Poe: Tech infra crucial; gov’t must make Apec accounting

Sen. Grace Poe wants better technology infrastructure put in place to better support small businesses as well as startups.

“Technology infrastructure is the critical element in unlocking the potential of SMEs [small and medium enterprises] and startups for economic growth. This is where the government should focus its efforts,” Poe said in a statement on Thursday.

“At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) SME Summit which the country is hosting, Manila was identified as one of three cities in the world projected to be a center of global innovation along with Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur. But the sad reality is that our growth will continue to be limited by the slow pace of expansion of technology infrastructure,” she said.

Stumbling blocks

Poe said a technology infrastructure gap is deterring the entry of more foreign capital into the country.

“Foreign investors and businessmen have long expressed their desire to do business here but have encountered stumbling blocks, particularly the lack of infrastructure,” she said.

“It is the same in the technology sector which impacts the growth of SMEs and startups. Until we can put in place the infrastructure and guarantee consistent and cheap a communications network that can interconnect businesses, industries, investors and even universities and research organizations, we will never be able to achieve our full potential as a competitive SME and technology player not only in the region but in the world,” Poe said.

“Issues that hamper the growth and sustainability of SMEs and startups will have to be addressed according to a realistic and doable roadmap. Constraints such as access to funds, reliability and affordability of communications and data networks, and provision of funds and technical information for SME research and development are among the issues that must be addressed immediately,” she said.

SMEs comprise 99.6 percent of businesses in the country and employs 70 percent of the total workforce.

Full accounting

Meanwhile, on a visit Thursday to the City of Malolos, Poe and some of her senatorial ticket said the public should be given a full accounting of the benefits and liabilities the Philippines incurred for hosting the Apec summit.

Poe said this should include a breakdown of the government’s expenses in hosting world leaders like US President Barack Obama, as well as an explanation for the removal of the poor from Metro Manila streets for the duration of the meeting.

To senatorial candidate Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo, aside from trade agreements, Apec should be a venue for discussing issues of territorial disputes, terrorism and workers’ rights.

Romulo said the Philippines, being the summit host, should use the opportunity to discuss these issues and create a multisectoral dialogue.

Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said China’s reclamation in the West Philippine Sea should be a topic of concern.

“Under international law, no country should have control over an ocean, be it the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Blue Sea or South China Sea. It is no longer an issue of the Philippines or Asean because China’s actions will threaten the [freedom of] navigation of ships coming from Africa, the US and other countries. It is now a legitimate issue of economics,” Colmenares, a lawyer, said.

“We don’t need to clash with China in discussing issues of territorial dispute. We only need to talk,” Romulo added.

Talks on terrorism

Another candidate running with Poe, ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Sammy Pagdilao, a retired police general, said terrorism should also be discussed by the international leaders in light of the terrorist attacks in France last week which left 129 people dead.

If elected president in 2016, Poe said she would certify the long-stalled Freedom of Information (FOI) bill as urgent to ensure its passage into law.

“The things that are being hidden from the public are probably anomalous and the FOI is our weapon against it. If elected, I will certify the FOI bill as urgent within my first 100 days in office. Those officials who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear from the FOI bill,” said Poe, chair of the Senate committee on public information and mass media.