...the queen city

Cebu wins bid to host meet of chamber groups in Asia Pacific

 

By MALOU M. MOZO

March 13, 2011

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu will take center stage again when business chambers from 27 countries in the Asia Pacific region gather here for the 27th Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) conference in 2013.

Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) President Samuel Chioson, along with CCCI past President Francis Monera and CCCI Vice President for External Affairs Nestor Archival has announced that the chamber will spearhead the 27th CACCI Conference set to take place in Cebu on the third quarter of 1213. The conference shall also be a fitting highlight to the CCCI’s 100th year celebration that year.

The three business leaders were in Istanbul, Turkey last March 6 to 8 to represent the CCCI in the 25th CACCI conference, a regional grouping of Apex national chambers of commerce and industry, business associations and business enterprises in Asia and the Western Pacific.

The conference serves as a forum for promoting the vital role of businessmen in the region, increasing regional business interaction, and enhancing regional economic growth.

Chioson said that among those who expressed similar intensions to hold the event were chamber organizations from Pakistan, Iran, Japan and Korea. But only the CCCI got the CACCI Board's nod.

No less than Webster Kiang, PhD, Director General of the Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry, wrote the acknowledgement letter addressed to the CCCI. That, Chioson said, signifies the CACCI's confidence that CCCI has the capacity to put together a global event.

Chioson voiced optimism that the CCCI, along with the rest of the province, is more than ready to host an international forum and promote Cebu's international competitiveness. “After all, we were successful in hosting the Asean Summit ( in 2007),” he said. “How much more now that we have many world class hotels to cater to a huge business conference?”

For his part, Monera enthused that “this will be an opportunity for Cebu to be introduced as a bustling metropolis ideal for tourism, business and investment.