Mayor Nieverose C. Meneses of Nagtipunan, Quirino (2nd from left – right photo) discusses the investment priority areas and incentives for investors in their municipality during the Business Talk Show hosted by Ms. Jenalyn Carag, LGOO V of DILG (extreme left) and Mr. Charles Tagarino, TIDS of DTI (extreme right). |
The Department of the Interior and Local Government Region 2 (DILG-2) and the Department of Trade and Industry Region 2 (DTI-2) jointly organized and conducted the 2nd Cagayan Valley Regional Investment Forum, aptly themed “PPP: Government Nexus to Sound Economic Development” on 10 December 2018 at the Pulsar Hotel in Buntun, Tuguegarao City.
The event which was graced by Mr. Jomel Anthony V. Gutierrez, Assistant Director of the Public-Private Partnership Center of the Philippines as Keynote Speaker, was a follow through activity of the training-workshop on the Operationalization of Local Investments and Incentives Code of Local Government Units. Moreover, it was a venue for the launching and showcasing of Investment Projects packaged by the LGUs as an output of the training-workshop.
Highlighting the Forum were the Business Talkshow and the Business Matching which featured the investment priority areas and incentive offerings of four LGUs: Province of Nueva Vizcaya, Tuguegarao City in Cagayan, City of Ilagan in Isabela and Nagtipunan in Quirino.
During the plenary session, the following topics were discussed: DILG initiatives on Ease of Doing Business and Public Private Partnership by Mr. Dennis D. Villaseñor of the Bureau of Local Government Development, DILG; Cagayan Valley Economic Performance and Business Outlook by Mr. Leomar C. Israel, Supervising Economic Development Specialist of the National Economic and Development Authority Region 02 (NEDA), and Enabling the Business Climate through Infrastructure Development and Logistics Support by Mr. Leonardo C. Cruz, Special Assistant to the Administrator of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA).
In his message, DTI Regional Director Ruben B. Diciano pointed out that Ease of Doing Business is considerably one of the strongest enabling factors to attract investments in Region 02. He further said that, “by strengthening public-private partnerships, infrastructure and other developments that are needed to increase the region’s competitive advantage will be realized”.
On his part, DILG Regional Director Jonathan Leusen, Jr. said that the forum is a concrete manifestation of the convergence and collaboration of both public and private sectors. He hopes for the full utilization of Region 02’s potentials in order for the region to establish a niche in the national arena.
Meanwhile, investments through PPP are foreseen as a result of the Business Matching with meetings already set between the LGUs and the companies they were matched with, among which were: Japan External Trade Organization (JETrO, CS First Green Agri Industrial Development Inc., Solar Philippines, CSD Engineering and Construction, Coop Bank of Cagayan, QC ICT Council, hackTheNorth.ph, Tubig Pilipinas, RDI Construction, Philippine Chamber of Commerce, New Hope, and CREST Construction. Meetings were set immediately or in early 2019.
The Forum was attended by close to 150 participants composed of investors, Local Chief Executives, Regional Line Agencies, and Private Sector Representatives was a follow through activity of the training-workshop on the Operationalization of Local Investments and Incentives Code of Local Government Units.♦
Date of release: 9 January 2019