CACCI offers hand to resolve territorial woes in Asia Pacific

CEBU, Philippines - The Confederation of Asia Pacific Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) has offered help in the current territorial disputes that involve the Asia Pacific region, like the Philippines and the Malaysian governments on Sabah.

This was announced yesterday by CACCI president Ambassador Benedicto V. Yujuico as the two-day 27th CACCI conference, which was attended by close to 500 delegates from 19 countries in Asia-Pacific, closed yesterday.

"Business must be conscious in what is happening politically. It has a very important role to help mitigate or arrest such problems, " Yujico said.

According to Yujuico there are small territorial disputes within the countries around Asia Pacific, but businesses continue to grow despite the situation.

"When the business people of two conflicting countries continue to dialogue, it can help moderate the conflict," said Yujuico.

He said business continues although there are political issues between countries.

CACCI is APEC Asia Pacific organization chambers of commerce and industry represented by 19 countries including the Philippines. It promotes regional cooperation in trade and investments, not only bilaterally, but also multilaterally.

Yujuico said amid the current conflict on the Sabah terrorial issue which affects over one million Filipinos, trade and economy in the two countries are slowly affected.

As the top executives and decision makers conferences ended yesterday,  prime movers in the economic frontline of the Asia Pacific region hopes that political issues, such as that in Sabah, wont affect the economic growth of both countries, the reason why the business community is offering their hands to help mitigate, if not shorten the dispute timeline.

In a press conference yesterday, which was also attended by CACCI official from Malaysia, Dato' Ghazali Dato' Yusoff, Yujuico emphasized that the territorial disputes have deeper roots, business organization in the region can help mitigate the problem through constant dialogue.

Aside from the conflict of the Philippines and the Malaysian governments where the Sultan of Sulu claims ownership, not sovereignty, over a huge tract of land in Sabah resulting to the loss of lives of innocent people, he also made mention of the long term dispute between China and Japan.

"We can leave to the government the strategies to resolve any issue, however, the business community is very much willing to assist government if asked to help arrest the conflict," Yujuico stressed. (FREEMAN)