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ICYMI: PCCI Board of Directors headed by President George T. Barcelon with Honorable. Senator Cynthia A. Villar during the 2nd Legislative Talks: New Agrarian Emancipation Act

PCCI Board with Honorable. Senator Cynthia A. Villar

Indonesia President Joko Widodo graces chambers' meet

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National Grid Corporation of the Philippines 

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2024 Taiwan International Tradeshows
Feb to Dec Schedule

2024 Taiwan International Tradeshows

The 33rd Visayas Area Business Conference (33 rd VABC) is slated on July 25-26, 2024 in
Iloilo City. Join us as we gather industry leaders, policymakers, and entrepreneurs from
across the region for dynamic discussions and networking opportunities.
With the collaborative efforts of three key regions - Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and
Eastern Visayas - this conference promises to be the largest and most impactful yet,
addressing current issues and exploring business opportunities in the vibrant Visayas
region hosted by the 2023 Most Outstanding Chamber in the Visayas and the Philippines,
the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Iloilo!
#33rdVABC
#OneVisayas
#PCCIVISAYAS

The 33rd Visayas Area Business Conference (33 rd VABC)

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The Manila Times

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The PCCI through the SDG Committee represented by Chairman Joel Tugade and SDG Committee Advisor Ellen Ferrer participated in the SDG Action Summit organized by the International School for Better Beginnings where solidarity for the goals among the private sector, government through Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon and youth representatives was expressed and featured 12 panel discussions. At the event, the PCCI SDG Committee exhorted participants to collaborate closely through specific on the ground interventions with the local chambers for projects and tieups with its current learning partners to contribute to higher life expectancy, better living conditions and productivity driven growth.

SDG Action Summit 

The PCCI, through the SDG Committee, led the discussions of the Economic Working Group, of which it is Chair, of the NEDA Stakeholders Chamber on the SDGs in preparing a roadmap to address Quality Education, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Reducing Inequalities, and Partnership for the Goals. This was held last April 3, 2024 during the sidelines of the 5th Meeting of the Chamber, a private-public sector platform established by the government to reverse regression and accelerate the country’s progress towards the 2030 Global Goals.

The PCCI, through the SDG Committee, led the discussions of the Economic Working Group

PCCI Pres. Consul Enunina Mangio, Hon. Treasurer Sergio Ortiz Luis Jr., Chairman George Barcelon and TVET Committee Chairman Anton Sayo attend the 122nd Labor Day Commemoration where Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. spoke of the strategic role of workers then and now and both here and abroad, and the government’s various initiatives and programs, including The Outstanding Workers of the Republic, to uplift and secure laborers’ welfare and development

122nd Labor Day Commemoration

The Center for Research and Communication of the University of Asia and the Pacific (CRC-UA&amp;P), in partnership with the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), sponsored by Alay Buhay Foundation held the IGNITE AsiaPacific Conference entitled Bridging the TechVoc Skills Gap for Future-Ready Workforces on April 11, 2024 at the PLDT Hall, University of Asia and the Pacific, Pearl Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.
The conference brought together industry experts and educators to address skill shortages in the Asia-Pacific region, specifically focusing on Enterprise-Based Training (EBT) and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET), through discussions on business-led training initiatives in the context of the 4th /5th Industrial Revolution. It discussed the necessity of workplace learning for EBT and TVET learners, and advocating for government support and policy reforms to facilitate the successful implementation of EBT and TVET initiatives.
PCCI President Enunina V. Mangio, PCCIHRD President, Dr. Alberto Fenix, Jr., PCCI Vice President for Industry Ferdinand Ferrer, PCCI TVET Committee Chairman Anton Sayo were among the resource speakers and panelists in the event.

IGNITE AsiaPacific Conference entitled Bridging the TechVoc Skills  Gap for Future-Ready  Workforces

PCCI President Consul Enunina Mangio attends the Regional Project Planning Consultation with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/philexport.ph?__cft__[0]=AZWmzc2LmSiXMTEUQkcYo44RhWaPbibq3Aw-dSLRzNoZiu4qsiAs8Tj7DMvBdPxXbQPDdWT3uYUwOxMshVQtNLD3RHRT8vvKuYQKl0Kl7PRQtoCw58iLGn6Dj7v4kGIP1QmBCjRInzimzWMzNr9nkkwDNBxkdC9BQx7R2UDmA15KSAMlGuH8pVq7fVlnphqoDlJPxJEJ6KcBO9L6jOiChsrH&__tn__=-]K-R" target="_self">PHILEXPORT</a> Mindanao Chapters in Zambaonga City in her capacity as Trustee for the Associate Sector. She is joined by PCCI Hon. Chair and Treasurer Sergio Ortiz Luis Jr., Philexport President and Chief Executive Officer. Along with the Board of Trustees, Pres. Mangio pays a courtesy call on Mayor John Dalipe prior to the regional project presentations from Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga, Davao, Soccsksargen and Caraga.

PCCI President Consul Enunina Mangio attends the Regional Project Planning Consultation with PHILEXPORT 

THE Mandaue City government plans to relocate all informal settler families (ISF) currently occupying the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) by the end of April 2024.
This is as the City Government will initiate construction of a one-stop-shop government center eyed to replace the CICC.
The City Government plans to transfer the ISF to temporary shelters in Barangay Guizo.
August Lizer Malate, executive assistant head of the Mayor’s Management Team and the City’s Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO), in a media interview on Tuesday, April 2, said the City has prepared over 300 temporary housing units in Barangay Guizo to relocate the families occupying the CICC.
The housing units are located across the CICC called “Pasilong Para sa Paradise.”
Around 500 families displaced in fires in Barangay Guizo in 2016 and Sitios Basubas and Maharlika in Barangay Tipolo in 2019 are currently taking shelter at the CICC.
Malate said the City is currently preparing the housing utilities, such as water supply and electricity connection to facilitate the transfer of its beneficiaries by the end of April.
He said the City aims to hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the government center in April as well.
The Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and Mandaue City signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on March 5 to borrow P3 billion for infrastructure projects, including the One-Stop-Shop government center.
Under the MOA, Mandaue will repay the amount in staggered payments over 15 years.
Malate said DBP will grant the City a grace period before Mandaue begins making payments, although the exact duration of this grace period has not been specified.
Pasilong Para sa Paradise
The Pasilong Para sa Paradise is a collaborative effort between the Mandaue City Government and the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI).
It aims to provide temporary shelter to families that have been recently affected by several fires, including the approximately 700 families displaced by the fire in Sitio Paradise in Barangay Looc in 2022.
Malate said the temporary housing facility will comprise at least 25 blocks, each consisting of 24 housing units. Each housing unit has an area of about 20 square meters.
He clarified that beneficiaries of these shelters would be responsible only for their electric and water bills.
More temporary housing
Meanwhile, Malate said the City plans to build additional temporary housing facilities for around 500 families displaced by the fire that hit Sitio Under the Bridge in Barangay Looc on March 12.
The new relocation site will be located in Looc, next to the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue (UCLM) Campus, along the road leading to Barangay Opao called Sitio Riverside.
Mayor Jonas Cortes previously said the City aims to relocate the fire victims to their temporary shelters this week.
According to Malate, all beneficiaries in the temporary housing units will eventually be transferred to Tipolo Residences in Sitio Maharlika in Barangay Tipolo, a socialized housing project by the City, contractor Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI) and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) under the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program of the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., and other stakeholders.
Tipolo Residences
In January 2023, the City announced that around 194 families would relocate to their new homes at the Tipolo Residences upon the completion of the first two buildings in October of the same year.
However, Johnbee Biton, head of the City’s Housing and Urban Development Office, said the first two buildings of the five-building project might not be ready for occupancy by then and will be postponed to May 2024.
He cited the delay in the construction of the buildings as the reason for the postponement.
City Administrator James Jamaal Calipayan, in a separate interview, said the project site had to be elevated first since the area is low-lying and flood-prone.
Source: https://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/mandaue-city-to-relocate-informal-settler-families-from-cicc-by-april
By <a href="https://www.sunstar.com.ph/author/honey-cotejo-2" target="_self">Honey I. Cotejo</a>

Mandaue City to relocate informal settler families from CICC by April

BOTH the public and private sectors in Cebu are calling for a more localized approach in addressing the imminent energy crisis in their province to ensure constant electrification of  both the residential and business customers.
The urgency of their appeal stems from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) prediction of a big shortfall of 1,400 megawatts in electricity supply in Cebu by 2026, posing a significant risk to economic stability and the well-being of its people.
The renewed economic vitality of the Queen City of the South could be attributed to a surge in tourism and other businesses like the booming business process outsourcing and real estate sectors.
Unfortunately their heightened activities spur a constantly increasing demand for energy-power supply upon which every household, factory, office, hotel, retail mall and other essential services depend on, such as clean running water, connectivity, safety and security, and health services.
Cognizant of which, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) President Charles Kenneth Co Cebu sounded the alarm that Cebu faces impending power shortages unless new plants are built.
“The NGCP [National Grid Corp. Philippines] forecasts Cebu’s power requirement is growing 7 percent a year. Maybe in the next 3-4 years, if no new power plants are built, magkakaroon na ng [there will be] power shortage. This is the challenge since it also takes 3-4 years to build a power plant,” he noted.
Cebu is home to 64 percent of Central Visayas’ population. Amid its constant reign as the country’s wealthiest province for the ninth successive year, it remains dependent on power supply from other neighboring islands like Negros, Leyte and Mindanao, who at this time will be equally challenged by the El Niño phenomenon.
Metro Cebu, for instance, with highly urbanized cities of Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue and Cebu City, accounts for half of the province’s overall demand as they are homes to various industrial, retail, hospitality, and office establishments, as well as residential developments such as subdivisions and condominium projects. Cebu, in turn, partakes half of the entire Visayas region’s total requirement.
While the DOE has green lighted several power projects for Central Visayas meant to boost up its energy capacity, the entire Visayas region already faces a precarious circumstance with limited reserves compared to Luzon and Mindanao—another reality highlighted by Panay’s black January.
Exacerbating the situation is the ensuing El Niño, which is being felt nationwide. This is projected to stretch through the first half of 2024.
A scenario of long-drawn power shortages and blackouts in Cebu is feared to have catastrophic consequences.
Taking a cue from the Cory administration blackouts that brought down the Philippine economy on its knees in the 1990s, the CCCI president warned that Cebu could ill afford such “last-minute” mentality.
Had the province do not secure now its energy needs, Co believes that a Cory-style energy crisis will cost the region billions of pesos in productivity, triggering shutdowns, job losses, dampening the investment climate, and compromising all social services.
Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia could not agree more to him. She, too, has emphasized the importance of investing in inland baseload power plants for energy security.
Although she recognizes the importance of the Mindanao-Visayas interconnection project, Garcia stressed the need for Cebu’s self-sufficiency in power to sustain its robust economy and growing population, urging immediate action rather than waiting until 2027.
Increasing conventional power capacity together with renewable energy investments is critical for a balanced energy ecosystem that supports development and sustainability goals.
Cebu, with its thriving industries producing multiplier effects across society and uplifting living standards, literally needs energy to sustain its momentum.
The provincial governor’s strong support for power independence shows a forward-thinking mindset in tackling the province’s energy needs, securing its ongoing development, and ensuring the welfare of its citizens and the environment.
Source: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2024/04/03/more-power-plants-localized-solutions-needed-to-save-cebu-residents/

More power plants, localized solutions needed to save Cebu residents

Electronic Commerce Payment Inc. (ECPay) executive Raymund Jude Aguilar is leading the Philippines’ biggest business conference happening on October 22-23 at the Marriott Grand Ballroom, Pasay City.
Consul Enunina V. Mangio, the President of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), announced the appointment of Aguilar as Chairman of the 50th Philippine Business Conference &amp; Expo following an executive session that unanimously voted him for the position. Aguilar is also the Vice President of the PCCI and Director for International Affairs.&nbsp;
“We are glad that Jude accepted the challenge of leading this year’s conference. We know the task ahead is daunting but we trust in his expertise, competence, and commitment to lead and deliver, especially now that we are celebrating the golden year of PBC&amp;E,” Mangio said.
The 50th PBC&amp;E banners “Embracing Innovation. Empowering Business. Enriching Lives.” It looks back on the role of PBC&amp;E over the years in promoting a transformative agenda for the country and how it has strategically positioned businesses to take advantage of new and emerging opportunities.
“I am honored for the trust and at the same time excited for the job. I will do everything I can with the support of my colleagues and the hardworking secretariat to make this conference bigger, better, and bolder,” Aguilar said, who is currently a director of ECPay Inc., the largest e-payments service provider in the Philippines with over 500,000 touch points and outlets nationwide.
The PBC&amp;E is an annual business event organized by the PCCI that serves as a venue for policymakers, business leaders, international partners, academe, and MSMEs to meet, discuss issues and come up with policy recommendations to help create a business environment that is sustainable and resilient.
It traditionally opens with the Vice President of the Philippines delivering a keynote address and concludes with the President of the Philippines receiving a set of policy recommendations that emanate from PCCI members, local chambers, and industry partners.&nbsp;
Aside from ECPay, Aguilar is also a founder and director of several companies including Recycle Plus Inc. (RPI), a waste management and recycling company; GATE Distribution Enterprise, Inc., an accredited major distributor of telco and online gaming products and services in the Philippines; WERRA Logistics Inc., AXIOS Ventures Inc., Genzai Corporation and Pharmaco Inc.&nbsp;
Aguilar finished his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of the Philippines and took his Masters in Business Administration from the Asian Institute of Management (AIM).

ECPay exec leads 50th Philippine Business Conference & Expo

THE Mandaue City government plans to relocate all informal settler families (ISF) currently occupying the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) by the end of April 2024.
This is as the City Government will initiate construction of a one-stop-shop government center eyed to replace the CICC.
The City Government plans to transfer the ISF to temporary shelters in Barangay Guizo.
August Lizer Malate, executive assistant head of the Mayor’s Management Team and the City’s Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO), in a media interview on Tuesday, April 2, said the City has prepared over 300 temporary housing units in Barangay Guizo to relocate the families occupying the CICC.
The housing units are located across the CICC called “Pasilong Para sa Paradise.”
Around 500 families displaced in fires in Barangay Guizo in 2016 and Sitios Basubas and Maharlika in Barangay Tipolo in 2019 are currently taking shelter at the CICC.
Malate said the City is currently preparing the housing utilities, such as water supply and electricity connection to facilitate the transfer of its beneficiaries by the end of April.
He said the City aims to hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the government center in April as well.
The Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and Mandaue City signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on March 5 to borrow P3 billion for infrastructure projects, including the One-Stop-Shop government center.
Under the MOA, Mandaue will repay the amount in staggered payments over 15 years.
Malate said DBP will grant the City a grace period before Mandaue begins making payments, although the exact duration of this grace period has not been specified.
Pasilong Para sa Paradise
The Pasilong Para sa Paradise is a collaborative effort between the Mandaue City Government and the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI).
It aims to provide temporary shelter to families that have been recently affected by several fires, including the approximately 700 families displaced by the fire in Sitio Paradise in Barangay Looc in 2022.
Malate said the temporary housing facility will comprise at least 25 blocks, each consisting of 24 housing units. Each housing unit has an area of about 20 square meters.
He clarified that beneficiaries of these shelters would be responsible only for their electric and water bills.
More temporary housing
Meanwhile, Malate said the City plans to build additional temporary housing facilities for around 500 families displaced by the fire that hit Sitio Under the Bridge in Barangay Looc on March 12.
The new relocation site will be located in Looc, next to the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue (UCLM) Campus, along the road leading to Barangay Opao called Sitio Riverside.
Mayor Jonas Cortes previously said the City aims to relocate the fire victims to their temporary shelters this week.
According to Malate, all beneficiaries in the temporary housing units will eventually be transferred to Tipolo Residences in Sitio Maharlika in Barangay Tipolo, a socialized housing project by the City, contractor Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI) and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) under the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program of the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., and other stakeholders.
Tipolo Residences
In January 2023, the City announced that around 194 families would relocate to their new homes at the Tipolo Residences upon the completion of the first two buildings in October of the same year.
However, Johnbee Biton, head of the City’s Housing and Urban Development Office, said the first two buildings of the five-building project might not be ready for occupancy by then and will be postponed to May 2024.
He cited the delay in the construction of the buildings as the reason for the postponement.
City Administrator James Jamaal Calipayan, in a separate interview, said the project site had to be elevated first since the area is low-lying and flood-prone. / HIC
Source: https://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/mandaue-city-to-relocate-informal-settler-families-from-cicc-by-april#google_vignette
By: <a href="https://www.sunstar.com.ph/author/honey-cotejo-2" target="_self">Honey I. Cotejo</a>

BOTH the public and private sectors in Cebu are calling for a more localized approach in addressing the imminent energy crisis in their province to ensure constant electrification of  both the residential and business customers.
The urgency of their appeal stems from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) prediction of a big shortfall of 1,400 megawatts in electricity supply in Cebu by 2026, posing a significant risk to economic stability and the well-being of its people.
The renewed economic vitality of the Queen City of the South could be attributed to a surge in tourism and other businesses like the booming business process outsourcing and real estate sectors.
Unfortunately their heightened activities spur a constantly increasing demand for energy-power supply upon which every household, factory, office, hotel, retail mall and other essential services depend on, such as clean running water, connectivity, safety and security, and health services.
Cognizant of which, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) President Charles Kenneth Co Cebu sounded the alarm that Cebu faces impending power shortages unless new plants are built.
“The NGCP [National Grid Corp. Philippines] forecasts Cebu’s power requirement is growing 7 percent a year. Maybe in the next 3-4 years, if no new power plants are built, magkakaroon na ng [there will be] power shortage. This is the challenge since it also takes 3-4 years to build a power plant,” he noted.
Cebu is home to 64 percent of Central Visayas’ population. Amid its constant reign as the country’s wealthiest province for the ninth successive year, it remains dependent on power supply from other neighboring islands like Negros, Leyte and Mindanao, who at this time will be equally challenged by the El Niño phenomenon.
Metro Cebu, for instance, with highly urbanized cities of Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue and Cebu City, accounts for half of the province’s overall demand as they are homes to various industrial, retail, hospitality, and office establishments, as well as residential developments such as subdivisions and condominium projects. Cebu, in turn, partakes half of the entire Visayas region’s total requirement.
While the DOE has green lighted several power projects for Central Visayas meant to boost up its energy capacity, the entire Visayas region already faces a precarious circumstance with limited reserves compared to Luzon and Mindanao—another reality highlighted by Panay’s black January.
Exacerbating the situation is the ensuing El Niño, which is being felt nationwide. This is projected to stretch through the first half of 2024.
A scenario of long-drawn power shortages and blackouts in Cebu is feared to have catastrophic consequences.
Taking a cue from the Cory administration blackouts that brought down the Philippine economy on its knees in the 1990s, the CCCI president warned that Cebu could ill afford such “last-minute” mentality.
Had the province do not secure now its energy needs, Co believes that a Cory-style energy crisis will cost the region billions of pesos in productivity, triggering shutdowns, job losses, dampening the investment climate, and compromising all social services.
Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia could not agree more to him. She, too, has emphasized the importance of investing in inland baseload power plants for energy security.
Although she recognizes the importance of the Mindanao-Visayas interconnection project, Garcia stressed the need for Cebu’s self-sufficiency in power to sustain its robust economy and growing population, urging immediate action rather than waiting until 2027.
Increasing conventional power capacity together with renewable energy investments is critical for a balanced energy ecosystem that supports development and sustainability goals.
Cebu, with its thriving industries producing multiplier effects across society and uplifting living standards, literally needs energy to sustain its momentum.
The provincial governor’s strong support for power independence shows a forward-thinking mindset in tackling the province’s energy needs, securing its ongoing development, and ensuring the welfare of its citizens and the environment.
Source: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2024/04/03/more-power-plants-localized-solutions-needed-to-save-cebu-residents/
By: <a href="https://businessmirror.com.ph/author/roderickabad/" target="_self">Roderick Abad</a>

ABA 2023

49th PBC&E

News

SDG Action Summit

The PCCI, through the SDG Committee, led the discussions of the Economic Working Group

122nd Labor Day Commemoration

IGNITE AsiaPacific Conference entitled Bridging the TechVoc Skills Gap for Future-Ready Workforces

Upcoming Events

2024 Taiwan International Tradeshows

The 33rd Visayas Area Business Conference (33 rd VABC)