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THE PHiLIPPINE STAR

MONDAY I JUNE 3,2019 news

for economic legislation

By DELoN PORCALLA

The economic agmda in the

remaining three years of Presi- "IMe need new pieces of scientific leg-
dent Duterte's administration islation alongside improvements in com-
is crucial to the goYernment's municatior! technology, entry of foreign
massive infrastructure Pro- investors, total expenditure on research
gram if the Philippines wants and development, easing of start-up
[o be at oar with its Asian procedures, impiemenLation of public
neighbori and the world. sector contracts, knowledge transfer.
';Global industrial giants total public expenditure on education
see a sreat Dotential in us, but and development
we iu"st hjve to work hard and application of
to gain their trust and confi- technology," Ro-
derice," said returning Leyte mualdez said.
Rep. Martin Romualdez, who "At the same
wis a*ong the delegates in time, we also have
Duterte's visit to JaPan re- to address the ur-
centlv. gent concerns of
H6 added that the "incom- controlling infla-
ing &ernbers of the 18th Con- tion, improving
gr6ss $uly 2019-JulY 2022) arc the pay of workers,
faced with the important task creating more jobs,
of pulsuing vital economic fighting rriminality,
leeislaion needed to sustain reducing poverry
hi"gher productivity grcryt\r " fighting cormptiorf
Romualdez reiterated that .and enhancing na-
-
pursuing structural reforms 6onal security," he ,
at this stage means ProsPenry added.
"We need to focus more on Meanwhile, at
institutionalizing r€f orms that least 156 members
encourage the influx of more invest- of the House of
-will
ments, the creationof m ore jobs, improve- Representatives
ment in human capita.l investnent, and have expressed
the building of better iffiastructure," he their pre ference
, Dointed out. and sipport.for
' Both the Senate and the House of Rep- Romualdez should he vie for Speaker
resentatives can help achieve the govem- when the 18th Congress opens on ]uly
ment's objective of alleviating poverty in 22 this year.
2022, and for the Philippines to become "Honestly, among us congressmen,
a prcsperous middle-class country free if you ask us who do wd reallY want
from poverty by 2040. as Speaker, it will definitely be Martin.
Romuald'ez'appealed to his fellow It is'because he's down-tolearth, low-
legis]ators to consider as an urgenl task key and very approachable. And most
the approval of important legislative mea- importantly, he listehs to us," a House
sures ihat reform the country's relatively oflicial, wlio was a signatoxy, told The
restrictive and less competitive economic STAR.
'policies.
He cited tn particular the amendments
to the Foreign Investments Act, Public
Service Act and Retail Trade Liberaliza-
tion Act, which are meant to encourage
investrnents in industry and services and
boost private cdnstruction.
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