A golden opportunity for the Philippines

LAST Tuesday, we had the privilege to hear the views on economic and investment prospects in the Philippines from the leaders of the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ECCP), President Paulo Duarte and Executive Director Florian Gottein. The ECCP is one of the oldest, largest and most influential business organizations in the Philippines and exercises a great deal of influence in the EU as well, so what it has to say matters. Our takeaway from the ECCP's message is that the Philippines has a profound, and perhaps unprecedented opportunity to ramp up economic growth and development beyond anyone's wildest expectations, provided our policymakers recognize that opportunity and move quickly to forge the deeper partnership Europe is offering.