Thursday, January 08, 2009 More opportunities seen for ICT, tourism sectors in 2009 By Joy Romares-Sevilla
THE top official of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII) said Wednesday that the information and communications technology (ICT) and the tourism sectors have a large opportunity to get a boost this year.
In Wednesday's edition of the Club 888 press forum at the Marco Polo Davao, Simeon Marfori II, DCCCII re-elected president, told reporters that tourism industry, particularly the management of retirement villages, will continue to grow until 2010, saying that foreigners would likely consider the type of weather the country has.
"Westeners would likely prefer to stay here with the kind of weather that we have. Retirees could not afford to stay in places with cold climate," Marfori said.
He added that ICT sector has also a big opportunity to grow with the proper coordination from the public and private sectors.
"We only need to push harder so that investors (for the ICT) will come here," Marfori said.
Earlier, Councilor Peter Laviña, City Council committee chair on trade and industry, said that ICT has a bright prospect this year considering that companies abroad will downscale their staff and might outsource some of their works.
Davao City is considered an ICT/BPO destination because of the cheaper outsourcing cost compared with other cities in the Philippines, not to mention the city's huge pool of human resources from about 42 colleges and universities, which can produce qualified BPO workers and staff.
Marfori, on the other hand, said the slowing down of the economy this year is anticipated as a result of the global financial crisis. However, he said Davao City will continue to grow.
"We will continue to grow, but not at the pace we experienced in 2008," he said. "Among industries that will be affected this year are the manufacture of durable goods, such as cars, appliances, and electronics; retail goods that are non-food; and the least affected will be the food (since everybody needs it)."
Meanwhile, Marfori said DCCCII will still continue with its advocacies this year and will intensify the implementation of its programs.
"We believe that Davao City will be better than other cities in the country this year because we are not a very export-dependent economy," he said.
Marfori concluded that DCCCII has a very good board to focus on the things that the city needs to do to sustain, if not to further develop, the growth of the local economy.
