Businessmen promote Visayas as best retirement destination

CDN FILE PHOTO / TONEE DESPOJO

VABC also focuses on manufacturing, agribiz and tourism

Around 200 businessmen from the Visayas gathered in Dumaguete City starting yesterday to discuss investment potentials and business opportunities in the retirement sector.

Opportunities in the manufacturing, agribusiness, and tourism sectors were also highlighted during this year’s Visayas Area Business Conference (VABC).

The conference, which opened yesterday in Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental, carries the theme: “Team Visayas: GO S.M.A.R.T. (Sustainable Manufacturing, Agribusiness, Retirement & Tourism).” It is hosted by the Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“We are promoting the entire Visayas as a premier retirement destination,” said conference director Francisco C. Martinez.

Dumaguete, a 3rd class city in Negros Oriental with a population of about 120,000, was named the 5th best retirement destination in the world by Forbes magazine last year. It was cited for “beachfront living on a budget” and for being “among the cheapest places in the world to live, according to the Retire Overseas Index.”

“We’re a small city, with almost everything in walking distance. But we’re big in terms of investment opportunities in the retirement sector and in the BPO (business process outsourcing) sector,” Martinez said.

Jose T. Ng, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) area vice president for the Visayas, said almost all 19 chambers of commerce from Central, Eastern and Western Visayas regions are represented in the conference.

“Based on the discussions and interactions so far, I can look forward to a very fruitful conference,” Ng, who is in Dumaguete, said in a phone interview.

The conference will end today, with the Visayas chambers of commerce passing resolutions on their concerns. The resolutions will be presented during the PCCI conference later this year.

Ng said the conference also focuses on promoting the development of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Before the conference opened yesterday afternoon, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) opened a Go Negosyo Center to provide business registration assistance and advisory services to MSMEs.

As of July 10, the DTI said there are a total of 59 Go Negosyo centers nationwide. Of these, 12 are in the Visayas, 16 in Mindanao and 31 in Luzon.

“By the end of this year, they are targeting to hit 100 Go Negosyo centers all over the country,” Ng said. Most of the centers are based in the DTI regional and provincial offices.

Aside from discussing opportunities in the four sectors, the conference also discussed yesterday the challenges and opportunities in K to 12 implementation, renewable energy as key to energy security and business competitiveness in the Visayas and opportunities in the capital market, among others.