9 October 2017 – At a joint meeting with several business groups, Vice President Leni Robredo shared how the business sector can be a key partner for inclusive growth.

The current administration aims to reduce the poverty rate to 14% and boost Philippine economic growth rate to 8% by 2022. To get there, Vice President Robredo called on the business sector to be a partner of the government in achieving its ten-point agenda: “The government’s 10-point agenda for economic growth will help businesses thrive. It is a sound strategy for sustaining our gains and strengthening economic growth. But although we already have a great vision, the question is how to line up the nuts and bolts.”

To complement the 10-point socioeconomic agenda, the Office of the Vice President has launched its own flagship program: Angat Buhay. The program targets six areas of intervention for poverty alleviation and inclusive growth: universal health care, food security and nutrition, rural development, education, women empowerment, and housing.

Vice President Robredo further shared, “The first and most important agenda is inclusive growth. We fondly call this “laylayanomics” at the OVP. We need to let the majority of our people who remain poor and marginalized feel the benefits of progress sooner rather than later.” In its first 16 months, Angat Buhay has visited 149 communities, serving over 79,000 families, and has mobilized around P95 million.

To strengthen the call for the private sector to be actively involved, the Vice President highlighted, “Sustainable growth happens only when there is a strong convergence between the private and the government sector.”

(L-R) George Barcelon (President, PCCI), Ed Chua (Chairman, MBC), Vice President Leni Robredo, Marife Zamora (President, MAP), Sergio Ortiz-Luis (PHILEXPORT), Dan Lachica (President, SEIPI)

The Joint Membership meeting with the Vice President was co-organized by the Makati Business Club, the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PHILEXPORT), and the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines, Inc. (SEIPI).