Better year seen for PHL

By Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.
January 9, 2013

CEBU CITY  –  With the start of 2013, many predictions arise on what will happen this year in politics, governance, global economy, and the state of our nation.

“2013 would be a very prosperous year as far as Cebu is concerned. This is because of the economic development and movements spurting our economy,” Roderic "Ricky" Poca, political analyst and media man, said during the Jan. 5 episode of “Pagtuki”, the official radio program of Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI).

He also added that the existence of the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector contributes to the booming economy of the country. He said that the May elections is expected to have positive and negative impacts to the economy as well.

For economist Fernando "Perry" Fajardo, the economy of the Philippines is in smooth sail. In fact, he said that even though there is global economic crisis, the country’s economy is flourishing.

“Before, we are so left behind by our neighboring Asian countries like Taiwan, Hongkong, Singapore, and Malaysia. But now, due to improved governance, we were able to regain the trust of our investors,” Fajardo said.

“We have a 6.4 percent growth rate in the year 201, higher than what we targeted. I also see that in this year, it will be the same or, perhaps, higher because of the upcoming elections,” he added, pointing out that elections enable government to create more projects for the people.

He pointed out, though, that the challenge for this year is how to address the unemployment rate of the country. He said that micro-enterprises can help reduce unemployment.

As much as the country wants to be economically stable, Dr. Jocelyn Gerra, executive director of RAFI Culture & Heritage, stressed that it is also important to continue the cultural awareness among the public.

“I hope that the programs and campaigns of both private and public sectors would engage more people to think about our culture and heritage and to appreciate our identity, history, and values,” she added.

She said that she can now see a higher number of people aware and educated about their culture. She cited Gabii sa Kabilin, an initiative of RAFI held every May, as an event that has been looked forward to by the public, especially the youth.

“The local government units (LGUs) are doing their best to educate people on local history. We cannot do it alone, we need partners to help us carry out these activities,” she said.

She said that many people are now visiting local museums and heritage sites.