Another important point to stress about AEC, along with other trade agreements we have taken or will still take part in, is that it is forcing us to do the right things. Many of our failures in the economy, especially in agriculture, trace to government’s inability to undertake meaningful and fundamental reforms that build inherent competitiveness, in favor of palliative and politically popular measures that fail us in the long run. It is only now that government is finally mustering the political will to undertake long-needed measures with truly broad benefits, such as open skies, trade facilitation via improved customs procedures, and a strong competition policy, among others—all because our collective commitment in AEC demands it. The political will that our government could not muster on its own is now derived from the need to adhere to our commitments with our Asean neighbors—in effect, a “borrowed” political will.
Read more: http://opinion.inquirer.net/67517/benefiting-from-aec#ixzz2uOt8VaiI
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