DOES Cebu have what it takes to be named the country’s most business-friendly province this year?
That question will be answered as the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) recognizes the republic’s most business-friendly local government units (LGU) during the 43rd Philippine Business Conference at the Manila Hotel on Oct. 19.
Five years after Cebu last bagged the award, under the administration of former gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, the province is once again vying for the recognition along with 13 other finalists.
“We are not only hoping, but praying to win. This will give great pride to the province because it is not a public institution giving out the award, but a private group acknowledging the province as a business-friendly LGU,” Roy Soledad, head of the Cebu Investment and Promotions Office (CIPO), told Cebu Daily News in an interview.
Every year, over the last 15 years, the PCCI has recognized LGUs, including cities and municipalities, which have demonstrated outstanding efforts in instituting good governance reforms to promote trade and investments, employment, transparency, accountability and efficiency in delivering business services to fuel inclusive growth in their locations.
The period for judging was from January 2016 to June 2017.
Present during the final judging last Wednesday at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City Manila were Soledad, Provincial Administrator Mark Tolentino, Human Resources manager Bhobby Nacorda and Capitol Consultant Jing Lachica.
Soledad said Gov. Hilario Davide III, who first sat as governor in 2013 and is now on his second term, was supposed to attend, but had scheduling conflicts.
The team gave a five-minute audio-visual presentation on the provincial government’s initiatives in terms of trade, investments, and tourism promotions; development of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs); public private partnerships (PPP); quality management system, innovations, and human resources; and quality customer service.
Should Cebu clinch the title of most business-friendly province in the country, Soledad said it will be a good equalizer to its competitiveness ranking, which dropped to 45th this year from 31st last year.
“This is a good equalizer because it will really show the performance of the province, unlike in the competitiveness ranking, which was a cumulative score of all the towns and cities under it,” he added.
Soledad said that if they manage to win, they can use the recognition to make Cebu more visible to investors, but pointed out that “being a finalist is already an achievement in itself.”
The other province finalists are Aklan, Bataan, Bulacan, Bohol, Cavite, Davao del Norte, Isabela, La Union, Negros Occidental, Pangasinan, South Cotabato and Tarlac.
Since 2013, the Davide administration has been pushing for its six key development agenda, which include countryside development as well as infrastructure development, tourism, and investment promotion.
Among the many initiatives undertaken by the provincial government to achieve these agenda are the creation of a provincial investments code and the establishment of an investment promotion office; business matching activities with foreign investors; tourism summits; the organization of a MSME development council; human resource training; and the collaboration with the Mega Cebu consortium.
The provincial government has also been a consistent recipient of the Seal of Good Local Governance given by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) as well as the Seal of Good Housekeeping.
Furthermore, Cebu has been recognized for its sustainable approach on ecotourism, with the Bojo River in Aloguinsan having been included in the world’s top 100 ecotourism destinations in the past two years.
The province is also an active partner of various local chambers and other government agencies such as the Department of Trade and Industry and its attached agency, the Board of Investments.
Melanie Ng, president of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), who nominated Cebu for the awards, said they are pleased that the province is among the finalists in this year’s search for the most business-friendly LGUs.
“We are one with the province in promoting economic development and investment promotion,” she said in a text message to CDN.
She said that the best way to attract more investors is to make sure there is ease of doing business and that there is a business-friendly environment that will support the influx of investments.
President Rodrigo Duterte is set to present the awards to winning provinces, cities and municipalities.
The PCCI’s Most Business Friendly Awards reflect the slogan, “what’s good for the country is good for business.”
In a statement, PCCI president George Barcelon earlier lauded the initiatives and partnerships of LGUs and the private sector for undertaking reforms aimed at facilitating the ease of doing business.