Thursday, 11 June 2009 22:29
PRESIDENTIAL aspirants Mar Roxas and Chiz Escudero were extensively grilled for almost four hours by businessmen and economists in Cebu City on Thursday, making them commit to issues from presidential appointments to federalism, oil deregulation, nuclear power and even code of ethics for spouses.
The 1st National Business Conference of Independent Business Clubs, organized by the Makati and Cebu business clubs, gathered close to 20 business chambers and clubs as well as stakeholders from all over the country for a forum highlighted by the “job interview” of the aspirants.
A third guest, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, begged off from the event at the last minute. According to Gordon Alan Joseph, president of the Cebu Business Club, the forum paves the way for a stronger commitment for a partnership between the private sector and the future leaders of the country.
“This is a chance for the private sector to give our input and to also hear what the plans are of our leaders,” Joseph said. He said other leading aspirants for president were not available for the event at the Marco
Polo Plaza Hotel.
The aspirants were subjected to a panel interview by former Cabinet secretaries Benjamin Diokno and Felipe Medalla, Eric Ng Mendoza of the Mandaue City business chamber, Simeon Marfori III representing Davao City businessmen, and former Napocor chief Jesus Alcordo. Later, the estimated 300 participants joined in to ask their questions.
Escudero said he would push for five priority programs—lowering the cost of business, investments in education, lowering the cost of food, tourism and good governance, while Roxas espoused a government leaning on a “rock of morality and good governance” and what he called an agricultural renaissance.
There were not too many clashes in the general policies of the two senators as they agreed on the merits of a federal form of government, a popular advocacy by many regions including in Cebu and Davao.
Escudero said a federal form of government is good and must be done, through a Constitutional amendment, only after 2010. He also preferred a merit-based federal state, where regions “earn” their right to become autonomous.
Roxas, on the other hand, expressed concern on how the states will be funded and how to prevent the regions from becoming fiefdoms of local political families.
“As a desired end state, a federal government is ideal but we must be careful how we get there. Right now the regions are not becoming small kingdoms of political families because of the role of a strong central government,” Roxas said. “[Federal state] It will be like, I want to be independent but I want my allowance.”
Chiz: to fund infra
Escudero said he would fund airports, ports and road networks for a seamless connection of the island to further tourism, while Roxas said he would create a scale economy and allow smaller resorts and sector players to tap the global market.
Roxas also pushed for continuing peace talks with seperatists rebels in Central Mindanao but said he would not accede to a peace-for-land deal nor the dismemberment of the country. Escudero pushed the envelope further by proposing a tribe-by-tribe peace talks and the building of new highways for social services and security response.
The two senators also committed to limiting the appointment powers of the President, with Roxas limiting his to secretaries and undersecretaries, and Escudero, to a few sensitive Cabinet posts out of the present 5,200 presidential appointed positions, leaving the rest to career government executives.
“This will allow the infusion of new and young blood into the government assuring us that only the most qualified will run these posts,” Escudero said.
Roxas even hinted at a code of ethics for spouses, while Escudero said he asked his wife not to interfere with his political world.
No to new taxes
AS for taxes, the two aspirants agreed there should be no new taxes as of yet except for the indexation of the sin taxes, pushing instead for improvements in the tax collection system in order to cover the estimated P300 billion in deficit by the time the new president takes office.
The two aspirants also agreed to study further the benefits of nuclear power, separate from the moth-balled Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. They also agreed to prioritize education.
Escudero committed to provide the biggest budget to education, while Roxas hit at the past governments’ incrementalism—doing little things everywhere—and instead promised to attack two to three problems with all the available resources of government.
The two also promised to review the oil deregulation law, hitting the Department of Energy for failing to check the books of the oil companies and a sector-by-sector review of the fiscal incentives for foreign investors in the country.
Other speakers in the forum were Rep. Teofisto Gungona III of Bukidnon, who talked about the government budgeting process; Peter Wallace, on foreign investments in the country; and Jose Cuisia, on transparency and governance.
