PIA Press Release
2008/07/26
by Prix D Banzon
Davao City (26 July) -- The Davao City Investment and Promotion Center (DCIPC) is shifting its strategy of marketing business opportunities in Davao City by focusing more on IT complex, retirement villages and economic zones.
DCIPC head Engr. Roberto Teo in an interview on Firday, July 25 said the new direction came about because investors are no longer looking at incentives as their main concern of locating in the city.
He said they already had reached the point that more businessmen are just confident of doing business here even as Teo said that Davao City must work hard on delivering better services.
He said incentives are no longer the key factors; it is the services given to the business sector that the businesses are looking.
"The business looks at better services although there are still others that have applied for incentives," he said.
And given equal footing with other areas like Cebu, the incentives could be offered and investors would decide which has the better offer, he said.
With regards the IT Complex, he said it had drawn interest because they envisioned the park to also house the academe, research and development center, software company, animation and other related offices plus the auxiliary services.
He clarified that the city government will not implement it but will just develop a set of module and concept as guide to investors.
With the existing economic zone of Davao City he said these are areas that need to be fast tract and these areas are located in Panacan and the Lapanday area in Mandug.
Meanwhile the retirement community will be in coordination with the Philippine Retirement Authority and Teo said it is not difficult to deal with considering that PRA already had opened its extension office here.
On July 21, the PRA signed a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI XI) where the latter houses the PRA satellite office.
PRA chairman PDGen. Edgar B. Aglipay (Ret.) who led the launching in Davao City said it would be ideal to have a satellite office in the city as they are positioning the Davao Region as a priority area for retirees.
He said they noted a rise in retiree arrivals especially from Korea, China, Taiwan, Japan, Europe and the United States and this is because of the competitive retirement benefit package of the Special Resident Retiree's Visa or SRRV.
In anticipation of an influx, he said PRA has selected focal areas positioned as the country's retirement destinations and Davao is among these areas.
The other identified areas in the country are Metro Manila, Tagaytay, Clark, Pampanga/Subic, Olongapo, Baguio and Cebu. (PIA)
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