Business groups have urged Congress to enact business and economic bills that are in very advanced stages in the legislative process.

These measures are the Anti-Money Laundering Act amendments, Direct Remittance of Local Government Share in National Wealth taxes, enhancing the Curriculum of Basic Education (K+12), Insurance Code amendments, Institutionalizing the National Land Use Policy, amendments to several Laws on professions to allow foreign reciprocity (Criminology, Environmental Planning, Pharmacy and Forestry), Rural Bank act amendments, Sustainable Forest Management Bill, Universal Healthcare Coverage and Whistleblowers Protection Bill, all which have passed the House of representatives but have yet to pass the Senate.

Meanwhile, the House has yet to pass the Design Council Bill and Freedom of Information Bill that have been approved already in the Senate. Both chambers have yet to approve the Anti-Trust Bill.

The groups said that passage of the additional measures will strongly enhance Philippine competitiveness and support economic growth, as well as surpass the 22 business and economic reform measures passed in the previous 14^th Congress.

The JFC’s Arangkada Philippines 2010 contains 471 business and economic reform recommendations, documented business and economic reform measures enacted in the 14^th.

The group will be releasing the second annual assessment of the 471 business and economic reform recommendations in the Arangkada Philippines report at the Second Annual Arangkada Philippines Forum: Realize the Potential! on Feb. 26 at the Makati Shangri-La.

The groups that join in this appeal consist of the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) and Philippine Business Groups (PBGs): American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce, Employers Confederation of the Philippines, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, financial Executives of the Philippines, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines, Korean Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Makati Business Club, Management Association of the Philippines, Philippine Association of Multinational Regional headquarters, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc.  

Source: Malaya; Business; 16 January 2013