Makati Shangri La Hotel, Makati City
4 July 2012

President Benigno S. Aquino III attended The Wallace Business Forum (WBF) Quarterly Round Table which was participated by country managers of international organizations, and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and senior executives of multi-national and major local corporations.

Four representatives from different industry sectors such as pharmaceutical, agribusiness, banking and finance, and retailing and manufacturing talked about their concerns about doing business in the Philippines and expressed support to the Aquino administration’s different reform programs. Carlito Realuyo, General Manager of Sanofi-Aventis Philippines, Inc., said that Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP), where Sanofi-Aventis is a member, fully supports the government’s healthcare reform initiatives which include the Republic Act No. 9711 or the Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009, the universal healthcare program and the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino (PPP) program among others. Martin John Miller, Chairman and CEO of Nestle Philippines, Inc. reported that 95% of their products are made in the Philippines although 80% of materials that they use have to be imported from other countries, such as coffee and milk, to meet the increasing demand of those products. He then raised important points that need to be given priority such as the long-term commitment to agricultural programs. The banking and finance sector, meanwhile, congratulated President Aquino for the strong performance of the stock market.

After the presentations, President Aquino was asked for his reactions on the issues raised by the presenters. He reported that 82% of the total population of Filipinos have now access to universal healthcare and that the government’s goal is to achieve 100% universal healthcare coverage by 2014. He also mentioned the just concluded launching of the Z Type Benefit Package by the Department of Health (DOH). “We launched the catastrophic or Z type cases that will also be covered by Philhealth. So more people being covered for more diseases having access to more services is not a plan. It’s actually a reality at this point,” he said.

The President also discussed his administration’s programs on protecting the environment, the issues on energy and infrastructure that affect the business sector in the country, and assured the different sectors that the government will look into their concerns.

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