BOAO, China (Via PLDT) — While expressing her bullishness in Asias future, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo challenged movers and shakers of the region Saturday “to use every tool available to lift up the poor,” in order to achieve equitable, sustainable growth.
In her keynote speech at the opening plenary session of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) at the main hall of the International Convention Center here, the President called on Asian countries to learn from other nations and create their own sustained path to development.
“We must think outside the box, harness technology and use innovation to break the cycle of energy dependence and environmental degradation,” she told dignitaries and business leaders attending the three-day confab in Chinas southernmost island of Hainan.
The President was among four keynote speakers that also included Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Wu Bangguo, chairman of the standing committee of the National Peoples Congress of the Peoples Republic of China.
She was introduced by Long Yongtu, BFA secretary general.
By available tools, the President enumerated education, technology and microfinance as the major drivers of sustainable growth.
She cited the Philippines aggressive information technology investment that has brought the internet to every high school and its spending of more pesos for education. She also talked about government efforts to encourage small and micro business enterprises that will eventually build an entrepreneurial class in the Philippines.
Turning to Gates, whose IT savvy and entrepreneurship has made him the worlds wealthiest man, the President said: “The global success of Microsoft under your visionary leadership has reminded us of the power of innovation to change the world for the better.”
“We agree with you that technology is a powerful tool to liberate the potential of individuals and nations to grow and prosper,” she added, pointing out that the IT sector in the Philippines is the fastest growing sector driving the economy.
Gates, who was seated to the right of the President in the giant stage, nodded in approval.
Turning to the hosts, the President pointed out that Chinas remarkable rise reflects the promise and challenge “of the world we live in.”
“We see your dramatic growth lifting millions out of poverty and springing your nation squarely onto the world stage as a new global power. And you also need to balance growth with concerns for the environment and the quality of life,” she explained.
The President emphasized that as China and India eventually grow into political and economic giants, “their obligations to their neighbors will increase, and separate from their own obligations to their citizens.”
“Ascendance onto the world stage carries implications not just for economic development, but for management of our environment on a sustainable basis and for sustaining broader peace and stability in the region and the world,” she said.
As chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the President pushed for greater economic integration between Southeast Asia and the robust economies of China, India and Japan.
She welcomed the surge in economic growth of the three countries as a healthy development for the Philippines and the region as a whole.
“The internal market demands and domestic consumption of these nations are having a direct and positive impact on our nation in terms of job creation, investment and balance of trade,” she said. (OPS) davaotoday.com
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