LOCAL government units (LGUs) in Pampanga must play the long-term game and be more strategic, according to a top businessman in the province.
Jess Nicdao, president of the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PamCham), said that local government units must shift their gear to longer and more strategic plans to maximize the influx of investments in the province.
"Our LGUs must leave the old practice behind and take a new tack in luring investors to their localities," he said during a forum with members of the Capampangan in Media, Inc. (CAMI) at the Bale-Balita in Clark Freeport over the weekend.
Nicdao noted that LGUs are used to having shorter plans that are usually abandoned when a new mayor is elected.
"There is no continuity so investors are less confident in dealing with the LGUs,” he said.
He said the LGU plan must include infrastructure and traffic management.
"Local officials must able to project what's going to happen and what's going to be needed, say five to ten years from now," he said.
Nicdao noted that there is an influx of investments in the countryside which must be taken advantage of by local governments to boost local employment and uplift the standard of living.
He also urged local officials to tailor their plans according to the Megalopolis Plan of Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, which is based on the local products and resources of every town in every district of Pampanga.
"It's based on a masterplan commissioned by the provincial government and is a very good one," Nicdao said.
Meanwhile, Nicdao said he is in favor of reviewing the draft Constitution to provide safety features on the economy before any shift on federalism is made as pointed by business leaders and economic managers.
"We're safe that way," he said.
Nicdao, who is on his second term as PamCham president, bared that the chamber has already pushed for several projects in line with further promoting Pampanga as an investors’ destination.
“Under the leadership of PamCham chairman emeritus Levy [Laus], we’ll continue this advocacy,” Nicdao said. (NCS)