Investing in education, preparing workforces amid rapid tech developments

CNN Philippines

How can local enterprises better prepare their workers amid swift developments in tech and compete with the rest of the region?  Joining us now is Jun Palafox, Chairman of the 49th Philippine Business Conference.  Visit our website for more #NewsYouCanTrust: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/  Follow our social media pages:  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CNNPhilippines • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnnphilippines/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines

Transcript

00:00 So how can local enterprises better prepare their workers

00:03 amid swift developments in tech

00:05 and compete with the rest of the region?

00:07 Joining us now is June Palafox,

00:09 chairman of the 49th Philippine Business Conference.

00:13 Architect, thank you so much for joining us.

00:15 So this business conference will spotlight education

00:18 and the future of the workforce.

00:19 Architect, you're on mute.

00:27 (silence)

00:30 - Ah, yes, sir.

00:32 - Yes.

00:33 - Yeah.

00:34 The theme of this conference is Vision 2050,

00:37 the Philippines' First World Economy,

00:39 and 2040, a First World Country.

00:41 - Mm.

00:42 - But we have to start now,

00:44 especially on technology, agriculture, food security,

00:47 infrastructure, and so on.

00:49 - Yes.

00:50 - And we can be, and should be, a first world country,

00:52 first world economy.

00:54 And that's the vision 2050.

00:56 - Can we really become--

00:58 - I was fortunate that I was one of the ADB consultants.

01:02 - Architect, can we really become a first world country

01:05 by 2050?

01:06 Because according to the latest surveys,

01:08 the Philippines is slipping behind

01:10 its Southeast Asian neighbors,

01:11 number one in reading, number two in writing,

01:15 and number three in mathematics.

01:17 We have been left behind.

01:18 - Yes, sir.

01:21 That's why we really have to focus on even education.

01:25 Education is one of the social infrastructure.

01:29 And it can be done as long as we work together

01:32 and we follow the plans.

01:34 Like the Philippine Development Plan,

01:36 ADB hired me to help in the preparation,

01:38 seamless connectivity.

01:40 It's not just physical connectivity,

01:42 but internet of things, internet connectivity.

01:46 Connectivity, there are 32 modes of transportation,

01:50 more than 20 kinds of infrastructure.

01:52 And I found out when we do our development planning,

01:55 it's better than last year.

01:56 So I shared in the conversation in Dubai,

01:59 the rule of Dubai would tell us when we're planning Dubai,

02:02 the best in the world and how many years

02:04 Dubai would surpass them.

02:05 I think we can do that.

02:07 And we used to be number two in Asia after Japan

02:12 from the 1930s to the 1970s.

02:14 I think it can be done.

02:16 - Yes, but architect, the big question is,

02:20 this is a great master plan, no?

02:22 To be a first world country by 2050,

02:26 but is there synergy between the public

02:28 and the private sector to make this materialize?

02:32 - Yes, we have to do it together.

02:36 Government cannot do it alone.

02:37 And in fact, the big environment in the progressive country,

02:41 80% by private sector, 20% only by government,

02:44 but government should be the enabler, not the obstacle.

02:48 Make more incentives, open up the economy.

02:50 Like even various universities in the world,

02:53 they have, let's say, tie up with universities

02:55 from Europe, from the US.

02:58 Like even Dubai, they have American university,

03:01 even in Malaysia, they have Australian university,

03:03 but we have so many restrictive laws

03:06 that make us less globally competitive.

03:08 We really have to open up.

03:10 And instead of regulate, regulate, regulate development,

03:13 we should stimulate to regulate development.

03:15 We should really open up.

03:17 And there are best practices in the world

03:18 that many Filipinos have felt.

03:21 More than 10 million Filipinos expatriates abroad,

03:24 they're helping more than 200 countries.

03:26 But when we come back, I think we should listen

03:28 to Filipinos who are coming back, brain game.

03:32 And maybe instead of silos, vertical elevators

03:35 without the floors, we should have more integrated planning.

03:39 - Yeah, brain game and bring back to the country

03:42 the best practices, no, from what they've learned overseas.

03:45 But if you take a look

03:46 at the educational system right now, Architect,

03:49 are we keeping up with the rapid advances

03:51 in technology and innovation?

03:54 - The moment we're really way, way behind.

03:58 We really have to fast track upscaling.

04:02 We may even have to educate educators.

04:05 And we are way, way behind,

04:07 especially in technology and education.

04:10 And we should open up even our educational system

04:14 or the best university schools

04:16 to tie up with local universities.

04:18 I think there are restrictions in our constitution

04:20 to have foreign universities locate here.

04:23 As for the world, they are locating

04:25 Ivy League universities even,

04:27 even in the Middle East right now.

04:29 Malaysia, they have also.

04:31 And Singapore, they tie up

04:32 with the best universities in the world.

04:34 Even hospitals, healthcare, and so on.

04:36 We should really have to open up.

04:38 We're so restrictive.

04:39 I've been saying that we have so many,

04:43 not stupid, obsolete laws

04:45 that make us less globally competitive.

04:47 Education, technology, transportation, infrastructure.

04:52 And even this infrastructure,

04:56 even the land leases, only 25, 50 years.

04:59 As for the world, even leasehold of land

05:04 can be 1,000 years, like in Ireland here,

05:06 50 years plus 25 years.

05:08 How can you have high quality buildings

05:10 if you're not sure they will not renew your leases?

05:14 We really have to maybe just copy, improve

05:17 from the best practices in the world.

05:19 We don't have to reinvent the wheel.

05:20 And government should be the enabler.

05:23 - Thank you so much.

05:24 - That's the obstacle in our development.

05:25 - Absolutely.

05:27 Private and public sector have to work together

05:29 for the Philippines to attain first world status by 2050.

05:33 Thank you so much for joining us on The Final Word.

05:36 June Palafox, chairman of the 49th

05:38 Philippine Business Conference.

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