Presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Saturday, Feb. 26 vowed to make doing business in the Philippines even easier in a bid to expedite the country’s recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Although the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA) already exists, Marcos Jr. said members of his UniTeam alliance will push for the passing of a measure “that will further ease doing business" as part of its policy blueprint to revive the economy and promote job creation.
However, he stopped short of specifying the measure he intends to push.
"Jumpstarting our economy would be a top priority for us, should we be given the mandate by the people in this year's elections,” Marcos said in a statement.
But he admitted that “It will not be easy since we will be entering a post-pandemic scenario where resources will be scarce.”
Therefore, Marcos Jr. believed that businesses will need to focus on being efficient in the post-pandemic era.
“The government can help by instituting policies that will make it easier for them to do this," he said.
Minimum wage, electricity price, water price, land price, and the number of days it takes to process new business permits directly are among the factors that affect an entrepreneur's decision to push through with his business idea, the presidential aspirant said.
"The cost side of establishing a business will be dealt with through long-term solutions such as legislation and sustained infrastructure development. It will take some time, but we commit to implementing these key initiatives," he said.
"Simply put, the cost and ease of doing business will determine the speed by which new businesses are created. With this in mind, we need to foster the environment conducive for them to develop and thrive," Marcos Jr.’s UniTeam alliance added.