Focus on exports

Federation of Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) president Cecilio Pedro hopes that government officials would focus on increasing the country's self-sufficiency next year in the face of possible tariffs threats from the United States with the expected takeover of the government by president-elect Donald Trump.

- MARIANNE GO

In an interview, Pedro lamented the fact that even though the Philippines is basically an agriculture producing country and also manufactures some products, "we have somehow lost out to our neighbors and competitors...we have lost out so much, talo na tayo..."

Thus, at the very least, he said, "We should at least be self-sufficient and stop imports," pointing out that "we are now the biggest rice importer in the world, we are exporting so much sugar but now we are importing sugar. We are importing corn. We are even importing pork and chicken. Sana maging sufficient naman tayo... they (government) should focus on doing something to be self sufficient, self sufficiency first."

As such, Pedro is urging the government to "sit down and let's identify first what we need to be self-sufficient. And then the other side is what can we export?" He pointed out that in the past, the Philippines' top export was coconut. Unfortunately now, he said, the Philippines is down to number three or four in the export of coconut products.

Pedro stressed the reality that "we are facing a new president in the US, Trump...who said put America first....everything else is No. 2...so he's out to enhance the competitiveness of America at the expense of the world...the first thing he will do is to impose tariffs on China or Mexico or Canada or any other country that would be exporting to the US... so it will hinder the growth economies of those countries...so that will also affect the world...in the big major countries, more so China. When China slows down, it will also affect us. China is our biggest trading partner."