Wednesday, September 24, 2008 Agri, tourism, ICT players eye city multi-sectoral dev't plan
SOME 40 leaders of private business and industry associations allied with the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII), some city councilors and executives of the Davao City government are now in the thick of preparing a proposed comprehensive development plan for the information, communication technology, agriculture, and tourism sectors in Davao City.
This was learned from DCCCII president Simeon Marfori II, who said that the plan for the city's three strongest sectors is the expected output of participants currently undergoing partnership building training for voluntary business support organizations (VBSOs). It is a chamber project funded by the Philippine-Australia Human Resource Development Facility (PAHRDF).
Conducted by the Center for Environmental Studies and Management (CESM), the training started on September 2 with the orientation of core participants at the Marco Polo Hotel and Component 1 at the Pearl Farm in the Island Garden City of Samal, September 4-5.
The training resumed on September 18 with Component 2 at the Grand Menseng Hotel in actual partnership building with participants guided by coaches for the three sectors.
Component 2 continues Wednesday with City Planning and Development Officer Mario Luis J. Jacinto as main discussant in Session 1 on the comprehensive development for ICT, tourism, and agriculture. He will be assisted by Marcelino P. Escalada, Rizal Giovanni Aportadera, Rocelio Tabay and Ricarte Franco Jr., all city officials representing CPDO, tourism, agriculture and ICT.
Wednesday's sessions in Component 2 will be preceded by an industry forum with no less than Vice Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio as keynote speaker.
After lunch Wednesday, Virgilio L. Pena, former chair of the country's Commission on ICT, will lead the breakout discussion (Session 2) on opportunities for building partnerships in the ICT sector, followed by Session 3 for building partnerships in the agriculture sector with Assistant Secretary Salvador Salacup, ASec for agribusiness and marketing of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
The sessions will also discuss success stories and models on partnership building in agriculture and ICT sectors with the with resource persons and panelists led by Pablito M. Villegas, president and CEO of Advanced Post-Harevest and Mechanization Technology Systems Inc.; Bonifacio D. Belen, president of the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (CEF-IT), Aristeo Portugal, agri sector coach; and Adolfo Canete, agri sector representative.
The tourism sector participants, made busy by the Mindanao Culinary Festival, Sept. 25-27, at The Venue, will have a separate industry forum, according to Flora S, Leocadio, course leader.
Presentation of outputs is scheduled on November 14.
