THE Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) is ramping up coordinated rebuilding efforts in areas hit by recent disasters, saying recovery on the ground must move in step with reforms to restore investor confidence.
CCCI president Jay Yuvallos said the chamber has been conducting site assessments, deploying relief assistance and studying targeted interventions to help affected communities and businesses get back on their feet.
“Our role is really to look at how we can help so that people can get back on their rebuilding,” Yuvallos said.
“We already have a task force that continues to review the impact of both the earthquake and the flooding.”
He said the chamber is evaluating specific programs to support reconstruction, adding that CCCI teams rushed to Compostela, Consolacion and other affected areas after the disasters.
But Yuvallos warned that Cebu’s recovery is being complicated by what he described as a “one-two-three punch” to investor sentiment — the earthquake, flooding and ongoing corruption controversies.
“The bigger issue is really corruption because the underlying issue there is governance,” he said. “If governance is shaken, investor confidence goes down. That is where the private sector comes in.”
Yuvallos said the chamber has submitted policy recommendations to the Regional Development Council’s infrastructure committee, calling for stronger master planning, improved transparency in government processes and urgent upgrades to flood-mitigation systems.
He added that while CCCI remains apolitical, it must speak out when governance issues affect businesses and consumers.
“We continue to condemn corruption. Flooding is a business issue because it affects both enterprises and their customers,” he said.
CCCI earlier joined national business groups in publicly denouncing corruption as investigations involving some local officials unfold. / KOC