PISM calls for more infra projects

Farm-to-market roads, the construction of new seaports and development of existing airports should be the Aquino administration’s top priorities if the country is to sustain economic growth and make a dent on poverty.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, the Philippine Institute for Supply Management (PISM) said improving the flow of goods inside the country would support the domestic manufacturing sector, which leads to more jobs and sustainable growth.

“Services are helping us keep growth up. But in manufacturing, there’s [a need for] more downstream support. This means that when one plant is put up, someone else will have to build a smaller one for support,” said Jose Emmanuel Estrera, a member of PISM’s professional development committee.

“One company spawns smaller firms for support and so on. That means growth will be more long-term,” he told reporters.

Estrera was speaking at the launch of the group’s annual conference and exhibit Supplylink, to be held this March 6 and 7 at the SMX convention center in Pasay.

He said because of the fragmented development of infrastructure in the country, it has become cheaper and more convenient for companies to ship products in and out of the Philippines, than shipping the same cargo between two points inside the country.