MALACAÃANG
Manila
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES
MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 225
ENJOINING ALL DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES TO SUPPORT THE NATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS SUMMIT
WHEREAS, the Philippines was ranked number 49 among 61 countries in the 2006 World Competitiveness Yearbook, and number 11 among 117 countries in the Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum;
WHEREAS, there is a need to improve the country’s performance in areas where the country’s ranking sharply declined, that is, in infrastructure, business efficiency and economic performance;
WHEREAS, the five comprehensive strategies for global competitiveness outlined in the recent State of the Nation Address need to be detailed in specific actions: making food plentiful and affordable to keep our labor cost globally competitive; reducing the cost of electricity to make our factories regionally competitive; modernizing infrastructure at least cost to efficiency in the transport of goods and people; mobilizing, upgrading and disseminating knowledge and technologies for productivity; and reducing red tape in all agencies to cut business costs;
WHEREAS, to implement these strategies and improve the country’s competitiveness, a National Competitiveness Summit will be conducted with the objective of highlighting commitments of key government agencies and private sector organizations on achievable action points for 2006 until 2007 organized into an Action Agenda for Competitiveness, and the formation of National Competitiveness Council which will manage the implantation of the Action Agenda;
WHEREAS, a Public-Private Sector Core Group (Core Group) has been established through Department Order No. 46 issued by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) whose role is to provide the strategic direction for the National Competitiveness Summit;
WHEREAS, the Core Group co-chaired by the DTI and the Private Sector shall be given special powers to ensure that all agencies and departments of the government will lend support in the preparatory activities and during the actual conduct of the Summit;
WHEREAS, the functions of the Export Development Council special team created to work out and monitor projects that would improve the country’s competitiveness are now subsumed by the Core Group for the National Competitiveness Summit.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:
SECTION 1. Summit Activities Support. All government agencies are hereby enjoined to support the activities related to the National Competitiveness Summit (Summit):
a. Pre-Summit Working Session;
b. Pre-Summit Workshop;
c. Summit proper; and
d. All advocacy work and consultations related to the development of the Action Agenda for Competitiveness.
SEC. 2. Required Assistance. Assistance that will be required includes, but are not limited to, the following:
a. Designation of permanent representatives to the Summit Working Groups;
b. Provision of technical experts to be tapped during the development of the Action Agenda for Competitiveness; and
c. Assignment of key officials as lead persons for the action points in the Action Agenda that will be identified and advocated for the Summit.
Requests for assistance shall emanate from the Core Group and communicated through the Export Development Council (EDC) Secretariat.
SEC. 3. Implementation. All government agencies shall implement the specific Action Points contained in the Action Agenda for Competitiveness where these agencies are identified as the lead.
SEC. 4. Progress Report. The Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) shall submit to the Office of the President (OP) a regular report on the progress of the preparations for the Summit, the compliance of government agencies, and recommend necessary actions to facilitate this Memorandum Order.
SEC. 5. Repeal. All memorandum orders, other issuances, or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this Memorandum Order, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
SEC. 6. Effectivity. This Memorandum Order shall take effect immediately.
DONE in the City of Manila, this 31st of August in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Six.
(Sgd.) GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO
By the President:
(Sgd.) EDUARDO R. ERMITA
Executive Secretary
