Cebu joining the IT expo in Hong Kong

Hong Kong: I’m now attending the Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s (HKTDC) International ICT (Information, Communication Technology) Expo at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre with a bonus alongside it, the Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition), which brings together the worlds’ leading information technology suppliers and software applications and developers. We’re here manning the booth of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (CCCI), not just to meet with potential investors, but also to promote the C.E.B.U. ICT 2009 International Conference and Exhibit that brings together all industry stakeholders in Cebu!

Wait! You must be wondering what am I doing here, doing the work of the Cebu Chamber. Indeed, I’ve been there and done that as far as helping the Cebu Chamber, being its vice-president in 1986. But since we are constructing our I.T. Building in Mango Ave. we have to know more about the I.T. Industry and why Cebu has become one of the major players, especially in Business Process Outsourcing. This is why I’m with Mr. Boni Belen of CEDFIT, Jerry Rapes of G2iX and my brother Rene until Friday.

We’re all on one big island booth together with the Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA) and the Business Process Outsourcing Association of the Philippine (BPOAP). As a journalist, it is of great importance that we get hands-on taste of the global I.T. competition as this is the new global industry that every nation wants to be a part of. Our participation virtually represents private sector initiative in the Philippines. 

Right across our booth is the huge block of the Guanzhou-China Service Outsourcing Pilot City. The Canadian and South Australian governments also have a booth here. We in the Philippines are very much on our own, with the private sector making things happen for Cebu and because of the pioneering efforts of people like Boni Belen. Thanks of course to the Cebu Investment Promotion Center (CIPC) Cebu has now become a serious destination for I.T. business. I cannot imagine if no one from the Philippines were here; it would mean we’re not on the I.T. radar screen! So even if we’re a small contingent, at least we can hold our own especially when it comes to queries about investing in Cebu.

Already we’ve been approached by Mr. Long Fang, CEO of the Sofmit Group from Chengdu, China, who showed a keen interest on Cebu. He even invited us to a sumptuous lunch and plans to visit Cebu as early as next week. Chengdu is also into the BPO business, but Mr. Fang admits that we are superior in voice, which means call centers, while everyone else in the world can do data processing.

This Hong Kong expo has everything about I.T. from computers and peripherals, storage technologies, IT Security, Digitainment and Multimedia, E-logistics and Retail Technologies, IT Outsourcing, Network and Mobility, Enterprise Solutions and Trade Related Services, like printing brochures for conventions such as this one. Some of the people I have talked to who have been attending the previous exhibitions tell me that this expo is a bit slower than the previous ones because of the global crisis. But then there are others who say that now is the right time to get things done, like invest in Cebu so that when this crisis blows over, they’d be ahead of the pack!

Despite the global economic crisis, all our competitors - the Chinese, Singaporeans, Australians Malaysian and Indians are in this expo and call us “smart” that we are manning the fort for Cebu and the Philippines. This is akin to lying on a railroad track so you’ll get run over by an oncoming train. If we want Cebu to really compete with the rest of the world in the I.T, Industry, then we must aggressively promote Cebu because our local governments are not doing this, except through the CIPC.

The last time I was here in Hong Kong was during the CINEASIA film expo. Back then I felt that the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre was built very well. Today, it is in the process of renovating parts of the HK Convention Centre because the Hong Kong government always wants this place to be ahead of everyone. After all, they also host many other conventions like a boat exhibition, food exhibit, book fair and so many more.

Whenever I’m in an international convention, I always say to myself that Gov. Gwen F. Garcia did the right thing in building the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) in Mandaue City, even if compared to the Hong Kong Convention Centre, it is miniscule in size. But it is a step in the right direction. What we need are more international and domestic conventions in order to generate more interest in investing in Cebu.

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