ANY big-ticket investor in Cebu City goes through Joel Mari Yu who has been designated as the city government’s consultant to the Cebu Economic Business Unit (CEBU) formed in 2016. A well-versed man in the local business scene, Yu was instrumental in the formative years of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry in Cebu through the Cebu Investment Promotions Center (CIPC).
Now, as economic consultant to the Cebu City government, Yu pledged that he would push for digitalization of government documents inside the Cebu City Hall such as t online processing of cedula, and application or renewal of business permits, among others.
“There is a vey great need for digitalization in the public sector...In the public sector, there is very little or nothing that is done digitally, and that is a cause for alarm,” said Yu in a press conference for SlingShotPH Cebu 2017 Conference last July 25.
He recommended a book from Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign affairs columnist Thomas L. Friedman that is a must-read for government officials as well as those in business that speak about the value of change and innovation in this age and time-“Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide To Thriving In The Age of Accelerations.”
In this New York Times Best Seller, the author reflects on the age of acceleration and how people live it. It elaborates the advancements in technology, today’s new riches as well the spiraling debt burdens, and the worsening state of the environment. In the end, Friedman concludes that nations and individuals must learn to be “fast” which means being innovative and quick to adapt, “fair” or being prepared to help the casualties of change. Nevertheless, it also emphasized the value of doing some other things “slowly” by shutting out the noise and accessing one’s deepest values. (JOG)