Changes the UK would like to see

By Peter Beckingham
Inquirer
Posted date: December 06, 2007

THIS WEEK President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has her first meeting at Buckingham Palace with Her Majesty the Queen, who has been Britain's head of state for over 50 years. This is a good time to reflect on why the two countries matter to each other, and how we in Britain would like the relationship to develop.

The first British contacts with the Philippines were about trade and investment. A 22-year-old Scot, Alexander Dalrymple, drew up trade agreements with the Sultan of Sulu in the 1750s! To a lot of people's surprise, Britain remains one of the key investors in the Philippines, running neck and neck with the United States, Japan and South Korea.

Our banks have call centers with nearly 10,000 employees; Luzon is dependent on electricity from a UK joint venture with First Gas, and Shell's Malampaya field; and British engineering companies are establishing operations in Makati, employing hundreds of Philippine graduates. In an exciting new venture, Virgin Atlantic's fleet of Airbuses will soon be serviced in Manila.

We have a lot in common internationally. Like the Philippines, we want to see the Burmese regime instigate change and improve its dire human rights record.

We too have been hit by Islamic terrorists, and we work hard with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and other organizations in Mindanao to prevent further outrages. Like the Philippines, we have a minority of Muslim citizens, and we have programs in Southern Philippines with Islamic religious leaders, government officials and NGOs to develop a greater understanding between Christian and non-Christian communities. On Dec. 8, a representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury and a distinguished Islamic scholar are visiting Manila together to meet Catholic and Muslim leaders.

We want to see urgent action on climate change, including involving Southeast Asia, agreed at the Bali conference this month. I have appreciated the straightforward approach on these issues by Environment Secretary Lito Atienza and Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes.

Sharing these common interests, not to mention the 200,000 Filipinos living and working in the United Kingdom, we want to see the Philippines prosper. Where does the British Embassy look for change, particularly where it might enhance our relationship?

It is not for us to get involved with your Constitution. But British business has no doubt that the Philippine economy could grow even faster than over the last six years if it was more open to competition. The playing field doesn't always feel very level to some of our companies. Removing some of the economic provisions, which are more restrictive than in other ASEAN markets, could make a real difference to the business environment of the Philippines. European businesses would like to invest more freely in land, the law, the media and education. In the United Kingdom some of our airports, ports and motorways are owned by Spanish, Dubai and Australian companies, respectively, and our economy is among the strongest in Europe.

Like other countries, the United Kingdom has had its share of corruption, involving the imprisonment of a number of high-profile former ministers and officials. The embassy has been running a series of economic governance programs which will help to stimulate the more transparent and open government that the President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives aspire to develop. The European Union has also funded work by one of Hong Kong's anti-corruption experts and we hope that his work will make a difference; from a UK perspective it is essential that what he has started doesn't wither on the vine.

In a candid moment recently, one member of the Cabinet acknowledged publicly that Philippine schools and hospitals are straining at the seams to accommodate the young and the sick. I have seen the pressures for myself from Aurora to Zamboanga. Everyone is entitled to make his own choices about population control and family planning, but to an outsider's eye the current population rates are simply unsustainable over the next 15 years.

Two British businessmen who have left Manila to run major subsidiaries in other Asian countries have told me recently that they look back enviously at the quality of their Philippine workforce. The embassy is also fortunate to work with over 60 dedicated Filipino staff. Together with the Alumni Association, which is a group of Filipinos who have studied in Britain, we have launched 'RP-UK Friendship Week: Business That Cares' this December. We hope that the events under this program will highlight the depth and range of our interests in the Philippines.

Next year, we move to our own purpose-built, imposing building in Fort Bonifacio. Our new embassy could not be a more vivid demonstration that the Philippines matters to Britain, and that we intend to work with the Philippine government, business and civil society to see the country prosper in the 21st century.

Peter Beckingham is the British ambassador to the Philippines.