Oro to host Phil Industrial Summit in M’nao

By Frank E. Dosdos, Jr.
Correspondent

Cagayan de Oro City is set to host the first Philippine Industrial Summit in Mindanao on November 25-28, 2019 at Limketkai Luxe Hotel with the theme “Building an Assertive Industrial Philippines”.

In a meeting with reporters in Iligan City late last week, Philippine Industrial Authority (PHIVIDEC) administrator and former Iligan City Mayor Franklin M. Quijano announced that all is set for the said summit in Cagayan de Oro City.

Quijano said the event is spearheaded by the PIE-MO, a private group comprising of stakeholders from the Philippine Industrial Estate in Misamis Oriental in partnership with the PHIVIDEC Industrial Authority (PIA).

“The Summit will gather tycoons from some of the largest private companies in the country along with representatives and various government bodies,” he said.

He also said that Executive Director Florian Gottien of the European Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Philippines (ECCP), Consul General Yoshiaki Miwa of the Japanese Consulate in Davao, and Consul General Li Lin of the Chinese Embassy in Davao will attend.

The theme, “Building an Assertive Industrial Philippines,” is aimed to gather key figures in both the government and the private sector, foreign and local, in one common place to formulate the roadmap towards the country’s full development and industrialization, according to Quijano.

“It also aims to showcase Mindanao, and, thus, encourage private industries to expand business operations in Mindanao which has a huge potential for industrial growth especially in manufacturing,”  he explained.

Quijano said that Mindanao is a hotbed of resources which if processed locally, would be cheaper compared to processing materials outside the country.

With a large population, Mindanao can provide skilled manpower for growing industries, he assured.

The island has power reserves exceeding 1,000 Megawatts and fuel resources necessary to production and transportation of manufactured goods, not to mention infrastructure that connects its growth centers and the countries growing cities – Manila, Cebu and Iloilo, he elaborated.

According to Quijano, the Summit’s goals coincide with the country’s Build-Build-Build program and Administrative Order 18 issued by President Rodrigo Duterte in June this year.

It can be recalled that President Duterte called for the creation, expansion and swift development of special economic zones in the countryside, he ended.