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Big business on Sona: Exhaustive, long but short on road maps

By Amy R. Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Tuesday, July 23rd, 2013

MANILA, Philippinesâ€"Long and exhaustive, but short on road maps.

That’s how big business groups described President Aquino’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday.

Officials of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) and Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) said in telephone interviews they had expected a concrete set of action plans that would enable the country to achieve target growths.

Philexport president Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis noted that the address was really more of a “report of what has been happening.”

“Nothing much new in the speech, so I wished there’d be more of road maps on infrastructure and timetables. I was also hoping to hear more on small and medium enterprises,” Ortiz-Luis explained.

“I was also hoping that there would be a mention of mining as well. But I’m happy that the President talked about tourism. Then again, it’s just a report of accomplishments and not a plan,” he said. “It’s especially crucial that President Aquino mention a more specific timetable because we’re already halfway through his administration.”

more at http://business.inquirer.net/133991/traders-praise-aquinos-sona-but-concede-it-lacks-specifics-for-future-action