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THE Salesman in Chief flies to Davos, Switzerland,
this week to do what she does best—advertising and selling the
Philippines to the world.
She is in good company. Attending
the World Economic Forum are heads of states or governments,
executives of multinational corporations, leaders of international
financial institutions, chiefs of global trade organizations and
heads of media and nongovernmental groups.
They come from all over the
world, including the European Union, the Americas, Africa, Asia,
Latin America, the Middle East and the former East European
countries that have joined the democracies. Current and potential
markets are in attendance.
She will address a plenary
session, attend panel discussions and have one-on-one meetings with
influential leaders. The principal members of her delegation should
not miss having meetings with their peers.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
will actively search for new investments, aid, tourist markets and
untapped labor-importing economies. Trade, economic and tourism
growth is high on her agenda.
She will also share with
government and private-sector leaders the Philippine experience in
sustained economic growth, a capstone of her administration, the
strong national overseas employment program and Manila’s active
role in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other
regional groupings.
She will surely enlist support
for her efforts to address numerous problems and challenges. The
peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front lie on becalmed
waters. Prospects for a settlement of the communist New People’s
Army insurgency are dim. Abu Sayyaf terrorism has not been
contained.
Poverty, estimated to grip at
least one-third of Filipinos, has hurt the citizens’ access to
education, housing, healthcare and basic services. Joblessness and
underemployment have exacerbated crime, abetted insurgency and
debased the quality of life.
The economy, while robust, needs
diversification and enrichment. Agriculture has not delivered on the
promised incomes and jobs. Growth must translate into work, and new
jobs must pay more remuneratively to raise standards of living and
produce surplus incomes.
She travels to Europe and the
Middle East at a time when oil prices are rising and a recession
threatens the American economy and the global markets. This is a
good time to reach out to other partners for trade, aid and
investment. Russia, the new EU members and India beckon.
After Davos, the President flies
to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, to meet with government leaders,
business executives and members of the overseas Filipino community.
Dubai is a major oil producer.
Mrs. Arroyo’s first trip for
the new year must be seen as a foreign-policy step aimed at
strengthening regional and bilateral ties, boosting trade and
economic relations and firming up political and security
arrangements. Philippine diplomacy, while underfunded, has
consistently advanced and protected our national interests.
Dialogue in Madrid
IN Madrid, at the First Alliance
of Civilizations Forum last week, Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo
talked about another notable Philippine contribution to world peace
and understanding, the interfaith dialogue.
The forum, organized by the
governments of Spain and Turkey, brought together countries actively
seeking reconciliation across religious, cultural and political
divides.
Romulo informed the delegates
that the Philippines, using “hard” and “soft” components,
has made progress in uprooting extremism, curtailing conflict and
building strong bridges of understanding.
The “hard” components aim at
neutralizing the armed capabilities of extremists, weakening their
leadership, paralyzing their organizational network, stopping their
finances, and cutting their ties to foreign support, he said.
The “soft” components
“focus on separating the extremists from the population,
addressing the humanitarian needs of the people, reducing the
ideological attraction of the terrorists, promoting dialogue to
strengthen trust, understanding and negotiating peace.”
A key element in the
success of the dual approach is the interfaith dialogue, an integral
part of the Philippine medium-term development plan as an official
framework for the government’s reconciliation program.
For example, the Philippines has
a wide network of interfaith groups and organizations, such as the
Interfaith Commission, the Bishops-Ulama Council and the Interfaith
Center for a Culture of Non-Violence.
Together with the government,
these groups have played a major role in fostering a culture of
peace, cooperation and development, especially in the Southern
Philippines, the DFA chief said.
“Our national and
regional experience in building better understanding, greater
tolerance and meaningful peace through interfaith dialogue inspired
us to share this with the world,” he added.
For this reason, Manila has
promoted interfaith dialogue in regional and global forums, engaging
governments, international organizations, NGOs and religious groups.
Interfaith Dialogue as an
instrument for reconciliation has gained ground at the United
Nations. Three years after its launching, the Interfaith Initiative
continues to gain adherents with more member-states giving their
full support to the General Assembly resolution calling for
inter-religious and intercultural dialogue.
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