A REPRESENTATIVE of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines will be meeting the officials of the Bacolod-Negros Occidental Federation for Information and Communications Technology (BNEFIT) for possible collaboration.
BNEFIT president John Dave Dueñas confirmed this and said that the Canadian chamber, through the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP), requested for a meeting with ICT council-members in the country.
For BNEFIT, it is scheduled in Bacolod City on Tuesday, January 8. The meetings with other ICT councils in Cebu, Davao, and Iloilo are set this week.
Dueñas said the meeting with ICT councils is relative to an outbound trade mission and current ICT awards of the chamber.
The Canadian group, which is composed of the chamber of commerce and their delegation of companies, explores the possibility of collaboration which will serve both the Canadian and Philippine markets.
During the meeting, BNEFIT will be presenting “Beyond the Smiles of Bacolod” an ICT Industry outlook for the next five years including its current status.
“The city is more than the sweetest smile and that our city is at par with the international standard to attract investors,” Dueñas said.
For the local council, the meeting is a strong indication that Bacolod City has ripened as a location for foreign investors to be attractive especially those in the ICT industry.
This is a product of the strong collaboration of government agencies, academe, and the private institutions, it said.
Also, Dueñas said the visit of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines will open more opportunities for Bacoleños and Negrenses in terms of employment.
Dueñas said it will send a firm message that the city has a trajectory for the sustained growth of its ICT industry, a positive result from a supportive community.
“Bacolod's status as a business-friendly city being awarded by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry is positively contributing to this development,” he said, adding that “we will be invited to sell Bacolod in Canada.”