The Makati Business Club (MBC) has launched its Economy Dashboard to help executives and policymakers make better decisions and pitches in today’s fast-changing economy.
“We put together the MBC Economy Dashboard because, with all the economic upheavals in the Philippines and around the world, decision-makers need more tools to stay ahead and make more profitable job-creating decisions for their business and the country,” MBC Chairman Edgar O. Chua said in a news statement on Thursday.
The business group said the MBC Economy Dashboard has almost 20 key statistics including inflation and interest rates, gross domestic product (GDP), foreign direct investment (FDI), and Trade, providing a comprehensive picture of the economy.
“It comes with graphs, to make the picture clearer. Users can adjust the time periods covered by the graphs, depending on whether they want a long view or a shorter term one,” said MBC.
The business group also noted that users have the option to download or print the statistics and graphs if they find hard copies more helpful.
For his part, Jocot de Dios, MBC Economy Committee Chairman and Manila Water Co. CEO underscored the importance of being able to understand the Philippine economy amid the changing economic and political landscape.
He added that this is crucial “so that we know what we need to work on to provide better incomes and livelihoods for our countrymen.”
“The MBC Economy Dashboard gives everyone who wants and needs an economic overview easy access to it,” added de Dios.
The MBC Economy Dashboard is part of the business group’s Economy Policy Program, whose major sponsor is Monde Nissin, the Philippine-based producer of Lucky Me noodles and other food products.
“We are pleased to partner with MBC on this project,” said Henry Soesanto, Monde Nissin CEO.
“As a company that does business across Asia and beyond, we see the competition for investment and jobs and hope tools like the dashboard help the Philippines get a growing share of that,” added Soesanto.
Aside from Monde Nissin, Philippine National Bank is also a sponsor.
The business group said the launch comes a day before the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is expected to raise interest rates anew to fight inflation.
MBC has been holding discussions with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s economic appointees, identifying areas where the business sector can help the government boost trade, investment, and jobs.