Through the Philippine Netherlands Business Council (PNBC), several Dutch businessmen worked hard to persuade their compatriots to invest in the Philippines.
“He [Aquino] would work on simplifying all the business rules and this kind of things. And I think it’s very important for the Philippine government that it will be easier for starting the company,” Bareld Koostra of Global Fruit said.
At the PNBC conference, the investors presented their experiences and how their businesses became successful in the Philippines.
Ambassador Cardozo Luna supported the Dutch businessmen’s testimonies and assured the potential investors that the business climate right now is very promising in the Philippines.
“This optimism started right at the beginning of the first quarter of 2010 when the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific gave a projection that the Philippine economy will grow by 3.5% in 2010,” Luna said.
However, it can’t be avoided that the issue of corruption was raised during the conference.
“It’s a question of restoring trust. Trust has always been there in our economy but most recently it has suffered a serious downfall,” Filipino lawyer Peter Payoyo said.
According to Payoyo, President Aquino should appoint a neutral person from the business sector who will monitor the investigations of corruption in government transactions.
The businessmen said they are ready to invest their money in the Philippines, but only if President Aquino will put an end to corruption, particularly in business contracts.
The investors want results as they vowed to monitor Aquino’s first 100 days as president of the Philippines.
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