Donato Busa, president of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry, talks with reporters about his plans.(CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
The new leadership of Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) has broached the idea of requiring all businessmen in Mandaue to join the chamber in a bid to build stronger synergy between the government and the private sector.
Donato Busa, newly elected chamber president, said he envisions the chamber to become bigger and more active during his term.
He also aims to achieve stronger cooperation between the business sector and the government, especially in pursuing projects that will benefit the city.
Busa said Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes is receptive to his suggestion to enact an ordinance requiring chamber membership for all businessmen.
“I want the businessmen to synergize. I want them to be able to talk to and unite with MCCI,” he told reporters.
He said this would strengthen the relationship between the public and private sectors because the businessmen may be more willing to cooperate with government initiatives if they can see other companies doing the same thing.
“If the government tells you to do something, it might sound like you have a knife at your back, because you have to do it. But if it’s MCCI, if they (businesses) are attached to MCCI, we can say: ‘Hey, come here, let’s do this.’ And it will be like peer pressure because you see people in your sector doing it,” he said.
Busa said he aims to increase the chamber’s membership, which will reach 300 by August with the induction into office of 50 new members.
The chamber only had 25 members in 2004.
“There are still many businessmen not in the fold,” Busa said. The chamber will also push for more infrastructure projects and support government efforts to craft a land use plan.
“The mayor asked for our suggestions and comments on the project,” Busa said.
Among the infrastructure projects being planned is a coastal highway from the Cebu Port to Liloan to be used exclusively by trucks, he added.
The chamber will celebrate Mandaue Business Month on selected dates from August 1 to October 23 with the theme “Celebrating the Game Changers.”
The chamber is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
To kick off the celebration, chamber members joined partners and sponsors in a human formation of the number 50 at the Ateneo de Cebu grounds last Saturday.