Dear CCCI Members,
My second year as President of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) has ended. I am truly humbled by the experience and, even more so, honored to continue my service for another year.
In spite of the many challenges we face for the past years because of the global economic turmoil, I have never been more excited about our prospects for the future.
In 2010, we never lost hope and still accelerated our efforts to make the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry the premier local chamber in the Philippines. At the same time, we have carved our own niche in the global arena. Proof of our unparalleled achievement and unwavering service is the distinction the CCCI received as the Over-all Winner in the Developing Nations Category of the Associations Make a Better World Award given by the American Society of Association Executives and the Center for Association Leadership.
All of our committees are active and vibrant, and it was a pleasure to work with them. I am also grateful for the partnerships that we have gained in the public and private sectors. One of these partnerships is our engagement with the Solid Waste Management Projects of the Cebu City Government, specifically the Materials Recovery Facility, Riverside Clean Up Campaign and Waste Plastic to Fuel Project. We initiated the Participatory Urban Greening Project and the Eco Tourism (Hop – On Hop – Off, Night Cruise and Product Development) and Heritage Program. The former envisions to address pollution problem while the latter offers insights on the environment impact of common practices and fosters greater appreciation of the need to protect the natural habitat.
All of these projects are neither fleeting nor temporary solutions for our environment. Amid threats posed by global warming, we should do our share to lessen ill effects on our ecology. Thus, we have come up with those sustainable environmental projects.
I, of course, thank all of our committees for their dedication and look forward to our continued partnership. I also remain committed to getting more and more members to be involved with the Chamber.
I am equally excited about what lies ahead. We are gearing up in collaboration with the academe to include concerns of sustainable tourism and the ecology in the curriculum. The year 2011 will be a dynamic year for more partnerships with the Provincial Government, the City Government and the different municipalities in Cebu in our effort to make the Chamber one that is truly for the Cebuanos.
Serving the Chamber has been an enriching experience for me. It has given me the opportunity to serve my fellow businessmen and the Cebu community, while being privileged to work with dedicated men and women who selflessly lend their time to Chamber work. As we face another year, I look forward to our collaborative efforts to make this year productive and fulfilling for all of us who love Cebu and the Philippines.