Reforms off to a slow start
Guarded optimism surrounds the slow start of ARANGKADA - which, by the way, is also an automotive term that denotes shifting to a higher gear to achieve speed.
"The government only managed to start implementing about 55 percent of the 471 policy recommendations that the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) forwarded to Malacañang a year ago to spur economic development and boost investment inflows. “It means that we are going forward but not fast enough,” John Forbes, senior adviser of the American Chamber of Commerce, told the BusinessMirror.
"Earlier, the JFC said investors were beginning to take notice of the Aquino administration’s policy reforms and predicted that if all the recommended changes were followed, the country could attract as much as $75 billion in foreign direct investments.
"In December 2010, the JFC submitted to Malacañang the “Arangkada 2010 Moving Twice as Fast” document containing policy recommendations and reforms that will catalyze the growth of the “Seven Big Winner Sectors.” These are agribusiness, business-process outsourcing (BPO), creative industries, logistics, manufacturing, mining, and tourism, medical travel and retirement."
...
"The assessment report, issued to mark the recent anniversary of Arangkada Philippines’
launch, assessed progress of government efforts across industries and
business issues, rating them as “no longer relevant,”
“backward/regression,” “not ongoing,” “started,” “substantial progress”
and “completed.”
"The report said “more than 50 private sector experts” evaluated all 471 recommendations.
A summary of their evaluations showed 41 prescriptions that had either been “completed” or marked by “substantial progress.”
"Only seven had been completed, specifically: two each in business process outsourcing (BPO) and infrastructure policy, as well as one each in labor, logistics and telecommunications.
"There were 34 recommendations that had “substantial progress,” specifically: seven in BPO; three each in “becoming more competitive”, infrastructure policy, logistics, mining and governance; two each in airports, “tourism, medical travel and retirement” as well as in “health & population”; and one each in creative industries, judicial, labor, local government, macroeconomic policy and poverty.
"One hundred eighty-seven others had been initiated, 180 were “not ongoing”, 47 had “regressed” and 16 were “no longer relevant.”"
