4Tfying the network

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SCMAP’s latest General Membership Meeting, held last June 16 at the Marco Polo in Ortigas, doubled as a forum on governance in 4T – a concept which we have been working hard to build and sustain over the past year.

 

In the past twelve months we, alongside REID Foundation and Fountainhead Technologies, have been working on a project supported by the World Bank, aiming to improve governance with a view towards sustainable and inclusive economic growth. It may sound grand, but our work has centered on linking different stakeholders – from the business community, civic groups, the government and even students – and ensuring that we work together to build and sustain the economic growth we have seen in the past few years.

These connections have grown into what we call the 4Tfy Network. And, in the last GMM, the covenant committing its members to strengthening and expanding the network was signed. Signatories included representatives from government, business groups and the academe.

 

So what is 4T exactly?

 

Yes, it is a nifty acronym with a simple meaning: Tourism, Trade, Transport and Technology.

 

From those words alone it’s clear why we at SCMAP are committed to this. Those four areas impact greatly on our work in the supply chain industry – as the enablers of the national economy, ensuring that products, services and information move from one point to another.

 

Transportation, of course, is an area we have been involved in throughout our history. It has always been SCMAP’s belief that a modern transportation system, one that is multi-modal and responsive to the needs of both commuters and businesses, is important to the growth of the country. We hope to achieve this through our advocacy on port modernization and the dual airport system for Luzon, to cite two examples.

 

A modern transportation system would also do wonders for our trade capacities, especially now that we are attracting the attention, again, of foreign countries and investors. It’s not just about whether we can send goods out from our ports – a capability severely tested during the port congestion of a couple of years back – but also how easy it is to process requirements and accredit the businesses that receive the goods. The recent signing of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, as well as the ongoing work of the National Competitiveness Council, attests to this work.

 

Tourism has always been an important pillar of the national economy, but the Department of Tourism’s proactive efforts to promote the Philippines’ diverse destinations has made it even bigger. Our role in supply chain is to ensure that a tourist’s experience is outstanding, by ensuring – again – that the needed products, services and information get to its destination on time and in the best condition.

 

All of this growth has been enabled with the help of technology, and it is also in our interest to make our communications infrastructure competitive so we can embrace the innovations available to us – and, ultimately, so we can do our work better.

 

Everything is interconnected. Like, well, a network.

 

During the GMM, REID Foundation’s Ronilo Balbieran explained it simply: “even the smallest of conversations goes a long way.” And it is true, whether we are networking with possible clients, or ensuring the growth of the country is sustained. I think it’s hard, if not impossible, to find anybody who wants the country to fail, regardless of political belief or degree of cynicism. Our work, from here on out, is to ensure that the network is strengthened and expanded – and that everybody’s goals are aligned – so we can achieve our ends.

 

Ultimately, the growth of the Philippines is not wholly down to whoever’s in charge. Everybody builds on what came before: that’s what Noynoy Aquino did, and that’s what Rodrigo Duterte will do. Our country’s growth is down to its people, and its belief that we can, and should, do better. It is, in other words, down to us.

 

We would like to invite you to take part in our network. A good place to start is to search for “4Tfy” on Facebook: it should lead you to our public group page.

 

Henrik Batallones is the marketing and communications executive of SCMAP. A former board director, he is also editor-in-chief of the organization’s official publication, Supply Chain Philippines.