Mr. Secretary, Mr. Co-chair, distinguished delegates and participants:

Thank you for inviting the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in the Philippines to attend this consultative meeting and providing us with an opportunity to contribute our views on the economic and social development plans for the Philippines.

It is my honour to submit on behalf of the American Chamber of Commerce, the Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the Korean Chamber of Commerce, and the Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters. All are represented here today by their Presidents and/or Executive Directors which attests to the importance all attach to the deliberations of the PDF.

The JFC members are optimistic about the potential that the Philippines has to advance its economic and social development under the leadership of a new President, a new administration, and a new Congress. We look forward to working closely with all public authorities as well as civil society in initiating and implementing the necessary reforms in economic management and good governance for the benefit of all Filipinos.

The JFC members have completed a major year-long and in-depth review of this very subject in close consultation with a wide range of domestic and foreign stakeholders.  Our analysis and more than 400 specific recommendations are included in our report with the self-explanatory title of Arangkada Philippines 2010: A Business perspective.  We submitted this report to the President last December and have distributed it to the relevant government authorities, embassies and business leaders.  It is my pleasure to submit this report to the Philippines Development Forum as a detailed statement of our collective views.

[To read further, please download the attached Adobe PDF document that can be found herein.]