Why Mandaue City is No. 1 business destination in Cebu

THE close working relationship between the business community and the local government is seen as the main driver of the economic growth in Mandaue City, one of the city’s top leaders said on Friday.

Mandaue City Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna said the local government engages the Mandaue City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) in policy making and investment promotions.

“That is why the number one business destination today is not anymore Cebu City; it’s Mandaue City,” said Fortuna, generating applause from MCCI officers and members during the chamber’s General Membership Meeting and Election of the Board of Trustees.

Recently, a sister-city agreement was signed between Mandaue and Ayabe (Japan) with MCCI past president Philip Tan playing an active role in bridging the interest of both cities for mutual cooperation in trade relations and investments.

Fortuna said the local government is working on a city defense plan to beef up security with the cooperation of the Mandaue City Police Office and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in light of what happened in Bohol with members of the Abu Sayyaf Group.

“This is not meant to scare you but to assure you that we are preparing ourselves. We are used to criminality in our backyard but we have to acknowledge that terrorism is real,” said Fortuna.

The vice mayor also reminded businessmen and entrepreneurs of the strict implementation of waste segregation as the landfill will be closed before October 2017.

Fortuna said they are looking at waste-to-energy solutions for Mandaue’s garbage with the support of MCCI and the Regional Development Council Central Visayas.

On the city’s traffic situation, Fortuna said he looks forward to an efficient and effective mass transport system may it be a bus rapid transit system or a light rail transit system to solve the worsening traffic situation.

“In the meantime, please do not complain why your traffic enforcers are strict. We are doing whatever we can to help out but we can only do so much.

Let us work together because the businesses of Mandaue is the lifeblood of Mandaue,” he said.

In his president’s report, MCCI president Glenn Anthony Soco announced that MCCI will soon have its own building located near the Mandaue City Hall.

Soco did not go into details as to project cost and timeline but noted that “a portion of the land near City Hall will serve as the site of the MCCI center.”

“I am at my happiest stage as a businessman. Central Visayas has grown at 8.8 percent in 2016. There’s a wave of unprecedented growth and development. We are in the forefront of change,” he said.

Last Friday, nine companies were inducted as new MCCI members. These are Purple Chalk Trainings and Marketing, Grosmar Memorial Garden Inc., TLH Furniture Studio Inc., Gothong Southern Shipping Lines Inc., AppTechnology Experts Inc., Cebu General Services Inc., Montebello Villa Hotel, Imperial Spa and Sugbo Mercado Food Bazaar Inc.