Closing Message of DTI-02 Regional Director Ruben B.

Diciano
2017 IPP Roadshow
[Dignitaries], to fellow advocates and enthusiasts, investment
players and enablers, it was all pleasure to have shared this
significant and successful activity with you as we together
renewed hopes anchored on a change in investment
approaches.
The President’s “Change is Coming” is an encompassing
campaign covering a wide array of new developments. He
remained steadfast to his commitment of pursuing a multi-
sectoral approach for community development and sustaining
macro-economic policies to meet the ends of the rich and the
poor. His line of attacks is a bit unconventional but apparently,
this has strengthened the country’s independent policy and
moved different places in the radar of international investments.
These changes are not supposed to be seen as interruptions
but as factors attracting attention from the international
community. While continuing previous efforts to streamline
government and business processes, the additional attributes
of his tough peace and order policy and anti-drugs campaign
are effective assurances for possible investors.
Fellow advocates, we appreciate this kind of governance that
sparks change, creates hypes and draws excitement in
investments. As we have heard, our new IPP have undergone
major revamps and now offers updated features such as the
entitlement to income tax holiday for those industries that help
scale-up human resource skills and incentive provisions to new
IT-BPM projects in the countryside. More importantly, the IPP
seeks to provide an inclusive empowerment for the Micro,
Small and Medium Enterprises or the MSME sector by
providing incentives to investments that employ or partner with
them in larger production networks. These among others will
ensure the country’s position as among the most competitive
investment areas especially for the emerging and next
generation industries.
It is worthy to point out strengths in the regions that attract huge
potentials for investments. North Luzon, as a major agricultural
area, encapsulates rural countryside development that can be
tapped for various manufacturing investments, a sector which
continues to characterize presence and importance in the new
Investment Priorities Plan; our coastal areas for fishery; natural
waters and other resources including rich heritage and cultural
inclinations for environment and tourism. While rural in
character, North Luzon may be an industrial spot for
competitive industries, technology and innovations: an agri-
industrial hub for that matter. Our people are competent, skilled
and excellence-driven individuals and this is what we can
capitalize from. However, making them the central unit for
investments, we have to keep them relevant by means of
reskilling, retraining and retooling. And as we’ve learned, this is
what the new IPP gives emphasis to. By encouraging direct or
non-direct investments, we should solidify our stance by
adapting to the changing environment and adjusting to
industrial trends through labor empowerment.
Needless to say, investment areas in North Luzon are very
promising and we hope to charter a collaborative approach in
tapping those potential. PPPs or Private-Public Partnerships
are of big consideration especially for infrastructure projects. It
was not too long ago when infrastructure has received the least
attention or if it did, only as a mere economic stimulant. It has
never been as serious until the current administration as it
aggressively promotes investment in infrastructures. We would
want to see more of it coming through PPPs as we attract both
foreign and domestic investors.
If we will be successful on this endeavor, we will be seeing the
soonest time improvements in socio-economic indicators such
as increase in domestic revenue, employment, connectivity,
international presence and recognitions. As we pursue this, we
have to make things sustainable to make growth and progress
long-term.
We would like to thank everyone for showing your interest as
we partner for different investment areas under the IPP. We
hope to see some of you in actual investment matching and
forging. Good day and may we have a productive year ahead!