Augusto D. Bengzon l 21 February 2024 at New World Hotel Makati
To our guest speaker, friends from media, guests, my fellow directors and officers of FINEX, our beloved members, good afternoon.
Since the present administration announced the creation of a sovereign fund, the public, particularly the business sector, has expressed numerous questions and concerns. It was highly debated topic. Last year, we held a GMM where high-level business leaders and industry experts presented opposing viewpoints on the Maharlika Investment Fund.
With the law being in effect and the Maharlika Investment Corporation officially constituted, it is critical that we, in the business community understand its governance, objectives, and strategy.
Today, we are very fortunate to have the President and CEO, our fellow FINEX member, Joel Consing, to share with us the direction and priority areas of the Maharlika Investment Corporation following its four investment pillars – tourism infrastructure, agricultural urbanism, energy, and information and communications technology. Thank you, Joel, for taking time out of your very busy schedule.
The past month in FINEX has been active and busy. Let me highlight some of them:
- On January 15 and 16, the Committee Chairs presented to the Board of Directors their plans and programs for the year. As usual, this year will still be a very busy year for FINEX.
- On January 24, your FINEX leadership was inducted into office by Ms. Mariana Zobel de Ayala, in a purely face-to-face event at the Manila Polo Club. A very well attended ceremony.
- On January 31, your Board of Directors met with the Council of Past Presidents, an annual tradition that allows us to share our programs and listen to the wisdom of our past presidents in order to ensure that we provide relevant programs to our members while also making a significant contribution to our society.
On advocacy, FINEX co-signed a position paper on Revenue Memorandum Circular 5-2024. Thank you to Tax and Legal Committee Chair Jong Vergara, Vice Chair Eric Recalde, and Liaison Director Wilson Tan for taking the lead.
On March 2, our Arts and Culture Committee will host a tour of Binondo, entitled “A Wok-ing Tour of Binondo,” and feast on culinary gems curated by tour master, Ivan Dy.
BSP Governor Eli Remolona has accepted to talk with us at our next general membership meeting on March 6 about the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ key projects for sustainable and innovative capital markets, financial stability, and inclusive economic growth. This GMM, unlike the usual luncheon, will be held in the late afternoon. Cocktails will be served so that we may network with one another.
Please look forward to our announcements for upcoming programs.
We have started our campaign for this year’s year-round sponsorship. We hope that you and your companies will be one of them. The packages include:
- Partner – P2.0million
- Platinum – P1.0million
- Diamond – P750,000
- Gold – P500,000
- Patron – P300,000
As early as now, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to the following organizations for confirming their support this year, namely:
Platinum: Forecasting and Planning Technologies, Inc.
Gold: BPI (carry-over from 2023)
We hope that this campaign will allow us carry out our ambitious programs for the year.
This year, we are also embarking on a membership recruitment campaign to increase our membership base, particularly among publicly listed companies and the Top 1,000 corporations. I appeal to all of you to invite your friends and colleagues to join FINEX this year.
We will continue to keep you informed of our planned initiatives, particularly the progress of our major thrusts for this year, and we really hope to have your continued support.
Thank you.