Delegates from various business groups in the Visayas will gather on July 16-17 here in Dumaguete for the 24th Philippine Chamber of Commerce & Industry – Visayas Area Business Conference.
This annual event is hosted by the Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce & Industry, as part of its 25th founding anniversary celebration.
Around 200 Visayan businessmen, entrepreneurs, investors, and top government officials from four regions are expected to attend the conference.
The four regions are: Region 6 Western Visayas, Region 7 Central Visayas, Region 8 Eastern Visayas, and Region 18, the newly-created Negros Island Region.
PCCI President Ambassador Alfredo Yao, chairman emeritus Miguel Varela, and Ambassador Donald Dee are among the top PCCI officers who are scheduled to attend the event.
NOCCI President Edward Du said Negros Oriental and the other Visayas provinces will highlight the various investment potentials and business opportunities in the area of tourism, retirement, agri-business, ecozones, ICT/business process outsourcing, food processing, renewable energy, and Micro Small-Medium Enterprise development.
The theme for this year’s VABC is Team Visayas: GO SMART (Gearing-up on Sustainable Manufacturing, Agribusiness, Retirement & Tourism.
Sen. Cynthia Villar, chair on the Committee on Agriculture and Food, will be the keynote speaker during the opening ceremony on July 16, Thursday afternoon.
This year’s VABC boasts of a battery of distinguished speakers and resource persons. Cong. Rolman Romulo, House committee chair on Higher & Technical Education, will speak on the K-12 Implementation Challenges and Opportunities.
Federico Lopez, chair of the Energy Development Corp. will speak on Renewable Energy as Key to Energy Security and Business Competitiveness.
Elmer Pascual of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority will speak on Special Economic Zones for MSMEs as Key to MSME Growth and Development.
Atty. Roel Refran, CEO of the Philippine Stock Exchange, will talk about the Emerging Opportunities in the Philippine Capital Market.
Atty. Allan Gepty of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines will talk about How to Develop, Promote and Protect Local Brands.
Dumaguete City Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria will also share the City’s Best Practices in Septage Management which won for Dumaguete the 2013 Galing Pook Award for LGU Best Practices.
Dr. Ramon Alampay, program manager of the Local Governance Support Program for Local Economic Development, will speak on Tourism Business Opportunities and Development in the Visayas.
Meanwhile, Du announced that the NOCCI will also host the Negros Island Trade Exhibit from July 15 to 19 at Robinsons Mall.
The trade fair is a collaborative project of the Department of Trade & Industry, Department of Science & Technology, and the Department of Agrarian Reform, in celebration of MSME Week, Science & Technology Week, and the 27th CARP anniversary.
The Negros Island Trade Fair will showcase all locally-manufactured and processed food products of Negros Island under the Negros Island Region.
Another highlight of this year’s VABC is the launching and formal opening of the Dumaguete Go Negosyo Center at the DTI Provincial Office by Sen. Bam Aquino, chair of Trade & Commerce.
On the opening day of the VABC, there will be a half-day Business Process Outsourcing forum on Skills Gap: Helping Schools Bridge IT, organized by ICT Dumaguete, in partnership with NOCCI, to be attended by all BPO companies and schools operating in Dumaguete.
On Day 2 of the Conference, there will be a rubber investment opportunity forum to be attended by all prospective investors and stakeholders in the rubber industry under the 2015 full ASEAN economic integration.
During the fellowship/gala night, the NOCCI and the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce & Industry will sign a Sister Chamber Agreement under the Negros Island Region.
Both the NOCCI and MBCCI have been strong supporters of the move to create what is now called Region 18.
A delegation of businessmen and top government officials from Negros Occidental, led by Gov. Alfredo Maranon, is expected to witness the formal signing ceremonies in celebration of their 20-year old dream of a Negros Island Region.
Du said the output of this year’s VABC will be submitted by each of the 17 chambers of commerce all over the Visayas.
The VABC resolutions will then be taken up and endorsed to the annual PCCI Philippine Business Conference in October for approval by President Aquino. (PR)
