Ormoc confab seen to bring in investments in Visayas

Melanie Ng, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president, (left) and Jude Abenoja, Ormoc Chamber of Commerce and Industry head, (3rd from left) discuss together with other business chamber officials the upcoming Visayas Area Business Conference in Ormoc during yesterday’s briefing. (CONTRIBUTED)

MORE investments are expected to come into the Visayas following the staging of the 25th Area Business Conference (VABC) this month.

Ted Locson Jr., head of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) external affairs division, said the VABC seeks to promote regions in the area to one another as well as the rest of the country.

“The growth of the Visayas will largely depend on the VABC we’re going to have,” he said during a press briefing on Thursday.

Now on its 25th year, the VABC will be held in Ormoc City from Sept. 14 to 16, the first in a quarter century for Eastern Visayas to host the event.

Locson said the VABC will make a difference, especially in Region 8, adding that the region has great potential for mining and manufacturing.

“If we just continue with the service sector, we will not be able to make it,” he said.

Jude Abenoja, head of the Ormoc Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), said the promotion of the city’s tourism, agriculture, and ICT is the business organization’s focus during the conference.

The conference carries the theme “Change is Here” to reflect the positive changes Visayas is experiencing in terms of investment opportunities and business growth, Abenoja added.

Around 500 delegates from Regions 6, 7, 8 and 18 (Negros Island Region) are expected to attend the conference.

“This is in line with the thrust of President Duterte to divert development outside Metro Manila and divert it to the regions,” he said.

Samar, which is considered to be one of the poorest provinces in the country, is part of Eastern Visayas.

The OCCI estimated to spend around P2.9 million on the event, with a subsidy of P500,000 from the Ormoc city government.

Among the highlights of the conference are the technology transfer forum sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), plenary sessions on topics ranging from tourism to agriculture, and a business pitch from Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez.

Jose Ng, Visayas area vice president for the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), said that infrastructure remains to be a challenge for the regions here.

“Visayas is composed of many islands and islets. That is one of the setbacks because it is very difficult to move from one island to another,” he said.

He stressed the need for improved connectivity across the Visayas.

With Metro Manila getting more congested, he said he expects more investments to come to the regions in the southern part of the country.

CCCI President Melanie Ng said that chambers all over the area are very active in the government’s Coordinating Road and Investment Development (CR+ID) program.

“That is where all the chambers come together to work on infrastructure development for the delivery of products to all,” she said.

CCCI’s Ng emphasized that collaboration among chambers is a great way to promote inclusive growth and increase productivity in the region as well as the whole Visayas.