While we live in what many would describe as a laid-back environment, we in Dumaguete and Negros Oriental are able to stand comfortably on our own with the rest of the world.
We take pride in many things that put us on stage with the world’s best. We have world-class talents, world-class destinations, and world-class people.
The latest source of pride for us Negrenses is the award given to the Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce & Industry Inc. as the Best Chamber in Asia and the Pacific.
This award was given on Thursday in Taipei, Taiwan by the Confederation of Chambers of Commerce in Asia and the Pacific during its 50th anniversary celebration.
Serving as the voice of the business community in the Province, the NOCCI was cited for its many advocacies in local governance, the academe, agriculture, trade and industry, as well as for promoting a healthy and dynamic business atmosphere in the community.
Under the able leadership of President Edward Du, backed by a team of professional managers led by Executive Director John Jalandoni, the NOCCI has won numerous awards prior to last week’s honor, which included a back-to-back distinction of being the Most Outstanding Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines for 2015 and 2016.
Indeed, this organization has gone a long way since its humble beginnings with the Department of Trade & Indutry in 1991, with the visionary zeal of 25 businessmen headed by Ernesto C. Quiamco, now NOCCI’s president emeritus.
As most of the businesses in Negros Oriental are now run by their founders’ children or grandchildren, this latest achievement of NOCCI should serve as an inspiration to our local business leaders to continue thinking and involving the welfare of the community in their business decisions, to have a positive impact on its growth and development.
By being relevant to the community it serves, our very own local Chamber in Negros Oriental has shown the way forward for the business sector not only in the Philippines, but the rest of Asia and the Pacific.
