How can the Philippines develop a long-term development strategy that is sustainable, equitable, and less vulnerable to natural and social disruptions as it moves forward in the post-pandemic world?
The Philippine Economic Society (PES) aims to answer this question as it holds its Annual Meeting and Conference from November 9 to11 in a hybrid format.
This year’s PES conference, which also celebrates the 60th anniversary of the founding of the organization, tackles the theme, “From Bouncing Back to Leaping Forward Towards a Future Ready Philippines.” Speakers in eight plenary sessions and 26 parallel sessions will highlight the importance of comprehensive responses for a dynamic and inclusive society as the country continues to move into the 21st century.
The first day of the conference will be held at the Novotel Manila Araneta City, Quezon City, with all sessions available for virtual streaming via Zoom.
Professor Dani Rodrik, president of the International Economic Association and Professor of International Political Economy at the Harvard Kennedy School, will deliver the keynote address, which will highlight new economic models vis-à-vis the challenges of intensified geopolitical competition, de-industrialization, climate transition, and post-pandemic aftermath.
Prof. Rodrik’s presentation will be followed by a panel discussion on what policies and programs are necessary to meet the challenges in the coming decade and beyond. This panel features Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), National Scientist Dr. Raul Fabella of the University of the Philippines School of Economics and Resident Representative Dr. Selva Ramachandran of the United Nations Development Programme.
The second plenary session, organized by Neda, will focus on the importance of strengthening the culture of planning by tackling the process of creating the country’s economic blueprint, the Philippine Development Plan. This is in line with the theme of Economic and Financial Literacy (EFL) Week 2022, “ISAPLANO: Bagong Philippine Development Plan para sa Patuloy na Pagsulong,” which will be celebrated from November 7 to 11, 2022.
Other plenary sessions on the first day will delve on the benefits and challenges of sustainable and green competition policies; studies on development policies that aim to solve poverty and inequality; prospects of reintegration of migrant workers after the pandemic; and the future of skills and human capital in a post-pandemic economy.
The second and third days of the conference will feature 26 parallel virtual sessions that will cover a wide range of economic concerns, including agriculture, trade, finance and banking, digital economies and competition, poverty and inequality, macroeconomic modeling, economics of disaster, public policy and governance, education and human capital formation, health, among others.
In the afternoon of the third day, the PES is organizing a virtual plenary session on addressing the social insurance needs of the Filipino population, featuring a panel which consist of Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo; Atty. Eli Dino Santos, officer-in-charge president of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation; Mr. Sem Cordial, manager at the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation; and Mr. Jun Jay Perez, executive director of the Rimansi Organization for Asia and the Pacific. This session is in celebration of the EFL Week 2022.
Capping off the three-day conference is the closing plenary session, where panelists will present their economic and financial projections for the Philippine economy moving forward. Panelists in this session include World Bank Country Director Dr. Ndiamé Diop, Asian Development Bank Country Director Dr. Kelly Bird, Ateneo de Manila University Professor Dr. Cielito Habito, and Citigroup Chief Asia Economist Dr. Johanna Chua.
PES annual conferences are held every second week of November as part of its observation of the Economic and Financial Literacy Week, which is mandated under Republic Act No. 10922. PES is expected to lead private sector efforts in improving the level of economic and financial understanding of the Filipino public.
The 60th PES Annual Meeting and Conference is organized in cooperation with the PES’ major partners, namely: Neda, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, the Philippine Competition Commission, the United Nations Development Programme, De La Salle University and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study in Agriculture.