Small entrepreneurs to benefit big time from infrastructure boost — ASEAN biz council

Micro and small entrepreneurs are to benefit the most from government's ambitious infrastructure spending plan and the boost to tourism industry it may bring, according to the head of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Business Council (ABAC).

"We have seen from the very successful countries in ASEAN that the moment you create infrastructure – roads, ports, airports – the entrepreneurs start to happen ..." ABAC Chairperson Joey Concepcion said during a press conference at the ASEAN International Media Center in Pasay City.

"When you bring about a robust tourism sector, obviously, your biggest beneficiary there will be your micro and small entrepreneurs," he said.

Throughout the six-year term of President Rodrigo Duterte, the administration plans to spend P8.2 trillion on massive infrastructure projects that will spur economic activity in the country..

Concepcion noted prosperity follows whenever infrastructure has been developed. "It really is a no-brainer that the moment infrastructure, in any country, has been established especially the roads, the railways and all of that, prosperity does happen."

In the case of the Philippines, "prosperity" is concentrated in Luzon, where most of the infrastructure was done in the past, according to the ABAC chair.

"But the moment you create infrastructure in other areas, in the provinces, then you give everybody a chance to become wealthy, to have greater prosperity. Farm-to-market access is there, cost to distribute goes down, establishments move up," Concepcion said.

The thriving island of Boracay in the province of Aklan was cited as an example of how infrastructure spurs tourism and business growth, after the Caticlan-Boracay  Airport was completed.

"In Boracay, the moment they started to allow an Airbus 320 to arrive, to land in Boracay, you can see the island unbelievably doing extremely well. You can see many of the entrepreneurs benefit from the entire ecosystem, selling various goods and products, etc.," he said.

Given the Philippines consists of more than 7,000 islands, Concepcion noted tourism potential is "phenomenal."

"As we all see Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia they have the best airports. Our airport here is basically one or two runways that crisscross each other, how can we really bring tourism to this country, when you have to fly so many times before you land?" Concepcion said.

"This administration, what it is going to do is start to act on very important things," he added. — VDS, GMA News