Gov urges youth, women to lead development

CEBU, Philippines - The crowd cheered in response to Governor Gwendolyn Garcia’s strong message in yesterday’s 1st Regional Conference of the Council of Management Educators and Practitioners where the governor highlighted her experience as the first lady governor in the oldest province in the country.

Around 2,500 teachers and students from business management and marketing schools in Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor and Negros Oriental, converged yesterday at the Cebu International Convention Center where Governor Garcia was the keynote speaker.

Garcia shared that there were many cynic criticisms when she won as the first lady governor of the province including one which said it would be a ‘gloomy’ future for Cebu.

But Garcia said she never took it to mind since she already knew what she wanted to happen under her term which has been proven with the number of developments and projects under her administration.  With this, Garcia urged the youth, especially the women, to take lead for the development of their industry which is a ‘boundless world.’

She said that even with the developments that has transpired in Cebu for the past years that have put the whole province in the map, there is still big room for progress with the help of the students and the business practitioners.

“Persistence and creativity,” Garcia said, are among the most important keys for success which she saw in many of the students seeking careers in the business industry. She said that this is evident through the “Obra Negosyo Eskwela,” which is a project of the Governor, the academe and the private sector, which aims to expose the students to the ‘real world’ where they learn how to maintain and develop a business.

The program also made it possible for students to help micro-entrepreneurs in the province expand their source of income.

Mari Corazon Joven, a business administration student who majors in marketing from the University of San Carlos, said she believes in the message of the governor regarding women empowerment since there are qualities that make one powerful especially in the business sector.Joven explained that women are usually keener on details and have the eye to detect big things from the small things which she said is vital in business.

Rickfel Cayon of Southwestern University said he is eager to graduate and be able to practice his chosen career since the business industry in Cebu is continually booming.

“More companies are investing here, especially the big names in the country which makes it good for business.” — (FREEMAN)