Saturday, August 16, 2008 Guv asks Visayas business leaders to support partnership with gov’t
“GOVERNANCE would be empty without a meaningful partnership with the private sector,” said Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia in a business forum yesterday.
Garcia said that unity and active partnership between the business sectors and local government units (LGUs) empowered Cebu Province and made it survive and even flourish amid the most uncertain times.
“It is here, in dialogue, in partnership, that we realize our connectedness, our common concerns and our shared future, and work together to find solutions that make an impact on our community,” she told business leaders.
Conference
Garcia was a guest speaker of the 17th Visayas Business Conference at the Cebu International Convention Center in Mandaue City.
The governor said she was always eager to listen to stakeholders in a business forum while discussing common concerns and outlook for the future.
“I have always believed that we in the government should take an active part in this dialogue,” said Garcia.
The governor said that policy and its implementation should always begin “with ears to the ground.”
Partnership
“For the past years, we, in the Province of Cebu, have mined, with greatest success, this public-private sector partnership in many meaningful ways,” she said.
Garcia said that the conference will determine the direction of the Province’s need for business growth.
“We get together often, to take stock of where we are, and to reach a consensus on where we are going. We have institutionalized this partnership through councils that bring together stakeholders and key players in the private sectors and in the government so that Cebu may move in one direction, faster,” said Garcia.
Likewise, the governor underscored Capitol’s effort in bridging the countryside and public schools through digital solutions.
Partnership of the Province and business sector moved to “greater heights” despite the hard times besetting the province this year.
She acknowledged the “invaluable service” of the Mandaue City Chamber of Commerce, particularly in the hosting of the conference.
“Our movers and shakers in the Cebu economy will help prepare the underground economy for the world,” she said.
For his part, Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama stressed the importance of the business forum for Cebu, adding that Cebuanos would always be one in spirit, mind and heart.
Mandaue City Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna agreed, saying he was optimistic that the business forum will bring “fruitful” results not just in Cebu but in the entire Visayas. (GMD)
