Trade body to tackle Oro’s losses with business Executives

By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent

THE chairman of the city council’s trade and commerce committee has set a meeting with Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Oro Chamber) president Robert Pizzaro and other business leaders here to discuss the effects of the Marawi crisis and martial law on the local economy.

Councilor George Goking sounded alarm bells after Pizzaro said Oro Chamber members alone reported an estimated losses of P200 million during the first days of the Mindanao martial law.

Goking said the committee would meet on Friday with Pizzaro and other local business leaders.

He said the committee would try to find out which businesses were immediately affected by the crisis.

Goking said the meeting would be clarificatory, and would try to establish the accuracy of the figures from the Oro Chamber.

“If true, then we will try to find a way how city hall can help the business sector,” he said.

He said the figures given by Pizzaro did not speak well of city hall’s position in favor of the May 23 declaration of martial law.

Goking said Mayor Oscar Moreno and the city council have publicly declared their support for President Duterte’s declaration of military rule in Mindanao to end the problem on the Maute group terrorism.

He said he voted in favor of a city council resolution in support of the Mindanao martial law declaration authored by Liga ng mga Barangay president and Councilor Yam Lam Lim.

“Nag-support kita sa martial law, unya ang atong pag-support, it turned out nga naka-alkansi diay sa business sector. Morag  la-in paninawon, di ba”? Goking asked rhetorically.