ASEAN advantage

When guests are coming, I think about what will make them feel at home. Is there room at the table? Has someone thought about the guest who has traveled far? Hosting the ASEAN Summit calls for that same thoughtfulness — on a much larger scale. And when the guests leave, what will we have made possible together?

As Manila hosts the 49th ASEAN Summit and related meetings, Southeast Asian leaders have a chance to work on concerns we share, from keeping the region peaceful to making trade easier.

The gathering will also give business people a chance to learn from one another. A conversation about keeping food fresh in transit, for instance, could help a farmer deliver more of her harvest to market before it spoils.

For the Philippines, hosting gives us a chance to show investors what our communities can offer. In tourism, that could mean work for local guides and more guests for family-run inns. In manufacturing, it could mean steady orders for Filipino suppliers and training for workers.

Investments in property and finance can help provide the spaces and credit that small businesses need to grow. I would like us to ask investors early on how they plan to hire locally, train workers and buy from Philippine producers.

In Las Piñas, I think of the woman who makes a good product in her kitchen and wonders whether she can afford to take on bigger orders. Imagine a more established entrepreneur sitting down with her to work out what each jar really costs, then introducing her to a buyer.

Sharing a contact may take a minute. For that woman, it could be the first time someone outside her neighborhood gives her product a chance.

Public offices can show that same regard for people’s time. Imagine a clerk who sees that an applicant is lacking a document, explains where to get it and tells her when she can expect a decision. That simple courtesy could spare her another day away from her business.

We can make it easier for our staff to help by publishing clear requirements and fees, tracking applications and giving people a way to follow up. Each of those steps can cut red tape while keeping the safeguards that protect our communities.

Hebrews 13:16 reminds us, “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” To me, that includes sharing what we know, making an introduction and seeing a responsibility through when someone is counting on us.

When the delegates go home, I hope we keep track of what will come from the conversations we began here. Did a Filipino supplier get her first regional order? Did a new business give young people a reason to look for work close to home? Did we make it easier for a small entrepreneur to take her next step?

Those are the stories I would like to tell when we look back on our turn as host.