DAVAO CITY – President-elect Rodrigo Duterte will pitch his plan to grow the economy before hundreds of business leaders who may have been initially distracted by his fiery rhetoric against crime.

The two-day dialogue will be held on Monday in this southern
metropolis that has become a showcase of his tough leadership style and his plan to spread political power and wealth outside the overcrowded capital.

An estimated 300 businessmen, many of whom flew in from Manila, will scrutinize his 10-point agenda, which includes tax reform, cutting red tape, increasing infrastructure spending, and promoting tourism and agriculture.

Originally an eight-point plan, Duterte’s economic team expanded it to include promoting science and technology and strengthening the implementation of a law that provides free contraceptives to the poor, a thorny issue in the predominantly Catholic nation

“Admittedly, there were apprehensions at first because he has not said much about his economic programs. Then he started appointing familiar faces who have served under past presidents,” Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman emeritus Sergio Ortiz-Luis told ABS-CBN News.

Duterte has tapped hotelier and former Agriculture Secretary Carlos Dominguez as his finance secretary, respected University of the Philippines economics professors Ernesto Pernia as economic planning secretary and Benjamin Diokno as budget secretary, micro-enterprise advocate Ramon Lopez as trade secretary and veteran tour operator Wanda Teo as tourism secretary.

“The joke in the business sector is that the public got tired of
student council governance, they’re bringing the professors back,” he said, referring to criticism of outgoing President Benigno Aquino’s relatively younger cabinet.

Majority of the members of Duterte’s official family are senior citizens, like the 71-year-old city mayor, the Philippines' first septuagenarian president.

The Davao summit will be one of the largest gatherings of business leaders outside Metro Manila and the first hosted by a
president-elect, Ortiz-Luis said.

FEDERAL SHIFT

A top priority of the incoming leader is a shift to a federal-parliamentary form of government from the current unitary-presidential system, wherein power is concentrated in the capital.

Duterte built the new administration from this city where he served as mayor for over two decades. He said he would shuttle between Manila and Davao as often as he could.

“We have been discussing going regional for so long, this is the first time that it can actually happen,” Ortiz-Luis said.

Metro Manila, where 12 million people endure torturous traffic jams and decrepit transportation facilities is a “dying city,” Ortiz Luis said, echoing Duterte’s earlier statement.

ECONOMIC CHALLENGES

Gross domestic product grew 6.9 percent in the first quarter, beating analysts’ forecast and outpacing China. The government expects growth of 6.8 to 7.8 percent for the full year.

The World Bank said Friday robust growth has failed to lift labor, with many trapped in low-paying or unsecure jobs.

While the number has gone down, still one in ten families experience hunger because they don’t have money for food, according to a Social Weather Stations survey in December.

On the global front, Duterte needs to ensure that the economy can absorb shocks from a looming interest rate increase by the US Federal Reserve and a referendum on the United Kingdom’s membership in the European Union.

Duterte provided little clarity on his plans to grow the economy during the campaign, focusing instead on selling his anti-crime platform to voters.

Days before the May 9 vote, the president of the Makati Business Club, Ramon del Rosario, warned voters that the country risked being plunged into "chaos and anarchy" if Duterte won.