MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Jejomar Binay challenged Friday the members of the Chinese Filipino Business Club to lead in making the country globally competitive and a dominant player in the global arena.
In a keynote address to the 7th Biennial National Convention of the Chinese Filipino Business Club, Inc. held Friday in Manila Hotel, Binay said the Philippines has the potential and capability to be globally competitive.
“Good governance and business innovation should be complementary. And government and business linkages through public-private partnerships should steer us toward that course. Let me, therefore, challenge all of you to help make the Philippines a dominant player in the global arena. We can only work together to achieve this. And the only foreseeable result is progress,” Binay said.
Binay cited Jolibee, a brainchild of businessman Tony Tan Caktiong’s, which has grown to become one of the most “admired, most copied, most innovative and most professionally-run company in our part of the world.”
“Its dominance in the Philippine market, as The Economist put it in 2002, was a huge embarrassment to McDonald’s. If McDonald’s is the Goliath of fast food, it said, then Jollibee is its Filipino David,” Binay said.
Binay said the Tans chose the bee because they thought it epitomized the Filipino spirit of light-hearted, everyday happiness.”
“The Economist wrote, “for like Filipino working folk, the bee hops around and produces sweet things for life, and is happy even though it is busy. The success of Jollibee in the country can be attributed to what industry experts call smart niching. Jollibee’s menu is formulated to serve the unique tastes of Filipino consumers, whereas McDonald’s offerings are standardized to consumers around the world. This business innovation has led Jollibee to capture more than 65 percent of the hamburger market in the country,” Binay said.
Binay said that the success of Jolibee is a “tip of the iceberg” because Filipinos have long been globally competitive in various fields.
“In fashion, we have renowned designers Pitoy Moreno, Rajo Laurel, and Monique Lhuillier, whose creations have been worn by Hollywood celebrities. In entertainment and the arts, we have the likes of Lea Salonga, Cecille, Licad, Lisa Macuja, and Charice Pempengco, who all need no further introduction,” Binay said.
Binay said the Filipinos global competitiveness is also evidenced by the preponderance of Filipino skilled workers abroad.
He said foreign employers prefer Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) because of their good work ethic, sunny disposition and their ability to speak English fluently.
“Take for example our seafaring OFWs. The crew of the ill-fated Costa Concordia, which ran aground off the coast of Italy, was composed mainly of Filipinos. And at the risk of life and limb, these seafaring ambassadors opted to remain on the ship and assisted passengers to safety. They have been lauded for their competence, professionalism and humanity, even under extreme pressure,” Binay said.
Binay said the challenge to the Filipinos at present is how to make the Philippines “not just globally competitive, but globally dominant.”
“Our globally renowned countrymen and OFWs compose a small percentage of our populace. The challenge before us today is how to make the entire country not just globally competitive, but globally dominant-how to make Filipino global dominance the rule, not the exception,” Binay said.
Binay said President Aquino’s promotion of good governance is one of the main impetus of the Philippines’ expansion into the global arena.
He said the main thrust of President Benigno Aquino III’s administration is for all members of society to tread the straight and narrow path.
“Good governance promotes the collective responsibility of the government, civil society, and the private sector for improving lives, particularly of the poor. It should further economic growth, not limit or stunt it. It should be our springboard for global recognition. As logic would dictate, if our affairs were in order-if the country is being governed properly-then we become more attractive to foreign investors,” Binay said.
Binay cited that as an opening salvo to this goal, the National Statistical Coordination Board unveiled last year the Good Governance Index, or GGI, to promote good governance in the country.
He said the GGI is made up of “objective, comprehensive and comparable” measures of good governance designed to guide policy makers and stakeholders in assessing national and local performance.
“It promotes more evidence-based policymaking and decision-making towards good governance. The GGI stresses the need for good governance not just at the national level, but at the local as well. The GGI recognizes and taps local government units as a key factor in the success of good governance,” Binay said.
Binay said the role of the local government and the development of indicators at a local level in achieving good governance have been supported by studies made by the United Nations Public Administration Network and the Philippine Institute for Development Studies.
“As the UN study points out, the need for such indicators may be argued on the basis that even the best laid and executed government plan must also be assessed in terms of its impact on local welfare. These indicators are then best taken as inputs of planning towards better government service provision,” Binay said.
Binay cited that Makati is a proof of how local reform at the local level could leave an impact on a global scale.
He said that from a bankrupt municipality in the aftermath of the EDSA People Power revolution in 1986, Makati has risen to be on of the most globally competitive cities in the country.
“This meteoric rise of the country’s business hub allowed yours truly to be nominated as one of the Word Mayors in 2006. It is, thus, my dream that Makati’s success story be replicated throughout the country. Through the Makati Sister City program, I believe this dream can be gradually made into reality,” Binay said.