A SIX-member delegation composed of officers of the Thailand Board of Investments and Bolliger & Company (Thailand) Limited were in Cebu last month to explore business opportunities.
The Thai team met with the officials of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) to discuss potential opportunities, particularly in agro-processing and food industry as well as the business guidelines for investments in Cebu.
“They were here for data gathering. Specifically they were here to understand how Thai businessmen can do business or invest in Cebu,” said Nimrod Quiñones, vice-president for membership in a press briefing yesterday.
According to CCCI president Melanie Ng, the Thai delegation’s recent visit to Cebu is one of the positive impacts brought about by the full integration of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) economies.
She said that because of the integration, ASEAN-member companies are starting to go out of their usual markets to reach out to areas where they have no strong foothold yet to corner a good share of the 600-million ASEAN population.
The Thai delegation that came to Cebu in the past, according to Ng, only mounted trade fairs. She said that while they came, sold and left, consumers were left hanging.
“After the trade fair people were looking for their products and it did not prosper because there was no linkage,” she said. “This time, we suggested that a business matching should be done,” Ng added.
The CCCI president said Cebu can learn from Thai’s technology while Thailand can learn about Cebu’s natural resources. She also disclosed that a mini-Thai week will be mounted in Cebu on June 16 to 19 in SM Cebu, which will potentially have a business-to-business matching event.
Bilateral trade between Thailand and the Philippines has reached more than $5 billion annually in recent years. Thailand was the Philippines’ eighth largest trading partner in 2014.
The Philippines, on the other hand, is Thailand’s sixth largest trading partner in the ASEAN and the 18th in the world.
Rice, food, garments and automotive parts were among the country’s top imports from Thailand.
With its goal to be the engine of Cebu’s business growth towards global competitiveness, the CCCI adopted a tagline that would exemplify its role and function in Cebu’s business landscape – “Bringing business to the next level.”
This was one of the results of the successful strategic planning conducted by the new set of CCCI’s board of trustees last month under the Ng’s leadership.
CCCI trustees formulated four major strategic thrusts to focus on for the next two years. The first thrust is “To open more doors and come up with the most effective and efficient communication system that is relevant to the members and the business community.” This can be realized by using the appropriate communication strategy to effectively convey the message to and from key individuals, groups and members.
They also want “to represent business by closely working with government to improve competitiveness, sustainability and prosperity of business.” This can be attained by bringing the CCCI agenda forward in various regular and special bodies the chamber sits in while engaging the trustees and members in programs where they can contribute their expertise, perspectives and combined wisdom.
The third thrust is “to help business go to the next level.” This can be achieved through the continued mentoring and coaching of chamber members tailor fit to support its level of business development – may it be startup, growing, established or expanding companies.
The fourth thrust is “to enhance the organizational capability of the leadership team driven by shared values, vision, passion and collaboration.” This can be accomplished by conducting teambuilding and benchmarking activities, continued strategic thinking sessions and staff capability enhancement.
The strategic planning was facilitated by new chamber member Padma Mangharam Siap to determine the priorities of the chamber to make it more relevant to its members and to Cebu’s business community.
Meanwhile, Sun Life of Canada (Philippines), Inc. announced its support for the Cebu Business Month, the flagship project of the CCCI, which aims to inspire, promote, and grow Cebu business.
“Local businesses boost the economy in many ways – from increasing employment to making use of locally-produced goods. And when the economy is doing well, then there are more opportunities for Filipinos to take part in the country’s growth story when they invest their hard-earned money,” said Sun Life sales territory head for Manila 1 and Visayas Armand Santos. “This is why Sun Life not only supports local businesses, but also champions financial literacy – because it is when Filipinos know how to manage their money that they are able to build their brighter future.”
Happening this June, the Cebu Business Month activities that Sun Life will be supporting are the Business-in-Golf Tournament, 4th Run for the Rivers, Entrepreneurship Technology & Innovation Expo, and the Grand Chamber Awards Night.
According to Santos, Sun Life will also do its part in helping boost Cebu business. “We are set to open more sales offices here in Cebu, and are actively inviting Cebuanos to explore becoming a financial advisor as their very own business, so to speak,” he shared. “Our financial literacy initiatives will also continue so that we could help more Cebuanos better understand how to manage their money and ultimately achieve financial freedom.”
Sun Life new business manager Pete Gonzales echoed Santos’ sentiments, expressing optimism about the bright prospects in Cebu this 2016. “We have seen more Cebuanos joining us as financial advisors. The growth in our manpower extended our reach in the area and has contributed in helping us get more people to start their journeys towards a brighter future,” he said. With PR