Following Malacañang’s approval of the 2012 Investment Priorities Plan (IPP) last week, the Board of Investments (BOI) is set to conduct public consultations with different sectors regarding the implementation of the plan’s rules and regulations.
 
The IPP is an annual list released by the BOI and approved by the President. The list details sectors that will receive incentives from the government. It is meant to rouse interest from investors.
 
Trade Undersecretary and BOI managing head Adrian Cristobal said Tuesday the board wants inputs from various sectors "because our direction now is [to] get value for incentives and use those incentives effectively."
 
According to Cristobal, he cannot comment on the exact date of the 2012 IPP’s effectivity, though he explained that it would be effective 15 days after its publication in a national newspaper.
 
The 2012 IPP lists the following priority sectors: agriculture/agribusiness and fishery, creative industries/knowledge-based services, shipbuilding, mass housing, energy, infrastructure, research and development, green projects, motor vehicles, strategic projects, PPP projects, disaster prevention, mitigation and recovery projects, and steel industry.
 
Also included are mandatory listings, or activities that are required to be included in the IPP as per existing laws.
 
These include industrial tree plantation; exploration, mining, quarrying and processing of minerals; publication or printing of books and textbooks; refining, storage, marketing and distribution of petroleum products; ecological solid waste management; clean water projects; rehabilitation, self-development and self-reliance of persons with disability; renewable energy; and tourism.
 
Also on the list are export activities covering the manufacture of export products, services exports and activities in support of exporters.
 
Meanwhile, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao list covers priority activities that have been identified by the BOI regional office.
 
The list includes export activities; agriculture, agribusiness, aquaculture and fishery; basic industries; consumer manufactures; infrastructure and services; industrial service facilities; engineering industries; logistics; BIMP-EAGA trade and investment enterprises; tourism; health and education services and facilities; and Halal industry. —AL/VS, GMA News