Cebu businessmen gear up for Canada trade mission

Felix O. Tiukinhoy Jr., Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines-Cebu president, discusses the group’s plans during a briefing at the Cebu City Marriott Hotel.
(CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

THE Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (CanCham) in Cebu hopes to make local products more prominent in the Canadian market by forming direct links between Cebuano entrepreneurs and businessmen there.

CanCham-Cebu President Felix Tiukinhoy Jr. said they will be sending a team to Canada for a 10-day trade mission in August.

“The trade mission will be for different categories, such as food and other business sectors, to look for partners to invest in Cebu,” he said in an interview during CanCham’s celebration of the 149th Canada Day in Cebu last week.

This will be the first trade mission this year and second one since 2015, Tiukinhoy added.

As part of the celebration of Canada Day, CanCham organized a two-day mini-trade fair at the Ayala Center Cebu in Cebu City to support and promote Canadian-Philippine business interests.

Tiukinhoy, president and chairman of Cebu-based Virginia Foods Inc. (VFI), said Canadian companies can always invest in the tourism and manufacturing sectors in Cebu.

With the current administration’s thrust for tourism, agriculture, and manufacturing, Tiukinhoy said he is optimistic more Canadian investors will put their money in these areas.

The chapter president’s optimism is also anchored on the strong bilateral relations between the Philippines and Canada.

Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines Neil Reeder, on the other hand, said he looks forward to working with the new government.

In a speech during a networking reception between Canadian investors and local entrepreneurs, Reeder said he hopes the engagements entered into between Canada and the Philippines will continue apace with President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.

“Our focus is on expanding on trade with large, fast-growing markets like the Philippines, and a targeted strategy to promote trade and investment with emerging markets,” he said.