Rep. Gerald Anthony Gullas (Cebu 1st district) (right) swears in members of the Minglanilla-Cebu Business Chamber (MCBC) led by its president Filomena Cañedo (4th from left).
A MUNICIPALITY in southern Cebu made history as it inaugurated its own business chamber on Saturday, signaling a strengthened partnership between the private sector and local government.
The newly-formed Minglanilla-Cebu Business Chamber (MCBC) was poised not only to attract more investors to the town, but to position the local workforce and match it with the needs of upcoming enterprises as well.
“I was talking with the mayor and one project I am really looking into is matching the labor force to the needs of the businesses we will be setting up here,” newly-elected MCBC president Filomena Cañedo told reporters during last Saturday’s inauguration and oath taking ceremony of chamber members.
Cañedo is the chief executive officer of Cañedo Equity Ventures, Inc. (CEV), a conglomerate based in Minglanilla which oversees the operation of business units involved in real estate, mining contracting, memorial gardens development, food, and technical-vocational education.
Since her first term only lasts one year, ending in February 2018, Cañedo said she is hoping to soon launch the chamber’s maiden project aimed at “making a difference in the common people’s lives.”
She said this would not be achieved overnight as it would entail a lot of study, but they could begin by making an inventory of the skills and competencies of the workforce within the locality.
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) agreed to help train the town residents.
The organization was formed through the initiative of the municipal government, seeing the need for synergy with the private sector in anticipation of the economic gains brought by an upcoming reclamation project in the town.
A 100-hectare industrial park in Minglanilla, which is a public-private partnership between the local government, Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), and Ming-Mori Development Corp., targets to employ at least 75,000 workers once it starts operating.
Cañedo also said that the MCBC was also committed to contributing ideas to solve problems in the locality such as traffic congestion, crime rates, as well as the wide gap between the middle and lower classes.