Biz leaders bullish on Tagum’s economy

By Louie Lapat
CIO-Tagum

TAGUM City--Top business tycoons here signified that the city’s economy is and will continue to be in top shape, stressing that more initiatives can still be done to ride on this positive economic dynamism that is keeping this city of 270,000 people afloat.
A shift in paradigm on sustainable eco-tourism, more government business-friendly initiatives and support to micro, small and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs) will sustain Tagum’s economic luster, according to local business leaders invited to speak during the 1st Tagum City Business Conference hosted by the City Government of Tagum last March 15, 2017 at Big 8 Corporate Hotel.
The Tagumpay BizCon is the first city-wide business conference that provides opportunities for entrepreneurs and businessmen to attend presentations by the country’s key business players and thought leaders to discuss with them issues that concern today’s economy and various business sectors.
Ms. Rosanna Tuason Fores, Chief Executive Officer and President of Hijo Resources Corporation, strongly emphasized that Tagum should invest on sustainable eco-tourism as it is an untapped economic driver that will benefit not just only the small businessmen but also the general community as well.
“Our human capital and our untapped social capital are our assets,” Fores told a crowd of 500 businessmen gathered during the Tagumpay BizCon.
On the other hand, Mr. John Gaisano, President and CEO of home-grown JS Gaisano, provided a litany of things that the government should do to encourage more businessmen to invest in Tagum.
This includes additional infrastructure that should be on the right place, stable and low cost of energy, tapping the power of the internet, effective and efficient mass transportation and improved peace and order situation.
Mr. Gaisano also piqued the interest of business leaders gathered during the event to build more businesses that attract the interests of millennials.
Meanwhile, the need to scale-up government’s support to MSMEs was advocated by Mr. Lorenzo Rubinos, Sr., chairman of Tagum-based LYR Group of Companies whose business empire sprawls over key areas in Mindanao.
Rubinos argued it would be in the best interest of the local government to support this sector, noting that they are the lifeblood of the city’s economy.
For his part, Mayor Allan Rellon said the local government is working hard to make Tagum more-business-friendly, following his administration’s agenda on improving Tagum’s economy and imposing affordable taxation as listed in the EAGLE WINGS Program.
“We sincerely wish for your growth because your growth redounds to more livelihood opportunities for our people who are able to take part in impelling the growth of our economy and of our city,” Rellon said.
During the event, Rellon also presented before the public Tagum’s significant infrastructure projects that will kick-off this 2017 which includes the construction of the City Historical and Cultural Center which will house the city museum, an improved city library and a 1,000-cultural theater.
Big-time projects also include the traffic signalization project, module 3 public transportation terminal, sanitary landfill, honey bee production facility and a fishing village.
He also presented the plans for building a railway project and an alternative airport site in the city to be funded by the national government.