Changing the rules in the middle of the game?

What’s going on with daang matuwid? Remember how they pilloried the Philippine National Police (PNP) for that alleged helicopter deal? But that was during the previous administration. Since the assumption into office of Pres. Benigno “PNoy” Aquino, III questionable deals are supposedly history or so we are told.

But apparently, not much has changed since we had a change in administrations. Now Malacañang has approved the purchase of 60,000 Glock 17 pistols worth P1 billion but the President stopped the bidding process for the M-4 assault rifles. I’d really like to know whether or not the PNP has two separate and distinct procurement systems under the PNoy regime? How could it be that one deal was right and the other was questionable?

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It was out as the headline of the Business Section of the Philippine Star last Monday that PEZA incentives were removed from the Information Technology (IT) Industry in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu. My immediate response to this is… once more government is changing the rules in the middle of the game. If there is any bright spot that brings Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) to our shores, they are investments from the IT sector.

The following Tuesday, the Business World came up with this headline “Foreign investments up; BSP cites confidence.” This report reveals that “Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) rose up by June to 16% of net flow of US$ 73 million from a year earlier, bringing the first half tally to a net US$917 million, up 10.6% from US$829 million in the same period a year ago.”

Now that everything should be going up, the Philippine Export Zone Authority (PEZA) drops this bombshell. This is the problem we’ve always had in this country… whenever we have set our goals to lure FDIs and they come to invest in our country, some jackass suddenly pulls the plug on these foreign investments. What’s up with PEZA? Why are they doing this to us?

I called up Mr. Joel Mari Yu of the Cebu Investment Promotion Center (CIPC) to come up with what he thinks the PEZA is doing, but apparently, he was busy preparing for a trip to Europe and his off-the-cuff explanation was that, the IT industry in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu are already considered as “mature” investments and therefore, it can handle more foreign investments without giving anymore incentives to these IT parks and development centers.

What PEZA is trying to tell us is that they will decongest the IT parks in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu, so these FDIs could shift to places that are still emerging like Davao or Cagayan de Oro or Bacolod? If there is anything I see that is positive here, it is that it could depopulate the already congested Metro Manila or Metro Cebu. But then, what about those IT parks that have not yet been considered full? The AsiaTown IT Park isn’t full yet. Are they now prevented from bringing in more IT investments? What about the incentives for those who are already here?

While we have only read the news, we don’t know what really are the plans of PEZA? Will these incentives be removed from those FDIs that are already here? I would like to believe that PEZA would not just pull the plug without any consultation? Let’s hope that PEZA will show some kind of transparency, which apparently is absent in the Aquino Regime. We shall write more on this as soon as PEZA gives us more details.

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Last Tuesday evening, in a quiet, but solemn ceremony at the Grand Hotel, Consul Robert “Bobby” Joseph inducted the officers for the year 2012-2013 of the Tourism Educators & Movers of the Philippines (TEAM) led by Pres. Israel N. Abarratigue of SWU, Vice-Pres. Hubert Quiñones of CTU, Vice-Pres. External Leo Acibar of Mandaue State College, Secretary Ruby Melchor of CNU, Assoc. Secretary Demetrio Anticuando of USC, Auditor Ronald Payao, PRO Roland Geturuelas of CIT-U and Victoria Amadora of UC.

Bobby Joseph also inducted the League of Tourism Students of the Philippines led by Pres. Gelmar Patok of USC, Vice-Pres. Michael Rey Aunzo of CNU, Vice-Pres. External Cheryl Las Pinas, Secretary Francis Elizabeth Jugalbot CTU-Danao, Assist. Secretary Johanna Fe Vano of ACT, Treasurer June Caballes of UC, PRO Mirafe Hermita of NCC for the North, Princess Roel Guillen of CIT-U for Central Rep,. and King Bahinting of CTU-Moalboal for South Rep.

This is the quiet work that Bobby Joseph is doing here in Cebu and in many parts of the Philippines as Chairman Emeritus of TEAM Philippines. They are the so-called “warm bodies” or the youth that he is helping develop to lead our tourist industry into a more professional future. God bless his work.

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