The 26th Mindanao Business Conference (Minbizcon) was attended by at least a thousand of business leaders, stakeholders, policy makers, and professionals both from government and private sectors from all over the island. It was held Sept. 7-9. (Jigger J. Jerusalem/davaotoday.com)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – The implementation of the martial law in Mindanao in light of the crisis in Marawi City has not stopped investors and business people from all over the island to participate in the biggest gathering of key players in the business sector.
The ongoing fighting in Marawi that caused the displacement of thousands of families and the destruction of properties and lives did not deter delegates from attending the 26th Mindanao Business Conference (Minbizcon) held at the Xavier Sports and Country Club here which began on Thursday, September 7.
At first businesses were affected by the Marawi crisis as tourism and hotel occupancy had gone down due to the conflict, but it bounced back as the influx of evacuees had to purchase goods for their needs, said Robert Pizzaro.
Pizarro, the incumbent president of the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc., is also the executive chairman of A Brown Company Inc.
He said the two-day event drew at least a thousand business leaders not just from Mindanao but from other areas in the country as well.
In a previous interview, Minbizcon chairman Ruben Vegafria said they were amazed of the sheer number of business owners and executives who expressed their interest in joining the event.
This year’s theme is “Emerging Opportunities, One Mindanao” and it aims to set the stage for discussing innovative strategies towards building a strong and more resilient economy for the island and the whole country.
Resolutions adopted from the various discussions of business-related issues which form part of the policy agenda that will be submitted by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry to President Rodrigo Duterte at the 43rd Philippine Business Conference in October.
The Minbizcon has also become a venue for Filipino inventors to showcase their innovations to potential investors, said Alfonso Alamban, regional director of the Depart of Science and Technology-10 (DOST-10).
In line with this, DOST-10 has put on display various inventions in time for the Regional Technology Transfer Day which became part of the events of the Minbizcon.
“There are a lot of more innovations that the DOST is refining and assisting every day. Not only are these technologies a triumph of [Filipino] innovators, there are also a boon to the Filipino society at large, because these inventions are locally relevant and appropriate for our needs,” said Alamban in his message to Minbizcon attendees.
In an interview, Alamban said a few investors have taken interest in some of the inventions which were showcased at Minbizcon and formalization of agreement between the DOST and business owners are underway. (davaotoday.com)
