by Cai Ordinario,  Business Mirror
September 28, 2015
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/congress-needs-to-enact-law-providing-college-student-loans/

CONGRESS must immediately enact a measure that would allow poor students to avail themselves of loans so they could study in college, a former socioeconomic planning secretary said last week.

Dante Canlas, former National Economic and development Authority director general, said this should be financed by taxes, similar to the “sin” tax that funds health programs.

“We know that higher education is internally financed by households. There are no markets for education loans so even if you pass University of the Philippines or another institution of higher learning, you cannot finance your education. That’s just too bad,” Canlas said in his presentation at the inaugural policy forum of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).

September 20, 2015
http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/2611442728977/stronger-cooperation-coordination-among-regulatory-bodies-needed-for-greater-competitiveness

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, September 20 — Stronger cooperation and coordination among various regulatory bodies can be a great help in achieving competitiveness.

This was the consensus of local regulators, local government officials, and media who attended the press conference on the Development Policy Research Month (DPRM) in Cagayan De Oro City last September 9.

Speaking at the Talakayan sa PIA of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) region 10 in Cagayan de Oro City, Dr. Danilo Israel, senior fellow at state think-tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies, emphasized the need for regulators to work together to address issues and promote ease of doing business. He also cited the need for a framework to review and study all these regulations so that flaws can be identified and proper solutions can be introduced.

“The trend of the world right now is towards economic integration. As a member of the ASEAN Economic Community, we need to be competitive with other countries in order to attract more investments and generate more jobs for our people. However, we cannot be competitive with other countries if our regulations are complicated,” Israel commented.

One of the important factors that government should look at is the ease of doing business. Cutting down the steps in applying for business permits, for example, will encourage more people, especially foreign investors, to engage in business.

Israel cited an upcoming project of the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) called Project Repeal that aims to revoke laws and regulations that increase the cost of doing business and hinder competitiveness. At present, the NCC is gathering information on what laws and regulations to repeal and once these have been identified, the NCC will work with Congress in repealing such laws and regulations and establish a structure to oversee the process in 2016.

September 19, 2015
http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/901442651984/september-is-development-policy-research-month-

ILOILO CITY, Sept. 19 (PIA6) -- The month of September of every year is declared as Development Policy Research Month (DPRM) per Malacañang Proclamation No. 247 dated September 2, 2002.

The declaration aims to promote and draw nationwide awareness on the importance of policy research in the formulation of national development plans, programs, and policies.

The theme of this year’s 13th DPRM is “Effective Regulations for Sustainable Growth” or “Tamang Regulasyon para sa Patuloy na Pag-ahon”. The theme was chosen to highlight regulatory issues particularly the need to build strong regulatory management system backed by research evidence and systematic assessment of proposed policies and regulations before they are implemented.

The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) which is the lead agency for the celebration of the DPRM was created on September 26, 1977 and was established to respond to the critical and growing need for research for planning and policy formulation.

It was envisioned to help government planners and policy-makers in the executive and legislative branches of government with its primary clientele consisting of the network of agencies which make up the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

The month-long celebration of the DPRM hopes to influence policymakers to take action in adopting explicit standards for regulatory quality that ensures the integrity and quality of regulations.

 In Western Visayas region, NEDA, Region VI celebrates this month-long activity, with the conduct of the Regional Research Utilization Forum on September 15 and the Value-Chain Analysis Workshop on September 16, both at the NEDA Regional Development Council (RDC) Conference Hall here. (NEDA/PIA6).//

September 18, 2015
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/business/2015/09/18/environmental-payback-scheme-431075
A MAJOR watershed in Mindanao is being eyed for the implementation of Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES), an incentive mechanism designed to strengthen management of natural resources and ecosystems that provide goods and services to the public and key industries.

The Libungan Watershed, a 52,820-hectare located in Cotabato province is being considered for PES to encourage the efficient and sustainable use of the resources that are being provided by the watershed and its surrounding areas.

A watershed is described as an area of land that contains common set of streams and rivers that drain into a single larger body of water. The Libungan Watershed is home to eco-tourism sites and two river irrigation systems (RIS) that provide water to 9,255 hectares of rice lands, a major crop that drive economic growth in the province.

The towns of Pigcawayan, Aleosan, Libungan, Midsayap, Alamada, Pikit and Banisilan, which have formed into an alliance of local government units called PALMA + PB will directly participate in the proposed PES and oversee the implementation of the mechanism.

Angely L. Mercado, September 17, 2015
http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/2791442475670/pids-leads-policy-research-month-celebration

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan, Sept. 15 (PIA) - - The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) will again lead the nation this September in celebrating the Development Policy Research Month (DPRM) with lined up activities to include series of fora, press conferences, policy dialogue, among others.

Dr. Marife Ballesteros, PIDS senior research fellow, said the month-long event, with the theme "Tamang Regulasyon para sa Patuloy na Pag-ahon (Effective regulations for Sustainable Growth)”, aims to promote and draw public awareness on the importance of policy research in nation-building.

She said the celebration calls for improving regulatory quality in the country to ensure that our policies and laws are facilitating competition, innovation, productivity, and growth.

Sept. 16, 2015
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/09/16/15/mindanao-picks-growth-pace-2014

MANILA, Philippines - Mindanao's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 7.4 percent in 2014, according to the Philippine Institute for Development Studies.

Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) executive director and Undersecretary Janet Lopoz said Mindanao has been contributing and pulling up the national average in terms of economic development.

MinDA was formed in 2009 by Republic Act (RA) 9996 to oversee and coordinate all development efforts of Mindanao.
Past development gains in Mindanao were usually coming from the agriculture sector. In recent years, however, the services sector has matched the gains in agriculture. The services sector, together with the booming public works in Mindanao, is now considered a major economic driver.

“What’s happening in Mindanao is a microcosm of what is happening in the entire country,” Lopoz said.

by  Ed Velasco, September 15, 2015
http://www.tribune.net.ph/business/regulatory-burdens-weaken-rp-competitiveness-study

The Philippines needs effective regulations to boost its competitiveness and seize the opportunities through the impending integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) member-states, a policy paper issued by respected think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) said.

An economic policy monitor titled “Effective Regulations for Sustainable Growth” from PIDS obtained by The Daily Tribune noted that regulatory burdens are one of the factors that continue to bring down the Philippines’ competitiveness and weaken the efforts toward greater inclusiveness.

“They restrain competition, innovation and productivity, which can snowball into causing a drop in business confidence, neglect of general welfare, build-up of corruption, and, ultimately, loss of public faith in governance,” it said.

The paper stressed that reducing regulatory burdens is important economically, socially and politically.

“Moreover, improving regulatory quality and coherence is imperative for the country to take advantage of increased trade and investment under Asean integration’s gains that the country needs to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth,” it added.
The PIDS discussed the significance of ensuring that the environment is equipped with the necessary infrastructure to encourage both investors and innovators.

“Since long-term growth is a function of productivity, it is also imperative to sustain investments in infrastructure, connectivity and human capital,” the paper added.//

by  Oliver T. Baccay, September 15, 2015
http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/461442301541/pids-urges-officials-to-reduce-regulatory-burdens

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan, Sept. 15 (PIA) - - The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) has encouraged government officials to exercise firm leadership and political will in reducing regulatory burdens and improve instead their regulatory management system.

Dr. Marife Ballesteros, PIDS senior research fellow, said based on their researches on regulation policies in the country particularly on business permits and licenses, some of the most frequent complaints of business permit applicants are long waiting time and difficulties in obtaining clearances, slow processing time due to manual procedures and too many requirements of national government agencies

“The role, mandate, and stock of regulations of regulatory agencies should be reviewed to reduce regulatory burden. There should be an oversight committee to ensure a more intensive involvement of the private sector, civil society, academe, research institutions, and media in regulatory reform,” Ballesteros said.

 She lauded the practice of the city government here in streamlining their business permit and licensing processes.

 “Since the implementation of streamlined business registration, we have observed that investors including informal businesses were encouraged to register. They were also encouraged to generate more economic activities for the benefit of our local communities,” said Roger Maddara, city licensing officer here.

 Maddara said the streamlining of the processes in securing licenses and permits generate more revenues and spur the creation of new businesses which lead to the creation of more employment opportunities and more social services and benefits for the citizenry.

 Ballesteros, on the other hand, also informed the public that they are pushing for the implementation of “Project Repeal,” which seeks to eliminate laws that place a heavy regulator burden on companies and reduce the overall competitiveness of businesses in the country. (ALM/OTB/PIA-2 Cagayan)

by Carmencita A. Carillo, September 6, 2015
http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Nation&title=mindanao-businesses-expect-favorable-policies-with-new-partnership&id=114774

DAVAO CITY -- The Mindanao Business Council (MinBC) is eyeing more national policies that are favorable to the Philippines’ second biggest island after a partnership was forged between the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA).

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between PIDS and MinDa, which aims to promote policy research and knowledge sharing, was signed last Friday during the 1st Mindanao Policy Research Forum on “Advancing Mindanao: Toward Sustainable Economic Development and Balanced Ecosystems.”
“There are many policies made that are against Mindanao. With this agreement, we will be able to influence policies so it won’t be biased against Mindanao and will instead help businesses here,” MinBC President Vicente T. Lao said.
With the partnership, Mindanao can now request PIDS to come up with policies that will help the island’s economy, particularly the agriculture and tourism industries, in terms of making it more competitive in the global arena.

September 6, 2015
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/business/2015/09/06/tourism-agri-get-boost-428812

THE Mindanao Business Council (MinBC) has lauded the recent signing of an agreement between the Mindanao Development Authority (Minda) and the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (Pids) that is expected to strengthen the conduct of research in agriculture and tourism sector in Mindanao.

Vicente T. Lao, chair of the Mindanao Business Council (MinBC) told reporters in a press conference during the first Mindanao Policy Research Forum at the Waterfront Insular Hotel Friday that as agriculture and tourism sectors are considered as pillars of Mindanao's economy, the partnership will give light on conducting more policy researches on these two leading sectors.

"We will be requesting Pids to do research policies on agriculture and tourism, policies that will help business sectors especially agriculture and tourism industries, and also service industry to be globally competitive," he said.

by  Ace June Rell S. Perez , September 4, 2015

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/local-news/2015/09/04/implement-revised-cabotage-law-asap-428483
THE recently enacted amendment of the Cabotage Law's policy rules and regulations should be implemented without delay, a businessman said.
Vicente T. Lao, chair of the Mindanao Business Council (MinBC), during the press conference of the first Mindanao Policy Research Forum at the Waterfront Insular Hotel on Friday, said that implementation of the amended Cabotage Law should be placed as soon as possible.
The revised law will foster competition among domestic shipping companies in the country and will pave way for lower shipping costs since logistics costs are expected to drop.

"We have been waiting for this amendment for over a years, we hailed the government's move in signing the amendment of this law but the challenge now is when to implement it because as I have been calling the shipping port players they said no implementing guidelines were presented yet," he said adding that they will be pushing for the concerned government agencies to take a move forward towards the implementation of the amendment.