Monday, September 01, 2008 Davao cited best region for 'industry clustering'
DAVAO Region has been cited by a University of the Philippines economics expert as the best region in the country for "industry clustering".
UP economics development specialist Jose Tabbada said "the entrepreneurial spirit is very strong in Davao" and contributes to the success of clustering selected industries.
This strategy, according to Tabbada, is used in many developed countries for cutting costs of doing business, sharing facilities and raw materials and enjoying better access to markets.
"There's a very strong entrepreneur culture in Davao," said Tabbada, "that has helped this region grow by leaps and bounds over the years."
Tabadda said he also found this same culture in Cebu that has driven its robust growth but could not find it in the northernmost part of the country "due to the political conditions there."
The UP economics specialist said he is deeply impressed by the all-out support given by such government agencies like the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), city mayors, governors and other important government agencies in the region.
In a presentation before a big group of participants to the daily training workshops of the Davao Industry Cluster Capacity Enhancement Project (Diccep) sponsored jointly by the DTI and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) at the Apo View Hotel here recently, Tabadda also stressed the chances of industry clusters succeeding in the Philippines, is "far greater in Mindanao than in Luzon".
"The entrepreneurial spirit is alive not only in Davao but also in Mindanao," Tabadda said.
Tabadda cited the successful Philippine industry clusters that have grown during the last few years: the vegetable clusters of Northern Luzon, the sardines industry of Dipolog, the food processing industry cluster of Caraga and the furniture industry cluster of Cebu.
In Davao Region, the UP economics professor cited the banana industry cluster, mango industry cluster, seaweeds industry cluster, wood industry cluster, mining industry cluster, ecotourism cluster, ICT industry cluster, as having the "best chances to succeed" in the region than anywhere else in the country.
Trade Undersecretary Merly Cruz said the business upbeat and entrepreneurial spirit of Davao and Mindanao as a whole can be attributed to the right business environment provided by local governments thru mayors and governors, fully supported by government agencies.
"If you go out of your way to make them succeed in their business, they'll surely grow and have nowhere else to go but up," says Cruz.
Jica chief adviser for industrial development Tetsuo Inooka said he finds it very encouraging to find the high level of interest among top managers of Davao industries as well as government agencies in the current training program to develop and strengthen industry clusters in the region.
