National priorities

Demand And Supply

- BOO CHANCO

I have long wondered if our national leaders had the right national priorities guiding them.

Even a former president who holds a PhD in economics and served for ten years seemed to have other things in mind than prioritizing the national good. That's how we got edged out in ASEAN's tiger race.

Now I am sure that the current president is fully aware of what our national priorities should be. Whether he will snap out of his lethargy and put some time and money into making the needle move in key national priority areas is another thing altogether. I am not optimistic, but at least I know he knows what these national priorities are.

Why am I sure? Last week, Rafael Consing Jr., president and CEO of the Maharlika sovereign fund, spoke before the Foundation for Economic Freedom. Over the course of a little less than two hours, Mr. Consing explained what he had been working on for the sovereign fund.

The Maharlika Investment Fund had been a one-man show since the start. Consing was only recently allowed to hire staff. But he now has an investment program which he presented to BBM. He wants to move faster because he only has three years left in BBM's term to prove doubters wrong about the Maharlika Fund.

Consing identified his key result areas: energy; physical infrastructure and innovation; food and agriculture modernization; social infrastructure enhancement; sustainable mining and resource development and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

My initial reaction was a suppressed yawn because no one is going to argue against motherhood objectives. We have heard all that before. What makes it different this time?