THE Cebu Provincial Government formally launched on Thursday, December 18, 2025, the Cebu International Investments Summit (CIIS) 2026, an invitation-only gathering aimed at repositioning the province from a tourism-led economy toward industry, technology, and large-scale investments and also fasten the recovery and rehabilitation efforts following calamities.
The summit will be held January 12 to 14, 2026, featuring conferences and business-matching sessions expected to draw 200 to 250 investors and speakers, according to Cebu Economic Enterprise focal person Paulo Uy, in a press conference on December 19, 2025, at the Cebu Provincial Capitol.
The launching was also led by global strategist Dr. Brian To and One Tahanan Party-list Representative Nathaniel Oducado.
Positioning, not profit
Uy said participation in the summit will be free of charge but by invitation only, explaining that CIIS is not intended to generate revenue.
“This is not a money-making event,” To said. “This is about attracting investors to Cebu.”
Targeted delegations include investors from South Korea, Singapore, Japan, China, Taiwan, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, markets seen as compatible with Cebu’s infrastructure and industrial plans.
Uy said the province is deliberately shifting away from being primarily tourism-driven toward global business development, citing vulnerabilities exposed by infrastructure gaps and rising costs.
Cebu is being repositioned as: a heavy industry hub, a BPO and information technology center, and a lifestyle and leisure destination with stronger tourism retention strategies.
Key investment concerns identified include power supply, infrastructure, water resources, and technology systems, as well as addressing long standing issues such as bureaucracy, ease of doing business, and political interference.
Traffic congestion and road conditions were cited as major deterrents to investors in terms of tourisms, with Uy pointing to long-term solutions such as the Metro Cebu Expressway and the development of ecozones outside Metro Cebu.
Asked about the industries expected to participate, speakers outlined several focus areas.
To said he is particularly interested in defense-related industries, shipping, data management, and differentiated education.
Oducado said Congress is also looking at opportunities in defense technology, noting its increasing civilian and technological applications, as well as ship recycling, which he said could be tapped amid a decline in global capacity.
The Philippines has ratified international conventions governing ship recycling under the International Maritime Organization
Uy, meanwhile, pointed out the need for LGU-driven economic zones, saying local governments must take a more active role in creating investor-ready areas.
Uy said several sites are being studied for ecozone development, including areas in Argao, subject to site development plans and land-use alignment.
Oducado said legislative coordination with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) will be crucial, while Uy said the importance of aligning ecozones with local Comprehensive Land Use Plans (Clups) of identified LGUs.
Uy also acknowledged that healthcare upgrades across the 16 province-run hospitals remain a work in progress, saying progress has been leveling up despite ongoing efforts.
On agriculture, he said the province is coordinating with national agencies to open government-owned land for development into an agricultural hub, partly to address food security.
Oducado said Cebu could learn from Vietnam and Thailand in industrializing agriculture and pointed to the seaweed industry, where the Philippines is already among the world’s major exporters
While officials expressed confidence that CIIS 2026 would help reposition Cebu, they also acknowledged that investor interest would ultimately depend on how quickly infrastructure, regulatory reforms, and ecozone development materialize after the summit.
Uy said the province is coordinating with national agencies on tax incentives and exemptions, while Oducado said Congress has already put in place policies to ease bureaucratic uncertainty.
Whether these commitments translate into actual investments is expected to be tested well beyond the three-day summit. (EHP)