Speech
of
His Excellency Fidel V. Ramos
President of the Philippines
During the 1993 Golden Shell Awards

[Delivered at the Golden Shell Pavilion, ITC Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Manila, December 16, 1993]

Honoring world-class
Filipino talent

WE LIVE in extremely challenging times. The economic terrain keeps changing, posing constant opportunities and threats to Philippine trade and industry. A few years ago, demand was strongest for nontraditional exports to traditional markets in Europe and the United States. Today, innovation and market diversification are the imperatives of global competition.

Nations are now being cast onto an ever-changing arena of economic competition. The realities of international economics compel us to be more outward-looking, more open and more cooperative. We must shape up now or lag far behind.

In this dynamic period for the Asia-Pacific region, we must seize the opportunities before us. Thus we have fully supported the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and promoted Asia-Pacific economic cooperation through APEC.

Enhancing our export competitiveness

We are determined to take part in and contribute to the growth of our region, and it will be our exports that will get us there.

The adoption of global excellence together with people empowerment as the twin themes of our national vision of “Philippines 2000” indicates the importance we give to our export industries.

But to be truly competitive in the context of AFTA and APEC as well as other regional groupings such as the North American Free Trade Agreement and the European Union, and under the newly expanded umbrella of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, we have to work doubly hard to become a credible contestant in the global economic game.

This calls for the improvement to a higher level of the goods that our industries produce. Similarly, we must enhance the mutual support that must be consistently developed between the Government and the private sector.

Our exporters should first realize, however, that they have what it takes to be world-class. And then they must correspondingly act to turn out products that can compete effectively with those of other countries.

Self-reliant exporters

The improvements we need are increased productivity, meeting delivery schedules, complying with international standards, and assuring better quality control. Not only do we have to produce more; we must also ensure that everything we export is accepted. We must be certain that buyers find our products reasonably priced with zero defects.

Attaining world competitiveness calls for an attitudinal change on the part of producers who continue to depend on incentives and other forms of protectionist support from the Government. Our exporters should increasingly be able to strike out on their own, rely on innate talents and resources to attain greater efficiency in production, and generate by themselves the bonus effects they usually expect the Government to subsidize.

Only through these self-reliant efforts can our exports effectively fuel the country’s economic growth and sustained development. Thus, in the pursuit of economic progress, our export promotion initiatives should equally share the spotlight with our attraction of direct foreign investments.

But even as I call on our exporters to be more self-reliant, I would also like to assure you that the Government will continue to provide support for those who, by their performance, merit such support. The commitment is two-way, for mutual benefit.

In the light of this commitment the Philippine Export and Investment Development Council was created, composed of Government and private-sector representatives, to oversee the implementation of our export and investment development plans, to generate a greater degree of people’s support for our joint initiatives, and to improve our competitive edge in the global marketplace.

Our efforts are bearing fruit. The Salomon Brothers’ latest credit update this month on the Philippines cited 12 key economic indicators that validate the Government’s confidence that we are, indeed, on the way up.

These include our commitment to economic reforms, which are reflected in our pursuit of the goals of Philippines 2000, rising economic growth rates, relatively low inflation, improved management of public finances, high foreign-exchange reserves, a more manageable debt burden and, of foremost importance to you, the growth of our exports at the rate of 14 percent this year, which exceeds the 11.5 average growth from 1983 to 1992.

Pride in our exports

These are the same standards of performance that the Government is pushing hard to attain. Although we have not yet fully realized the results of these endeavors and there are still many obstacles to overcome, I dare say we are achieving better positional advantage in many fields.

The Golden Shell Awards were formerly confined to small and medium-sized firms, but in 1989 their scope was expanded to include exporters with large-scale operations. This year we honor eight manufacturers of high-end quality handicrafts for export and one engaged in electronics.

We are, in my view, taking the right direction. Our garments and textiles, gifts and houseware products that have been long-time winners of the Golden Shell Awards are among the categories that the Philippine export development plan aims to make more competitive.

Most of our exported handicrafts are no longer of the low-end rudimentary kind. These have evolved into higher value articles which combine the artistry of Filipino hands with state-of-the-art technology. Yours has become a sophisticated, scientifically-oriented industry capable of improving products continually.

Proactive and creative

But we cannot concentrate on handicrafts alone. We must continue to innovate in anticipation of the changing times. We must remain proactive and creative if we want to keep pace with our vigorous neighbors in East Asia.

On this same occasion last year, I asked whether we should aim to become an exporting nation or merely a nation of exporters.

The trend in our exports provides the answer. We are on track right now. But we must never lose sight of our goal to lead the pack with our exports. We must settle for nothing less than the gold medal of export excellence. We must continue consolidating our gains and integrating our efforts to be a winner as an exporting nation.

The prestige of the Golden Shell Awards has risen to greater heights from the narrow beachheads of domestic demand to the high seas of the international market.

I congratulate and thank the Golden Shell awardees tonight and all past awardees for heeding my call for global excellence.