The 9th Arangkada Philippines Forum 2020: Dean Ronald Mendoza on Picturing the New Normal in the Philippines and Asia

On December 1, 2020,  the 9th Arangkada Philippines Forum was held via zoom application with the theme entitled, “Foreign Investment in the Post-Pandemic Philippines”. Ateneo School of Government Dean Ronald U. Mendoza, together with Mr. Kaushik Das, Mr. Hans Vriens, and Prof. Victor Andres Manhit, were invited as panelists in the morning session centered on the theme:, “Picturing the New Normal in the Philippines and Asia”.

Dean Ronald Mendoza shared his insights on the various topics about public spending, economy, and jobs. Here is the summary:

1. Priority government spending for 2021 - Dean Ronald Mendoza mentioned that half of the government response should be targeted towards the healthcare sector. The ongoing health crisis has worsened inequality in terms of access to healthcare, internet connectivity, and work-from-home options. These are issues that the country has to think about, act on, and invest in to come out of the pandemic stronger.

2. Investment legislations and the vibrant digital economy - Dean Ronald Mendoza remarked that legislative policies should prioritize foreign investments that will enable Filipinos to capture the benefits of the growing digital economy. Further, he raised the need to discuss ‘internet access’ as a public good and the government should devise a national roadmap to make it available for every Filipino. He mentioned that greater digital connection would generate positive externalities to education, firms, healthcare, and society in general. In connection to this, the Policy Center of the Ateneo School of Government has conducted policy discourses on CITIRA (now CREATE) with various stakeholders and is currently working on a study regarding the bilateral relations, including trade and foreign direct investments, between the United States and the Philippines. These topics discuss the important role of  foreign investment in the country. 

3. Challenges on job displacement and the need for upskilling - Dean Ronald Mendoza explained that part of the challenge is creating an ecosystem that is conducive for young people to learn from experimentation and failures. The educational institution should provide a platform for young people to discuss and collaborate with the public and private sector especially when the youth engages in startups and businesses. Policies that support partnerships and strong institutions are needed to make this work. 
 

Throughout the panel discussion, Dean Ronald Mendoza highlighted the healthcare and education sectors, and the digital economy as the main priorities of the country as we head towards recovery. He envisions a stronger country post-pandemic by learning from the lessons of the crisis such as strengthening the inclusiveness of both the country’s healthcare and education systems. This will protect the country from the long-term unequalizing impact of the pandemic and be able to respond to structural trends such as the 4th industrial revolution and the digital economy – all of which have been present even prior COVID-19 and are expected to accelerate even further. He emphasized the importance to invest in our young population now, as this will play an important role in the country’s long-term competitiveness.