Don’t backslide, ‘salesman in chief’ tells retailers

President Benigno Aquino III. SCREENGRAB from RTVM

Calling himself the country’s “salesman in chief,” President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday told retailers from the Asia-Pacific region that the Philippines could not allow itself to “backslide” and instead must “fast-forward” towards progress and development.

“The question of how we must make the most of the future is best answered by the theme of your conference: We have to fast-forward. This is not only apt for your drive to realize the potential of the Asia-Pacific market; it is also apt for us Filipinos,” Mr. Aquino said at the 17th Asia-Pacific Retail Convention and Exhibition (APRCE) held in Pasay City.

“Whether for your sector, or my countrymen, it is clear: Now that we have so many successes under our belt, now that we are realizing our aspirations, we cannot allow ourselves to backslide. This is the time to work even harder, and even more closely with one another, to build on what we have achieved,” he said.

The APRCE, a biennial gathering of Asia-Pacific retailers, was last held in the Philippines 22 years ago.

Perfect time

Philippine Retailers Association (PRA) chair Frederick Go said there is no better time than now to hold APRCE in Manila, with the country’s robust economy.

In his speech, President Aquino recalled the time when he worked as a retail supervisor for an athletic brand.

He said the company was at that time up against a more established competitor but because of “innovations” in terms of the brand’s promotions and systems, it managed to establish itself in the Philippines.

Mr. Aquino said the experience must have prepared himself for the more “daunting challenge” of being the

“Salesman in Chief of the Philippines.”

Excellent product

The Philippines, he said, is an “excellent product” that should be easy to sell with its abundant resources, strong human capital, an excellent location and vast potential for industry growth, among others.

“However, these qualities had been obscured by the rampant corruption and impunity that plagued the past administration—to the point where we became the laggard among our neighbors, in so many different aspects,” the President said.

Reinventing image

He said his administration’s efforts to clean up the government, improve systems and practically “reinvent our entire image,” was “extremely successful” that the Philippines is now called “Asia’s New Darling,” from being the “Sick Man of Asia.”

The President acknowledged the wave of foreign retail stores that have opened recently in the Philippines as proof of the improved “consumer confidence” in the country.

Continuing the gains

Without directly campaigning for his anointed successor, Mar Roxas, the President said that with the elections only a few months away, he is “confident that Filipinos know whether they want to continue the gains of his administration or allow “our country to return to the dismal past.”

“They know that the depth of skill and talent in our country has yet to be fully realized, and that we need to not just continue, but double down on reform to give rise to a Philippines that is a shining example of sustainable and inclusive growth,” Mr. Aquino said.