BUSINESS and entrepreneurs in the Visayas are urged to remain as agents of change and facilitators of inclusive business development as the region is positioned to continue serving as the country’s beacon of economic transformation.
Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) president Bing Sibal-Limjoco said that Visayas has emerged as one of the development hubs in the Philippines.
This is mainly because of the region’s strong presence as tourism destination, and industrial and service center, Sibal-Limjoco said at the conference proper of the 27th Visayas Area Business Conference and Expo at L’ Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City on Friday.
“The trillion-peso budget of the Duterte administration is not going to imperial Manila but to the regions; thus, this is definitely the right time for all of us to gear up and be ready,” she said, urging businesses and entrepreneurs “to remain committed in eliciting transformative movement in our economy.”
The Visayas Area Business Conference and Expo, which ran from August 29 to 31, is themed “Government and Business Partnering for Growth and Development: Building Capacities and Finding Solutions.”
It gathered representatives of businesses, local government units, and the academe from Western, Central and Eastern Visayas for a three-day seminars, expositions and conferences hosted by the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) and the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental.
Sibal-Limjoco said the activity speaks of the dynamism and collective stewardship that PCCI-Visayas is known for especially in supporting the programs for inclusive development.
She added that the chamber’s mantra is to solicit viable solutions that can support more businesses, especially micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), to thrive through focus advocacy, market support linkages, and direct interaction.
“This is going to be the golden age of infrastructure. With the government’s build, build, build program, the age of SMEs will also come” she said, stressing that continuous growth will happen if digital economy is embraced.