UPOU, British Embassy Launch a Project on Improving Philippine Competitiveness for Development

 

UPOU Chancellor, Dr. Grace J. Alfonso, and British Ambassador to the Philippines, Mr. Stephen Lillie (6th and 7th from left) formally launch the UPOU and British Embassy project on "Improving Competitiveness through Policy Advocacy of Economic Reforms." With them are (from left) Ms. G.H. S. Ambat, Project Coordinator; Dr. Maria Fe Mendoza, Project Director;  Hon. Cesar P Bautista, Co-chair, National Competitiveness Council and Former Ambassador to the UK; Mr. Mark Emmanuel Canlas; Dr. Melinda F. Lumanta, UPOU Vice Chancellor; Prof. Liza C. Carascal, UPOU Foundation Executive Director; and Mr. Meneleo J. Carlos, Jr. Chair of Federation of Philippine Industry.

 

The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), through its Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS), and the British Embassy-Manila launched a project called “Improving Philippine Competitiveness through Policy Advocacy of Economic Reforms and Strategies”. This will run until March 2010 and will receive funding support from the British Embassy in Manila.

The project aims to provide a venue for stakeholders in the legislature, academe, business and other sectors to better understand the issues, challenges and solutions to improve the country’s competitiveness. It also hopes to present to the next Congress a set of recommendations that could steer competitiveness reforms beyond 2010 through legislation and policy actions. Dr. Fe V. Mendoza, Dean of the FMDS, is the director of the project.

The policy research cum advocacy project officially took off through a ceremonial exchange of gifts between the UPOU Chancellor, Dr. Grace Javier Alfonso, and the British Ambassador to the Philippines, Honorable Stephen Lillie, held on 13 October 2009 at the Sulo Hotel, Quezon City.

Chancellor Alfonso saw the partnership as about applied research, policy advocacy, cultural change, and social mobilization within communities. In this project, the policymakers and other policy stakeholders are the target community. She added, “we see greater participation from the people for whom, by whom, about whom we conduct research and advocacy studies; we expect to witness the creation of more spaces for the diverse sectors who are the stakeholders for this project including the general public. I see that not only we Filipinos will benefit from this project but all other developing countries having similar factors in their environment."

Ambassador Lillie, meanwhile, underscored the importance of the project. He said "…it is essential that the handover from one administration to the next should not lead to a loss of momentum in terms of economic and social reform. That is why this project is intended to provide a continuing forum for consultations and discussions about reforms needed before and after the upcoming elections, in order to improve the country's competitiveness."

The launching was followed by a forum entitled “The State, Challenges and Prospects of Philippine Competitiveness: Discourses from Various Perspectives.”

 

Date posted: 21 October, 2009