Top business leaders to lead confab on key national issues

TOP BUSINESS and government leaders will lead a conference on Dec. 8 in Makati City to share their insights on the most important national and economic policies.

Leading the list of speakers from the business sector during the First Pilipinas Conference are Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, chairman of Ayala Corp.; Manuel V. Pangilinan, chairman of Metro Pacific Investments Corp.; Enrique Razon, Jr., chairman and CEO of International Container Terminal Services, Inc.; and Joey Concepcion, chairman and CEO of RFM Corp.

Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) President Hans Sicat and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) President George Barcelon will also join the list of speakers in the First Pilipinas Conference, which is organized by private think tank Stratbase Albert del Rosario Institute (ADRI).

“As the institute’s culminating activity for 2016, we are privileged to organize the First Pilipinas Conference to gather our country’s thought leaders in a forward looking perspective in rare forum for strategic thinking and constructive discussions in the Philippine policy space,” said Dindo Manhit, president of Stratbase ADR Institute.

Speakers from the government side include Department of National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Bases Conversion Development Authority President and CEO Vivencio Dizon.

Among the key topics to be discussed are pursuing a federal government structure for the Philip- pines; the Philippines and ASEAN’s role in the South China Sea; promotion of foreign investments and enhancements of SMEs; and the Philippine footprint in Southeast Asia and beyond.

Representing the academe during the conference are Dr. Ronald Mendoza of the Ateneo School of Government, Dr. Julio Teehankee of the De La Salle University and Dr. Paul Hutchcraft of the Australian National University.

Other conference speakers are Dr. Amy Searight, director of Center for Strategic and International Studies; Laurence Cua of Uber; Dr. Astrid Turninez of Microsoft Corp.; Shingo Yamagami of Japan Institute for International Affairs; and Aaron Connelly of Lowy Institute for International Policy.

Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario will deliver the keynote address.

Dindo Manhit, president of Stratbase ADR Institute, said the conference is an initiative of the institute to contribute to national discussion of the most important economic issues and developments.

Since its inception in 2014, ADRI has published policy reports and outlooks covering topics in foreign policy and defense, trade and investment, energy and the environment, and governance.

“Throughout this year, we have held discussions with audiences of different sizes, with the objective of engaging policy makers, subject matter experts, stakeholders, students, and others in topics of national importance,” Mr. Manhit said.