The Peninsula Manila, Makati City
16 March 2012

President Benigno S. Aquino III graced the 20th anniversary of the Anvil Business Club, now known as the Association of Young Filipino Chinese Entrepreneurs or AYFCE, in a celebration held at The Peninsula Manila in Makati City.

This year’s theme is “Linking Young Entrepreneurs in Asia: Promoting Investments in the Philippines” which puts emphasis on catalyzing dynamic entrepreneurship not only in business but also in philanthropy, culture, the sciences, arts and nation-building.

In his message, President Aquino tackled the disputes on the issue of equality between management and labor. “As companies grow, management becomes more concerned with profit, while labor demands higher wages and more benefits. Such seemingly disparate interests breed tension, and often places the two sides on a collision course,” the President said.

He added that this tense relationship between the management and labor is unnecessary as it “creates a needless dichotomy which stunts the progress of individual enterprises, and, in effect, the greater economy. The central issue today is how both demands can be met in a reasonable way,” President Aquino stressed.

Relating this to the bureaucracy, the Chief Executive said that initial steps are being undertaken towards a more competitive compensation and rewards for the 1.6 million government workers. “In December of 2011, I signed Administrative Order 25, which created an inter-agency task force to propose, among others, a results-based performance management system, which will be used to determine incentives for government workers based on their individual and collective performance,” President Aquino emphasized.

The President called on the young Filipino Chinese entrepreneurs to share in his vision of growth not merely for the few at the top, but for everyone who has a stake in the country’s enterprise, saying that this new way of thinking can guarantee not merely our survival but our collective progress.

The Association of Young Filipino Chinese Entrepreneurs (formerly the Anvil Business Club) was founded in 1991 by a group in their 20s, with the goals of promoting traditional Confucian and Filipino values as well as to encourage civic consciousness, entrepreneurial courage, professional excellence, leadership and global competitiveness. The officers and members come from different industries.