In the development of the nation, the Federation has always been a strong and willing partner. Your active participation in the lives of your communities and in the advocacies of government are forever firm, and in your sense of civic duty, local and national governments have always found support. As nations worldwide strive to teach business to display social responsibility, your Chambers stand as brilliant examples of giving back to the economies that have supported your endeavors.
As we approach the Christmas season, the world seems to be filled with tension more than cheer. The global financial crisis of a few years back, which economic planners boldly claimed could be put to rest with finality, seems to have been joined by fresh causes for worry. In the age of free trade, nations share close economic bonds and what afflicts a region ten thousand miles away eventually affects countries like ours. The effects range from tolerable to critical and of late, many governments remain glued to the news to see how developments in Europe and the United States will influence our lives in the near future.
For the anxious and the ill-prepared, only miracles provide hope. But strength can be gained if we learn from the Chinese culture. I do not know how to read Chinese characters but I understand that the symbols for risk and for opportunity are one and the same. While others wait for miracles, let us see what opportunities we can build on.
Your Chambers have aggressively propagated businesses that are not limited to urban areas. Your members have the talent to spot opportunities to establish and grow enterprises that range from agriculture, retail, tourism, manufacturing, distribution and many others. These efforts have not only brought prosperity to you; they have created jobs and other business prospects for people in the countryside.
The Chambers have also mastered the art of working cohesively whenever needed to accomplish large goals. Indeed, where members can find synergies to support each other’s businesses and spur growth, they actively help each one out. This solidarity is not just a source of your strength. It is your culture and work ethic. Indeed, the term Gung Ho originated from the Chinese language and its’ true meaning of working together is lived by each of your members.
Under the spirit of brotherhood, unity and entrepreneurship, let us work to create further opportunities for rich human capital base that our country is so blessed with. Employment generation is one of the highest priorities of the Aquino administration for good reason. Whenever a person finds work, he is given a direct hand in creating his future. He can begin to put food on the table and find a roof under which a family can be raised. More than a salary, he obtains purpose and with that, a dignity that can never come from dole outs or pity.
Your Buy Pinoy-Buy Local campaign is a clear call that I support and hope every Filipino heeds. While we continue to cooperate with other countries to trade goods and services, let us devote serious work and resources to strengthen local industries and enhance our levels of self-sufficiency.
Our agricultural sector is one example. The most advanced nations in the world are capable of sending men into space, but they have never forgotten the importance of a strong farming base. Even countries flooded with cash but low on arable land are forging bilateral arrangements with developing nations and funding farming projects. This is to assure a steady level and supply of grain imports for their own consumption. As a land blessed with rich soil, we should be able to supply our own requirements and export produce to our trade partners.
Our biodiversity is a strong resource. Apart from grain, we should be able to cultivate and supply high value crops, and products derived from these, to emerging and hungry markets. The Chinese people have long benefited from remedies and medicines derived from herbal sources. Perhaps some of your members can aggressively explore what natural pharmaceutical products we can develop and market worldwide.
Tourism remains a bright avenue, but we need to be able to provide support infrastructure for the regions to blossom. The government can build roads, piers and ports. It may also fund hospitals of proper scale to attend to the needs of these areas. But there are massive opportunities for entrepreneurs within tourism. Creation of hotels and resorts are important, but so are power generation, telecommunications and efficient transport services. As the demand for potable water increases, innovations in waste water recycling, as pioneered by Israel, and even efficient desalination facilities will become attractive.
The environment is a global concern that also creates new paths for the creative and the bold. Some cities and shopping malls have already enforced a ban on plastic bags. This has revived the demand for brown paper bags and reusable carriers. Given the amount of waste we generate, there is room and even necessity for industries that make paper and packaging using post-consumer materials which can be used by establishments of all scales. This reduces the strain on our waste management facilities and leads to the creation for more jobs.
Within the housing sector, we in the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, are tasked with closing the housing gap by 2020. The multi-sectoral approach we’ve adopted has achieved encouraging results and we expect to be able to produce about 350,000 units a year for ten years. This synergy gives life to business prospects beyond the construction phase. The resulting communities shall create markets for goods and services which the wise businessman can cater to, and human capital bases which can be tapped and harnessed to make enterprises and lives prosper.
Even in education, trails can be blazed. China is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and everyone wishes to trade with China. Just as the Filipinos’ skill in the English language opened doors to industries such as Business Process Outsourcing, fluency in the Chinese language will be something that our children and grandchildren can benefit from. The demand for Chinese speaking graduates is high and even firms in Europe and the Middle East are paying top dollar for professionals who can speak both English and Chinese competently.
The possibilities are almost endless and I am certain that you see more opportunities than I can, when you look at our land and our people. On your skills and talents, my confidence that we can better the lives of people is founded. My faith in your Chambers is strong and I know that you will quietly but extraordinarily usher in a tide of development.
Yes, there will be adversity and obstacles as we work towards these goals. If there was no difficulty in accomplishing our tasks, the nobility and worth of our purpose is questionable. Indeed, the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo was right to say “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”
In your noble endeavors, the Chambers have always met with success. It is my honor to work with you to achieve the greatest good for our people. Working together, we can make the unimaginable possible.
Mabuhay kayo!