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Thursday, June 22, 2006
UK firms see potential investment areas in RP
By Jessica B. Natad
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
British companies see opportunities for investments in the Philippines, said British Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Beckingham during the opening of the ICT and tourism business conference and exhibits yesterday.
Beckingham, in his speech during the opening of the InTourPreneur 2006 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, said a business delegation, led by Alderman David Brewer—the Lord Mayor of London—was “left with no doubt about the opportunities for collaboration” in the Philippines after a visit in May.
“Business process out-sourcing and more private sector participation in government initiatives are areas where European companies can help strengthen the Philippine economy,” said Beckingham.
Partnership
He also raised the importance of public and private sector partnership, which is another area of interest to some European companies, apart from business process outsourcing.
“Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have transformed developments like schools, hospitals and military establishments in the United Kingdom, and could do much the same here. British companies are ready to bring their expertise to the Philippines,” he said.
He stressed the importance of public-private sector partnership, which is one of the areas of interest of some European companies aside from business process outsourcing (BPO).
Beckingham lauded the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), organizer of the three-day InTourPreneur Conference, for bringing together the private sector, the go-vernment’s partner in economic development.
The InTourPreneur Conference is one of the highlights of the Cebu Business Month this year.
In the same conference, Smart Communications Inc. president and chief executive officer Napoleon Nazareno and Innove Communications chief operating officer Gil Genio discussed the importance of information and communications technology (ICT) and telecommunications infrastructure, especially broadband, in developing the country’s BPO and tourism industries and the economy in general.
“Tourism and BPOs are businesses that will benefit from broadband aside from education,” Nazareno said.
“The technology is already here. The challenge is how to make businesses and people become aware of the applications of these technology for their own advantage,” Genio said.
Participants to the InTourpreneur may chose from among the conferences, which will be held simultaneously today. The conferences will separately tackle ICT, tourism, franchising, entrepreneurship, and health and wellness.
Briefings
There will also be technology briefings by Mic-rosoft and IBM.
Aside from the conferences, a trade exhibit, participated in by over 150 companies, and ICT job and livelihood fairs are also held during the InTourPreneur.
The trade exhibit is broken down into different segments with the Cebu Provincial Pavilion, which is a showcase of the best of 40 towns and cities in Cebu, as the centerpiece.
At the job and livelihood fairs, there are 30 computers where job seekers can input their resumes. There are also 10 booths by employers and 12 more by institutions that will provide assistance or mentoring on skills development and micro-financing.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (June 22, 2006 issue)
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