THE building of more infrastructure projects and farming modernization are among the top recommendations gathered by the government in the conduct of Sulong Pilipinas 2018 across the country that was capped in Davao City on Nov. 28.
Sulong Pilipinas is a modern town hall consultative activity where private sector participants give policy recommendations and feedback on various areas of governance, such as economic development, infrastructure, local governance, peace and order, agriculture, social services, and micro, small, and medium enterprise development.
The program was also held in Cebu on Nov. 9, San Fernando, La Union on Nov. 14, and Clark, Pampanga on Nov. 26.
The Department of Finance said participants wanted the government to build more seaports, airports and mass-based transport systems to improve access and mobility across the country, minimize congestion and further spur economic activities.
The recommendation on farming modernization, meanwhile, was aimed to prioritize farming education and use new agricultural technology to improve agricultural output and farmers’ income.
Economists have blamed the sluggish 6.1-percent growth of the economy in the third quarter to the dismal contribution of the agricultural sector to the gross domestic product growth.
Other recommendations include the simplification of loan requirements and offer reasonable interest rates for micro small and medium scale enterprises and farmers; improve access to education, particularly for the poor; and livelihood trainings.
Also included are the proper planning in implementation of infrastructure projects to lessen disruptions to business operations; simplification of Bureau of Internal Revenue processes; greater police and military visibility in rural areas; intensive monitoring of illegal business in coastal areas; and extended martial law in Mindanao.
The first Sulong Pilipinas for representatives of the business community was held in May 2016 by then incoming Cabinet members of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte.
Since then, annual Sulong Pilipinas events have been spearheaded by the DoF, co-organized by other government agencies.
All four legs of Sulong Pilipinas 2018 opened with the conduct of the Philippine Economic Briefing. The PEB is a flagship activity of the Investor Relations Office of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
During the economic briefing, top economic and infrastructure officials presented updates on the economic performance, outlook, and policies, as well as the government’s massive and much-needed infrastructure thrust.