Manny Villar: Davao’s prosperity pulls Mindanao up

Senator Manny Villar, who will be back as a plain private citizen after his term, said Davao City’s prosperity will mean the prosperity of the whole of Mindanao, and he believes that someone should push for employment generation in the Senate.
In a press forum held at the North Point clubhouse in Bajada yesterday, Villar pointed to Davao’s very strong potential for more economic growth, saying, “Davao is the leader in Mindanao in terms of development, which is why I believe that its prosperity will pull the entire island of Mindanao up to greater heights in terms of development as well.”
He also added that the major problems of the country are the high unemployment rate and low salaries. For the Philippines to continue to prosper, these problems should be addressed, the senator said, adding, “Which is why there should be someone in the senate who will push for employment and that is exactly what Cynthia Villar will be focusing on.”
Villar said that although statistics show that the economy of the country is flourishing, there are still people who believe otherwise as they still haven’t experienced prosperity. “Just because the economy is flourishing for about two to three years, doesn’t mean everyone will immediately feel it, we need to give this economic prosperity some more time for everyone to experience it,” he said.
Senator Villar gave suggestions on how to keep the country’s economy thriving, pointing out the revival of the manufacturing industry, reform in the educational system and that the Board of Investments (BOI) should give incentives to companies that are offering the most jobs.
He said, “The manufacturing industry should be revived because the production cost of manufacturing in China is increasing, which means the Philippines will have a shot at competing with China now.”
The educational system should also be changed toward a direction where the youth would be guided on which course to take in college so that they could easily land a job as soon as they graduate and companies will find it easier to hire fresh graduates in the right courses vis-a-vis their companies, according to the senator.
He added that companies that are offering the most jobs should get incentives from the Board of Investments so that more jobs can be easily generated.
The senator takes pride in his senate performance of having the most number of bills passed in the senate, citing as examples the Price Control Law, Food Safety Act, “Botya” or double dead pigs and cows, and the law on testing toys for safety before being sold.