Manila, Philippines - Domestic and foreign business groups are calling on legislative leaders to pass important business and economic measures that can help make the country more competitive before the upcoming elections.

The Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) and Philippine Business Groups are appealing to the House of Representatives and Senate to enact a series of business and economic reforms that are very advanced in the legislative process.

The measures being pushed include the amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering Act, Direct Remittance of Local Government Share in National Wealth Taxes, Enhancing the Curriculum of Basic Education (K+12), Insurance Code amendments, Institutionalizing the National Land Use Policy, amendments to several laws on professions to allow foreign reciprocity (criminology, environmental planning, pharmacy and forestry), Rural Bank Act amendments, Sustainable Forest Management bill, Universal Healthcare Coverage and Whistleblowers Protection bill.

All these bills have been passed at the House of Representatives but have yet to be approved by the Senate.

The business groups are also pushing for the enactment of the Design Council bill and Freedom of Information bill.

Both were approved in the Senate but have yet to be passed by the House of Representatives.

The groups also want the Anti-trust bill to be approved, a proposed measure still pending in both chambers.

The domestic and foreign business groups said there is growing reform

momentum in the Philippines which is attracting the attention of the international press and foreign governments.

To support such, the business groups want legislative leaders to pass most of these measures when it resumes for a three-week session on January 21 before entering the election campaign period.

The groups commend the hard work of Congress in passing bills that will soon be forwarded to Malacanang to be signed by President Aquino.

These measures are: the Anti-trafficking Act amendments, Intellectual Property Code amendments, Tripartism, Conciliation and Mediation as a Mode of Dispute

Settlement, and the removal of Common Carriers Tax and Gross Philippine Billings Tax.

The groups appealing are the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Inc., Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce (Phils.) Inc.

Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Inc., European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Inc., Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry of the Philippines Inc., Korean Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Inc., Philippine Association of Multinational Companies Regional Headquarters Inc., Business Processing Association of the Philippines, Employers Confederation of the Philippines, Management Association of the Philippines, Makati Business Club, Philippine Chamber of Commerce & Industry Inc., and Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc.

Source: The Philippine Star; Business; 17 January 2013