Introduction of Panel 2: Infrastructure By Mr.

Takashi Ishigami President, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines President, Marubeni Philippines Corporation Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen: We now move to Panel 2 of the program which focuses on the Infrastructure Sector. Before I introduce the panel, let me say something about the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines. We have been working to promote the improvement of the business environment for the many years that our chamber has been active in the Philippines. Up to now, half of our members are manufacturers. There is a huge opportunity for the Philippines to attract more Japanese manufacturers and along with them Japanese companies involved in the services, such as retailers, food, restaurants, education, and the BPO industry. The Philippines should prepare to seize this great opportunity to attract investmentsnot only from the Japanesebut from investors all over the globe. In order to do this, the necessary infrastructure should be in place. We are expecting PPP projects in the fields of power, transportation (in particular: airports, seaports, roads and rail), telecommunications, and water. Last year was significant for the PPP program because more projects were prepared for bidding. We are optimistic that 2013 will have the highest number of PPP projects bid and awarded since the BOT program began under President Ramos.

The Arangkada Philippines Project (TAPP)

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Infrastructure provides the backbone of growth in any country. If the Philippines is to Realize its Potential as Asias rising tiger economy it must Move Twice as Fast in implementing infrastructure. We can never emphasize too much the significance of reliable infrastructure in a country as a key to increased competitiveness and to improve the business climate. In this regard, we believe the recommendation of the recent Philippine Development Forum to increase public sector infrastructure spending from the present 2.6% of GDP to 5% by 2016 is very important. That would mean increasing from roughly $6 billion in 2012 to $15 billion in 2016 assuming a 6% GDP rate of growth. This would lead to significant growth in investment and the economy. Today, let us take advantage of this Forum to discuss and find out how we can give the Infrastructure Sector a push. We have with us a distinguished speaker, a distinguished moderator, and four distinguished experts. NEDA Deputy Director-General (Undersecretary) for Investment Programming Rolando Tungpalan chairs the NEDA Infrastructure Coordination Committee Technical Board as well as the National Steering Committee of the Millenium Development Goals Fund. He also serves as the main government counterpart to the multilateral and bilateral development agecies. Our rough estimate is that he is involved in about $10 billion of public sector spending in the country. Roly has a comprehensive overview of infrastructure in the country, and we look forward to what he will say. Participating In the panel are four top experts: Ed Francisco, president of Banco de Oro Capital, will discuss Infrastructure Policy especially the PPP program. From his position in the nations largest bank, Ed knows the BOT and PPP programs inside out. Ito Carlos, chairman of the Federation of Philippine Industries and private sector co-chairman of the NCC Infrastructure Working Group, will discuss Transportation including Airports, Seaports, Roads and Rail. Ray Cunningham, First Vice President for Business Development of Aboitiz Power will discuss Power and Water. Ray has developed both large water and electric generation projects in the Philippines.
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Don Felbaum, Managing Director of OPTEL Ltd will discuss Telecommunications. Don has decades of experience in his field. Our panel moderator is well-known, Ms. Maria Ressa, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Editor of the on-line media enterprise Rappler. We became familiar with Maria when she was CNNs correspondent in Southeast Asia and through her two books on terrorism. She is now using on-line and social media to bring news and opinion to computers and smart phones around the globe. Please read the biographies of our guests in your program to learn more about how each has made his or her mark in their fields of expertise. Undersecretary Tungpalan, may I invite you to discuss the governments infrastructure plans.

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