Cebu a finalist in national awards

 CEBU, Philippines - Cebu is one of the seven finalists in the 2012 Most Business-Friendly LGU Awards for Province.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia presented the different practices that Cebu Provincial Government initiated during the final judging early today, September 27, at the Commerce and Industry Plaza in Taguig City.

For the last 10 years, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) conducted a research to recognize cities, municipalities and provinces that demonstrated outstanding efforts in promoting trade investments in their localities.

PCCI will base the award in five areas. These are Trade, Investments, and Tourism Promotions; Public-Private Sector Partnership; MSME Development; Quality Management System, Innovations, and Human Resources Development; and Inter-Local Government Relations.

 Garcia shared the programs that she initiated in her first term as governor, one of which is the Suroy Suroy Sugbo, a tourism program that brings tourists to the countryside. 

The Cebu Provincial Government had embarked on programs with the help of the private sectors. Among these programs were the Expanded Green and Wholesome Environment that Nurtures or eGwen Our Cebu program and the Obra Negosyo Eskwela Countryside Enterprise Business Upliftment (ONE CEBU).

 “I do believe that our partnerships with the private sectors as well as these innovative programs have positively impacted the lives of our people,” Garcia said.

Another program that Garcia shared in the final judging was the Service with a Smile, a program patterned after that of the Shangri-La Mactan Island Resort & Spa intended to improve the way the Capitol employees deal with the general public.

Garcia also shared the innovative build, transfer and operate agreement between the Province of Cebu and Filinvest Land Incorporated for a multi-billion peso commercial facility, a BPO complex in a province-owned lot in Lahug, Cebu City.

Through the different programs of the Provincial Government in the field of tourism, infrastructure and the other programs in partnership with the private sector, job opportunities will be opened in Cebu.

The other six finalist-provinces are the provinces of Tarlac, Pangasinan, La Union, Isabela and the two sister-provinces of Cebu, the Provinces of Ilocos Norte and South Cotabato.

President Benigno Aquino III will hand over the 2012 Most Business-Friendly LGU Award to the winning province this coming October 11 as the highlight of the 38th Philippine Business Conference and Expo. –/FPL (FREEMAN)