With less than two years left to the end of his term, President Benigno S. C. Aquino III should ensure more reforms survive political transition in 2016 by making them laws, business leaders and analysts said yesterday.

John D. Forbes, senior adviser of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AmCham), said in a text message that “reforms should be deepened into laws and continued by the next administration.”

Peter L. Wallace, who heads The Wallace Business Forum, said separately via text: “The president’s reforms/programs can be continued by whoever takes over if you institutionalize reforms into laws.”

“If (Mr.) Aquino institutionalizes them in the next two years, they can’t be changed at a whim of another president,” Mr. Wallace said.

Their views were shared by Ramon C. Casiple, executive director of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform, who said in a separate text message that the administration should urge its allies in Congress to “enact reform bills so they become permanent,” adding that this “needs political will and focus by the president.” 

Makati Business Club (MBC) President Peter V. Perfecto said separately that the focus should be on a few “key steps” like providing a legal framework to facilitate public access to state documents through a Freedom of Information (FoI) law and internalization of anti-corruption principles by government and private sector groups through the Integrity Initiative, which MBC and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) started in 2010.

“It may be best for the president to support passage of an FoI law as an urgent priority and to issue an executive order (EO) in support of the Integrity Initiative. An FoI law and an EO supporting the integrity initiative are key steps towards institutionalizing and sustaining the reforms beyond 2016,” Mr. Perfecto said.

He also cited business groups’ emphasis “on good governance and integrity, inclusive growth, infrastructure development, energy security, foreign investments and smuggling.”

“Two years is not much time but it can be enough to move reforms forward, strengthen and institutionalize them and make them irreversible. Government has to stay the course and remain focused and not be distracted by calls for political charter change.”

The president courted controversy anew when he said he is now open to charter change to clip “overreach” by the judiciary, in a recorded interview televised recently in which he did not deny the possibility of seeking an extension of his term as well.

“The momentum of good governance should be accelerated from now until the end of his (Mr. Aquino’s) term,” AmCham’s Mr. Forbes said.

“Business groups have written the president with specific suggestions. Going forward, reforms should be deepened into laws and continued by the next administration which will need strong political will in order for the country to have strong economic growth and create jobs for the increasing population.”

Acknowledging that “many progressive reforms recommended... are under way,” Mr. Forbes cited the need to review the Foreign Investment Negative List to make it less restrictive, as well as ensure approval of the FoI bill, the Bangsamoro Basic Law, and rationalization of fiscal incentives.

More reforms, Mr. Forbes said, “should be introduced and moved quickly” through Congress.

Henry J. Schumacher, ECCP executive director, cited the urgency of making executive orders permanent through legislation.

“It is essential that the Aquino administration accelerates reform programs on the basis of good governance. It requires that EOs are institutionalized before this administration bows out,” he said.

Malacañang has submitted a list of 26 bills it wants Congress to prioritize, compiling a list submitted just before the 16th Congress ended its first regular session in June and the six measures mentioned during Mr. Aquino’s State of the Nation Address last month.

The measures include the FoI bill, fiscal incentives rationalization and mining revenue sharing. Mr. Aquino, while not certifying the FoI bill as urgent, has committed to pass the measure in his term. Also on the list are the proposed Tax Incentives Management and Transparency Act; amendments to the build-operate-transfer law and central bank charter changes.

Malacañang noted that 17 of the priority bills were currently making their way through Congress while the rest had yet to be filed.

Sought for comment, a Palace spokesman said “the Aquino administration has established the foundation for sustainable and inclusive growth.” Communications Secretary Herminio B. Coloma, Jr. said in an e-mail this was done through “budgetary reform, resources channeled towards people development, social protection, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and institutionalization of good governance.”

“Good governance has enabled the country to attain investment-grade status; upholding the rule of law has set new standards of accountability of public officials. At no other time has an incumbent chief justice of the Supreme Court been impeached, convicted, and removed from office. Never before have three sitting senators been indicted and charged with plunder for alleged misuse of public funds,” he said.

Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad said: “The remaining years will be devoted to consolidating those gains and making sure the successor carries on with reforms,” adding that “the most critical is to elect a new administration that shares the same characteristics as the Aquino administration.”

Source: Business World, 25 August 2014