Analysts weigh in on PNoy's (President Benigno Aquino III) first US trip

story by ABS-CBN News Channel
written by By Caroline J. Howard

MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III brought home good news as he returned to the country from the US early Tuesday morning, his first overseas trip as the Philippines' chief executive.

The President announced he expects between 40,000 to 200,000 jobs from around US$2.4 billion in new investment opportunities.

Weighing in on the President's trip, two former government officials rated it a success.

Speaking on ANC's "The Rundown" on Monday night, former Finance Secretary Roberto de Ocampo gave Aquino a grade of 8 out of 10. As an academic, he teased, he always liked to leave the impression there is room for improvement.

"A presidential visit should be measured in terms of what its objectives were, and whether those were accomplished and what was tangibly brought back," de Ocampo said, noting that these included getting financial commitments, such as a grant from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), giving the international business community a sense of the Aquino administration's game plan for drawing investment, and engaging the overseas Filipino community in dialogue.

"The fact that there's US$434 million [from MCC], and that that's not a dream, is important. Looking at the list of companies he met with, there are fairly firm ones there," de Ocampo said, citing planned expansions by companies like J.P. Morgan and Hewlett-Packard in the Philippines, and the jobs such opportunities would create.

More here: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/-depth/09/28/10/analysts-weigh-pnoys-first-us-trip