Monday, June 02, 2008 Mongaya: Business-friendly Cebu By Anol Mongaya Panahom
THE three cities in Cebu topped a survey of being most conducive to business in the country despite the series of killings and political bickering among local leaders. One cannot question the people who conducted the survey–the Asian Institute of Management in partnership with the governments of Canada and Australia, the International Finance Corp. and the World Bank, and the Department of Trade and Industry. The mayors of Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu City and Mandaue City must be elated by the news.
Overall, Cebu City came in fourth and Mandaue City settled for sixth.
With the problems he is facing with the South Road Properties and criticisms hurled by possible mayoral wannabe Winston Garcia, Mayor Tomas Osmeña has definitely inched closer to his promise of making Cebu number one.
Mayor Jonas Cortes is also reaping the benefits of projects started by his predecessor Teddy Ouano like the Mandaue Reclamation Project.
But beleaguered Mayor Boy Radaza has the most reason to celebrate than Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Mayor Jonas Cortes. Lapu-Lapu City ranked first in being the cheapest to start a business, second in least procedures to start a business, and sixth in the least number of days to start a business. Overall, the city placed second.
Expect Lapu-Lapu City to seize this survey as proof of Mayor Radaza’s upbeat performance in attracting investors. He might even use this in his protracted war with businessman Efrain Pelaez.
But I think it would be best for Cebu if Radaza takes the high ground and focus on attracting new investors and not be bogged down by his quarrel with Pelaez and company.
After all, the survey demolishes criticisms hurled by the group led by Pelaez. To recall, Lapu-Lapu City Hall went after Pelaez for alleged non-payment of taxes. However, the businessman cried harassment and foisted the perception that it is difficult to do business in Lapu-Lapu City.
Maybe, Pelaez finds it difficult dealing with a mayor who wants him to pay business taxes. Maybe, he preferred the kind of relationship he had with the late mayor Ernest Weigel Jr. who allegedly gave him favors because they were business partners in secret.
The slain lawyer Richard Sison dug up this information about the secret Pelaez-Weigel relationship. He further convinced the Weigel widow and son to come out and testify about this.
Nonetheless, we should leave speculation on who killed Sison to the police and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) as we move forward.
Law enforcers, on the other hand, need to do more and stop allowing Cebu to continue as the place where vigilantes and professional assassins make their kills. Let us not wait for the crime situation to pull down Cebu’s ranks in future business-friendly surveys.
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Friends and readers called to say their piece about the sorry experience they had with the budget airline Cebu Pacific. One bound for abroad here in Mactan, for instance, had her flight cancelled without advance notice. She had to take another flight in Manila. Another also got bumped off unceremoniously.
Curiously, a Cebu Pacific official recently invited Sun.Star Cebu columnists for lunch. It would have been better if they fix the delivery of services and make amends with the airline’s multitude of victims first.
It seems the company is not only calloused in dealing with complaints. It also has PR practitioners who have no relations at all with media. The airline might as well dismiss their PR people and use the savings to fix their inability to deliver services.
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With the prices of fuel, rice and tuition going up fast, the implementation of the cheaper medicines bill would be good news. The bill, which was championed by Sen. Mar Roxas, is reportedly waiting for the signature of President Arroyo.
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Was there discrimination against the gay who had a canister inserted in his anus when Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center personnel removed it with much fanfare? I think the reaction would have been similar if he was a real man or woman.
(Check out my blog “In Between Columns” at anol.blogs.friendster.com/anols_blog/)
