Palace says hosting WEF gave Pinoys a sense of pride

he hilippines’ hosting of the World conomic orum W on ast sia last week is a good reason for ilipinos to give themselves a pat on the back, udget ecretary lorencio bad said riday.

n a statement for the closing of the W sessions, bad said the forum gave ilipinos an opportunity to consider their national situation from a broader perspective “to view it from a position that ustly recognizes the accomplishments we’ve made.

“We’re a people used to flogging ourselves or downplaying our achievements. et foreign delegates and the forum’s international participants were une uivocal in their appreciation of the hilippines’ unprecedented growth and the strength of the administration’s governance agenda, bad said.

“ he W therefore challenged us to give ourselves credit where it is due, and at the same time, develop a better understanding of the difficulties that may hinder our progress along the way, he said.

bad said the W was an e cellent platform for international cooperation and cross-industry dialogue among its participants.

hrough the meeting, he said foreign delegates were also able to take a firsthand look at the hilippine narrative of good governance and inclusive growth, where economic progress and greater social development were made possible in ust three-and-a-half years.

“While the resident in his speech took note of the current administration’s role in bringing about these landmark changes in socio-economic development, he made it clear that none of these gains would have been possible without the support of the ilipino people. ndeed, increased public participation in government processes was key in ensuring the success of our reform initiatives, bad said.

e said the strong partnership between the administration and the ilipino people motivated them and would continue to drive them toward immediate, long-term and sustainable development.

“ id and relief agencies from all over likewise spoke in glowing terms of the continuing relief, recovery and reconstruction efforts in the wake of uper yphoon olanda, with the government oining hands with citizens, civil society, various local and international organizations and the private sector to restore normalcy to all affected communities, bad said.

“With the conclusion of the meeting, it is only fitting for us to take heart with the advancements we’ve tracked as a nation. ince , we’ve been making great strides in fiscal growth and consolidation, in delivering badly needed public services and enacting long-overdue policies, and in establishing greater transparency, accountability and efficiency in the national budget so it better serves the people, he said.

bad said the country had done much amid various setbacks.

e said members of the uino administration would continue to work, as they always have, with great confidence in the straight path and in the ilipino people’s collective ability to effect lasting, positive change in the

country.

Continue reforms

ice resident e omar inay, for his part, stressed yesterday the need to continue the reforms initiated by resident uino beyond the end of his term.

“ hese reforms triggered renewed interest in the hilippines and a reappraisal of our economic potential. We therefore make our commitment to continue and, if needed, e pand the reforms initiated by resident uino beyond , inay said.

e also acknowledged that the initial stages of the ssociation of outheast sian ations economic integration will be faced with challenges.

“ here will surely be challenges as a result of integration. hese can be considered birthing pains. ut am confident that the presence of mutual respect, collaboration and friendship that the spirit will help us overcome the challenges as individual nations and collectively as , so we can move our economies forward, inay said.

e stressed that the ultimate goal for the hilippines and other countries “is to ensure that whatever economic gains that will accrue from integration will improve the lives of our people, eradicate poverty and allow every citizen to share the benefits of development.

“We are all in agreement that economic e pansion is meaningless if it does not help every citizen rise above their present circumstances, inay said.

Unimpressed

eanwhile, workers are not impressed by the “wonderful stories portrayed in the W on ast sia, the labor group artido ng anggagawa said yesterday.

“W is not about people. t’s all about corporations, their investments and new market opportunities, said chair enato agtubo.

e said even if resident uino cited the role ordinary ilipinos played in the country’s economic turnaround, the W ’s business agenda will never change.