve the country's goal of inclusive growth.
Speaking before hundreds of the country’s top
business executives and entrepreneurs during the 40th Philippine Business
Conference and Expo held at the Manila Hotel, the President thanked the
business sector for coming up with resolutions that will help the government
pinpoint areas that need to be improved.
“Let me be the first to say that we are in
agreement with your concerns; this is not the first time we have heard about
these matters, and I can assure you that practically all aspects of your
resolutions are already being addressed by government,” he said.
On the formulation of an integrated and
sustainable energy and power development roadmap, President Aquino said “the
efforts to reform the power industry, as embodied in the Electric Power
Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), is still a work in progress.”
He noted that “just-in-time” energy supplies do
not attract more investment, hence the need to change the business model, which
he said is also a work in progress.
“The work will infinitely be faster and more
efficient with the cooperation of the business sector.
There are around three major entities in power
today who are investing in the sector, even without long-term power purchase
agreements or power supply contracts,” he said, adding that he hopes more
investors would follow suit and would seek ways and means to encourage more to
follow their track.
On port congestion, the Chief Executive said
government agencies led by Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras have been working
with the private sector to address the problem.
He cited Executive Order 172, which designates the
ports of Subic and Batangas as temporary extensions of the Port of Manila in
times of congestion and other predicaments.
“Costs were lowered, to incentivize importers to
shift to those ports. I understand a 90 percent discount has been given in
terms of port charges so that these two ports are more attractive to shippers,”
he said.
He said the use of the Batangas Port has already
increased to 94 percent this month from 20 percent to 25 percent previously.
Diverting the traffic to Subic and Batangas is
just a short-term solution, President Aquino said, adding that the two ports
might encounter the same problems met by the Port of Manila.
The solution to the congestion issue is to
continue operations during weekends, he noted, assuring that the Bureau of
Customs and port operators would be available on Saturdays and Sundays to
facilitate cargo movement.
Apart from this, the Philippine National Police
has intensified operations against hijackers to ensure the safe delivery of
cargoes, he said.
“We are doing all these because we want those
present today, and the many other businesses across the country, to succeed,”
the President said.
“Your growth redounds to increased livelihood
opportunities for our people, which in turn redound to an empowered consumer
base and a productive citizenry able to take part in spurring the growth of our
economy and of our region,” he said.
President Aquino invited the country’s business
community to join the government in building on their already strong
partnership and in redoubling their efforts to surpass the challenges they
continue to face. PND (jb)
