IN AN attempt to spur development in the countryside, the Board of Investments (BOI) in Cebu plans to help towns in the province attract more investors to their respective localities.
Ellorence Cruz, BOI Cebu OIC, said that while investments continue to pour into Cebu, bringing these to the rural areas remains to be a challenge for stakeholders.
“Rural areas need infrastructure support. Infrastructure that facilitates the mobility of goods and services such as seaports and airports are all in Cebu City. Therefore, the investments are all here,” Cruz told Cebu Daily News.
On the part of the BOI, Cruz said they could teach towns in Cebu how to make the most of what they could have amid the lack of infrastructure support.
The BOI has partnered with the Cebu Investment Promotions Office (CIPO) to conduct capability building workshops and seminars on crafting the Local Investments Promotion Code for towns in the province.
Cruz said they hoped to start going around Cebu starting November this year, prioritizing the “less developed areas” such as Ginatilan, Malabuyoc, Pilar, Ronda, Samboan, and Tudela, among others.
She also encouraged local and regional development councils to also explore ways to bring more projects to these areas, eventually decongesting Cebu and its neighboring cities.