DAVOS, Switzerland (Via PLDT) – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo hauled in her first big investment catch on the sidelines of the 37^th World Economic Forum (WEF) here when a major global systems integrator offered to invest in a secure and integrated infrastructure authentication program in the Philippines that will enhance government revenues under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme.

Maurice Amon, co-executive chairman of the Swiss-based SICPA, briefed the President on his company’s overseas investment program, saying the decision affirmed SICPA’s confidence in the Philippines.

Amon called on the President shortly after her arrival in this Swiss mountain resort atop the Alps Thursday evening.

The SICPA official told the Chief Executive his company’s proposal was in response to her call for greater public sector participation in the country’s Medium Term Public Investment Program (MTPIP).

"By this proposal, we are affirming our confidence in the Philippines as an investment site and as a partner in a major cooperative undertaking," Amon told the President.

SICPA, which has an 80-year heritage of securing a majority of the world’s currencies, has the distinct advantage of being the only company that can integrate secure track and trace solutions to protect products and government revenues.

This proprietary technology has generated substantial additional revenues in other countries that have adopted the program.

Given the enormity of the funding requirement of the Medium Term Philippine Development Program (MTPDP), the President has called for greater public sector participation in developing the country’s infrastructure and other development projects.

In welcoming the President’s invitation, Amon said that SICPA is offering the Philippines an integrated technology that will allow the government to enforce its tax laws with greater efficiency, security and consistency across domestically-produced and imported products.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has signed into law Republic Act No. 9369 authorizing the use of an automated election system (AES) in the country, starting with its partial implementation in selected areas in the coming May mid-term elections.

Signed into law by the President last Jan. 23, RA 9369 amended RA 8436 which provided for the automation of the 1998 national and local polls "to encourage transparency, credibility, fairness and accuracy of elections."

Poll automation is included in the 10-point reform agenda of the President.

Under Section 5 of the new law, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is mandated "to use an automated election system or systems in the same election in different provinces, whether paper-based or a direct recording electronic election system as it may deem appropriate and practical for the process of voting, counting of votes and canvassing/consolidation and transmittal of results of electoral exercises."

An Automated Election System, as defined under Section 2 of RA 9369, is a system using appropriate technology which has been demonstrated in the voting, counting, consolidating, canvassing, and transmission of election results and other electoral processes.

RA 9369 also provides that for the regular national and local elections to be held immediately after its effectivity, the "AES shall be used in at least two highly urbanized cities and two provinces each in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, to be chosen by the Comelec."

The new law defines "paper-based election system" as a type of automated election system that uses paper ballots, records and counts votes, tabulates, consolidates/canvasses and transmits electronically the results of the vote count.

On the other hand, "direct recording electronic election system" is a type of automated election system that uses electronic ballots, records votes by means of a ballot display provided with mechanical or electro-optical components that can be activated by the voter, processes data by means of a computer program, records voting data and ballot images, and transmits voting results electronically.

RA 9369, which takes effect 15 days after its publication in a newspaper of general circulation, mandates that the AES will be implemented nationwide in succeeding regular national or local elections.

DAVOS, Switzerland (Via PLDT) – The emphasis placed by this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) on the shift of global economic power to Asia makes the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) proud, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said here Friday night.

In her opening statement at the WEF session on "ASEAN’s Economic Roadmap" at the Hotel Meierhof here, the President, who is the chair of the ASEAN, emphasized that it is time for Asia to take control of its own destiny.

She said the recognition by the world’s economic and political leaders of Asia’s emergent economic clout is a signal that Asia is maturing, that "It has become a full partner in economic, security and political affairs."

The President said that the region has committed itself to establishing an ASEAN Charter, and expanding its trade area into "one of the world’s great trading blocs."

"An ASEAN Charter will help achieve ‘One Vision, One Identity, One Community,’" and hopefully someday, weld the region into a community driven by "One Vision for the Region," she added.

The President stressed that ASEAN has decided to accelerate the establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015, five years ahead of the original blueprint, and how this economic roadmap will lead to a single market and production base.

Under the single market and production base concept, there will be free movement of goods, services, skilled labor and investments, equitable economic development, reduced poverty incidence and narrowed socio-economic development gaps.

"The challenge is to create a stronger, more united and cohesive ASEAN while further expanding our engagement with our Dialogue Partners and other entities," she said.

ASEAN integration, according to the Chief Executive, is now underway in 12 priority sectors which make up the bulk of trade among member nations.

This regional integration, she emphasized, is not only eliminating or minimizing tariffs on priority sectors, it is also enhancing trade facilitation to reduce transaction costs and the cost of doing business in the region.

"This involves simplification and harmonization of our customs regimes through an ASEAN single window," she said.

The President also cited the agreement on the free flow of skilled labor under the Mutual Recognition Arrangement which was signed by the ASEAN leaders during the 12^th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, Philippines on Jan.10-15.

While creating greater cohesion among the member nations, at the same time ASEAN is also integrating itself with all the major economic players in the region such as China, India, Japan, and South Korea through the forging of individual 10+1 economic partnership agreements and negotiating free trade areas with each of them, she said.

The signing of the ASEAN-China Agreement on Trade and Services during the Cebu Summit, moved the area closer to its vision of a regional free trade regime, cutting barriers on services such as telecommunications, transportation and tourism, the President added.