MinBizCon kicks off in Dipolog City
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 11:43:00 08/29/2008
Filed Under: Economy, Business & Finance,International (Foreign)Trade
DIPOLOG CITY -- The opening of 17th annual Mindanao Business Conference here Thursday was a strong display of private sector confidence in the face of upheavals that have taken place in parts of the region.
The Zamboanga del Norte Convention Center was packed with representatives of chambers of commerce and other business support organizations from across Mindanao and the rest of the country, including top officials of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).
"Our conference could not have come at a better time," said PCCI president Edgardo Lacson. Referring to the event theme of "making public-private partnership work for Mindanao's economic development," Lacson said, "Let us all be partners in putting areas of conflict in the region back on the path of stability and order."
In his keynote speech, Jon Lindborg, Mission Director of the US Agency for International Development and deputy US Ambassador to the Philippines, noted the "wonderful mosaic of cultures in Mindanao, united under one flag, as Filipinos."
"It is very important for Manila to understand that a peaceful and prosperous Mindanao is good for the rest of the country," he said.
Lindborg visited Mutia National High School, one of 674 schools in conflict-affected areas of Mindanao to which USAID's Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program has provided with computers and broadband Internet access.
Lindborg stressed that "people-to-people" connections are particularly important in Mindanao. He added that in their many visits to the region, Ambassador Kristie Kenney and he had both "seen many more success stories than failures in Mindanao."
The "MinBizCon" serves as a venue for presenting Mindanao investment opportunities, linking businesspeople with investors and buyers, sharing best practices in economic development, and fostering a more competitive business environment.
It also serves as a platform for formulating the region's private sector policy agenda, based on input from regional consultations.
PCCI organized the conference with support from the GEM Program, the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo), and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).
The MinBizCon is being hosted by the Dipolog Chamber, in partnership with the provincial government of Zamboanga del Norte and the city governments of Diplog and Dapitan.
At the opening, Dipolog chamber president Ed Bagarinao thanked all those who supported the MinBizCon, saying, "Your coming over tells the whole world that it is indeed business as usual in Mindanao."
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