Mindanao’s business community: coming together, moving forward

Congratulations to all the Mindanao based chambers of commerce and industry that attended the 48th Philippine Business Conference hosted by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) at the historic Manila Hotel. Led by PCCI Vice President for Mindanao Arturo Milan and PCCI BIMP EAGA chair Joji Ilagan Bian was the signing of an agreement between the organization and the Mindanao Development Authority (MINDA) led by Secretary Mabel Sunga Acosta.카지노사이트

Congratulations as well to the Iligan City, Bislig City, Surigao and Dinagat Provincial Chambers of Commerce and Industry for bagging Most Outstanding Chambers Awards in their respective categories. Tandag City, Cagayan de Oro City, General Santos City, Davao City Chambers of Commerce and Industry also received special citations.

The significance of this face-to-face annual gathering after two years of online meetings is that the interaction is much more substantive and hence, hopeful and fruitful. The new normal demands that things get done more quickly, as the road to recovery is fraught with disruptions that threaten to push back against gains made in the post pandemic economic surge.

That said, there are a few things that I believe the Mindanao business community can take stock of and perhaps push as we approach the end of 2022 and look forward to the next year. The interactions of last week and the last two months of the year ought to inspire us to once again collaborate and be bold in our forward thinking, and think big for Mindanao as we enter the future as the country’s second largest economy. Here are some thoughts:

First, let’s leverage on our natural resources by pushing manufacturing, as I wrote last week. This includes minerals for steel and cement and forest products for renewable wood sources. and agricultural produce. The reason for this is that majority of our poor residents have initial skills available to create livelihoods out of these materials. This is what many of them do for a living. We can start where they are and upskill based on these available skillsets. This is where our education sector with the help of the Technical Skills Development Authority can come in for training more Mindanao residents for skilled work in manufacturing.바카라사이트

Second, push to lower the cost of transport and logistics. This will allow Filipinos in the Visayas and Mindanao access to the food we produce, which constitutes more than a third of the country’s production, and, which we can provide even when typhoon season hits the rest of the country.
Both increased manufacturing and cheaper transport costs will spur demand for Mindanao’s farm and resource products.

Third, we can make BIMP EAGA into a robust regional trading platform for our products to enter not only the immediate market, but larger global supply chains that can use much of our products. The last 30 years have seen the ASEAN economic community blossom from the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) to the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATiGA) which has removed tariff barriers and the ASEAN Trade in Services Agreement (ATISA), which to my mind now constitutes the basis of a more robust ASEAN Economic community than it was in the early 90s when BIMP EAGA was first conceived. The benefits of these agreements can be realized if more frequent shipping from Mindanao to Malaysia and Indonesia is realized, making us a platform for expanded trade.

Combined with a more stable peace situation in recent years and improved infrastructure, we are at a golden moment where the mentioned initiatives will build the strong Mindanao economy of the future! 온라인카지노