Welcome Remarks, 10th FVR_RPDEV Lecture

By Romeo L. Bernardo (for RFO Center for Public Finance and Regional Cooperation)

Good afternoon distinguished speakers and guests. Welcome to the 10th RPDEV Lecture Series.

I have been asked by my former boss and still friend, Bobby de Ocampo to deliver the  welcome remarks on his behalf as a member of the Board of Advisers of the RFO Center, as he had to travel on urgent business.

Let me start by quoting something he said over a decade ago when he received the highly esteemed recognition of Euromoney Finance Minister of the Year in 1996, explaining the hard tasks of a Finance Secretary--- “ A Finance Secretary has many difficult and important decisions he has to make—the most critical by far being --- which president to serve.”

He has decided most wisely—( Pause for applause.. “palakpak naman diyan” ! ;^)

The nation is at that threshold when we need to decide whom to choose to lead us.  But even before then we need to ensure first of all that we do have credible and orderly elections in 2010 that will allow us to renew our faith in democracy and to chose our leaders.

At this time of unprecedented global financial and economic challenge and domestic divisiveness and failures in governance, perhaps at no time in our history do we need visionary and effective leadership as do we do today.  Such kind of leadership was defined in a paper documenting the  Political Economy of Reform during the Ramos Administration ( Growth Commission, World Bank, 2008) as one, like PFVR’s, able  “to set the vision, rally the people to bring results in ways that are possible to accomplish at the time given and openings available and working through  weak institutions and contending with  strong vested interests.

This is the third time RPDEV and the RFO Center are working together to ensure that our common advocacy of an informed public sector is realized. Past Lectures have tackled issues concerning our development post 1997 Asian financial crisis and global financial situation relative to the current crisis. .

 Today we have brought together 6 people whom you perceive as potential leaders of our country.  We will listen to what they have to say on socio-economic development and prospects for peace.  Our speakers have consistently been mentioned as possible “presidentiables” in the forthcoming 2010 elections.  

(We look forward to listening to and interacting with them, even though some may believe that it is useless to try to hold people to anything they say when they are madly in love, drunk or running for office. )

Now with all seriousness, allow me to formally welcome all of you to the 10th FVR-RPDEV Lecture.


I turn you over to our Moderator, Atty Mike Toledo, Country President of  Webershandwick Worldwide, our co-sponsor-- to begin the Presentation Proper.