The first Services Congress will be held on Wednesday, 28 June 2006, at the New World Renaissance Hotel, Makati City.  It is a gathering of government policy makers, the academe, private sector representatives of industry and trade associations, service providers and consumers, and visiting representatives of our external support network led by the International Trade Center, of the EC Asia Trust Fund, the German Technical Cooperation represented here by Ms. Anja Gomm, and the USAID Philexport/AKI/De la Salle University/PACT project headed by Dr. Ponciano Intal.  The Congress will discuss the results of sectoral studies conducted under the umbrella of the Philippine Services Coalition project headed by the DFA over the past twelve months on the global competitiveness of several professional sectors and subsectors of our economy.

There are twelve (12) sectors and subsectors covered by the year long studies namely, health and wellness (3 subsectors), accountancy (2 subsectors), engineering (2 subsectors), interactive media, shipcrewing and shipmanagement, franchising, education and trade policy and negotiations.

One of the major objectives of the project was to develop awareness and understanding of the services trade and it is believed that our discussions in different sectors and the outreach events we have participated in including the presentation to different chambers, e-services fora, the BPO, BPAP, and computer software societies have achieved this objectives in no small measure.

In coming up with the studies and recommendations, the research directors and writers (selected from among a renown group of former government officials who have joined the academe, leading professionals, senior research directors from the think tanks and leaders of industry) conducted vast desk researches on the present situation and profile of the Philippines services sector, the regulatory standards and practices prevailing which are benchmarked with that of major service providing and consuming countries.  The research also managed to identify the array of market barriers confronting the export of these services to major markets and analysed Philippine competitiveness based on the market requirements matched with the profiles of human resource competencies and availabilities, the modes of supply and the needed promotional activities, trade policy and negotiating support which would enhance the market positioning of these professional services sectors and subsectors.  Various focus group discussions were held with private sector constituencies and professional groups held in and out of Manila like Cebu and Baguio.

Stakeholders will have a chance to comment on and endorse the policy recommendations contained in the studies.  These policy recommendations will be the basis for a strategic framework for development of Philippine Service Exports.  It will specify the roadmap which will define the country’s vision in the global services trade, the roles that will be played by the private sector, the academe and government in the concerted national effort to maintain, and increase, competitiveness in our professional services exports.

Once endorsed by stakeholders, the outputs of the Services Congress will be presented to the Export Development Council in July 2006 for consideration and possible incorporation in the Philippine national export strategies and programs.  Such acceptance will be a landmark in that this is the first time that service exports, as defined under the General Agreement on Trade in Services, will be formally included in the Philippine Export Development Plan and the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan.