With the deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacy having come to a close, the Filipino voting public will be subjecting the presidentiables to a very close scrutiny. In this day and age when information technology has made voters very much aware of issues, motherhood statements will no longer work. People want specific policies, platforms and ideas on how the candidates plan to address the problems that the nation face.
This is precisely what Go Negosyo seeks to achieve with Negosyo Talks: Meet the Presidentiables Series—a three-part roundtable forum that aims to give the business community a chance to meet the top presidentiables who will share their vision and platform particularly on economic and entrepreneurship development.
Go Negosyo partnered with PLDT SME Nation, TV5 and Bilang Pilipino in mounting the series that hopefully can help the electorate into becoming informed participants in the democratic exercise in May 2016.
The series started off with Vice President Jejomar Binay who articulated his platform of governance, with poverty alleviation as among his priorities. The Vice President handled questions—including the corruption allegatiosn that have been hurled against him—from my fellow panelists that included businessman and naturalized Filipino HareshHiranand who is engaged in the garments export industry; Manila Overseas Press Club president Babe Romualdez; Sterling Group of Companies chairman and CEO Henry Lim Bon Liongwho is also the vice president of the Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry; “doctor to the stars” Vicky Belo of the Belo Medical Group; and Ramon Lopez, executive director of the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship-Go Negosyo. TV5’s Luchi Cruz Valdez was the moderator during the roundtable discussion that was not only interesting but enlightening as well.
Definitely, it is important for all of us to know the mindset of those seeking to lead us, and know how they intend to steer this country towards progress and development.