Don’t be daunted by all those doomsday scenarios being peddled about by administration detractors on business in the Philippines.

Don’t be daunted by the country’s political uncertainties due to the May polls and the economic slowdown.

So goes the thinking of the trade commissioners of four countries. They believe the Philippines remains a good place for business.

While security threats in the country continue, this is not primary in the list of concerns of foreign businessmen, the trade commissioners agree.

And to back their faith in the country, they will stage the Second World’s Finest Food Trade Show next month, the trade offices of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States announced recently.

The business event is an affirmation of their optimism to step up trade ties with the Philippines, Australian senior trade commissioner Alan Morrell said.

"The Philippines is seeing some sectors of economy moving quite well. Food comes into that category and consumer goods in general," Morrell amplified in a press conference at the Australian Embassy in Makati.

The retail business is growing and the existence of small chains in the country attests to the strong consumer demand in the country, according to US Agriculture Trade Officer Michael Woolsey.

"The platform for important products is growing," Woolsey stressed.

"The Philippines is a very significant export market and trade partner," said Canadian Trade Commissioner Richard Bale. He went on to add that the Philippines was Canada’s largest export market in Southeast Asia last year.

From New Zealand, Trade Commissioner Ramoncito Bernales said they are strengthening their presence in the country by continuing to identify market strategies.

Yes sir! Doomsday scenarios, political uncertainties, an economic slowdown notwithstanding, there’s much to be gained doing business in the Philippines.

The Philippines and Canada are providing P40.68 million worth of assistance for the street and urban working children in the Visayas and Mindanao, including the Bajao families in Zamboanga City and Lamitan, Basilan.

Augusto B. Santos, deputy director-general of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), said these projects will not only uplift the conditions of those children in the Visayas and Mindanao, but will also provide more opportunities to improve the economic well-being of Bajao families.

Santos, who chairs the Philippines-Canada Development Fund (PCDF), noted that the Street and Urban Working Children Project (SUWCP) includes school supplies and rice assistance, along with capability-building for social workers and volunteers.

The one-year P24.16-million project, of which P6.26 million is from PCDF, also has a component for barangay councils for the protection of children and local government units, he said.

The SUWCP, a project of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), will benefit children in the cities of Bacolod, Iloilo, Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-lapu in the Visayas, and Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Cotabato, and General Santos in Mindanao.

On the other hand, the P16.52-million Project Hope for Bajao Families will have components on social preparation, establishment of culturally sensitive communities, livelihood services, and networking/advocacy. PCDF has committed P11 million for the project, which will run from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2004.