[ Manila Bulletin Online ] August 4, 2008
By BEN D. ARCHE
DAVAO CITY — Although businessmen find it difficult to start a new business here, making the city a peaceful place for business is more than anything else that the city government can give to them.
This was made clear by an official of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCCI) during the local government consultation with the business sector spearheaded by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
"We are thankful for the peace and order that the mayor has maintained in order to pursue business. We want you to know that we appreciate and are thankful for it," DCCCI president Simeon Marfori said to Duterte.
City Administrator Wendel Avisado, City Treasurer Rodrigo Riola, Business Bureau Chief Jhoppie Avancena-Agustin and Davao City Investment Promotions Chief Roberto Teo also attended the consultative meeting.
"The business processing is something that can be improved to make a much better business climate but then again it is not the most important thing for us," Marfori told.
Duterte urged the businessmen to come up with recommendations that would streamline or simplify the business application process in the city.
A business report released earlier by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) has ranked Davao City in the 19th place of the 21 cities identified as the hardest places to do business.
The result of the IFC study has been criticized by various groups including the Business Bureau and the City Council.
Gerlyn Catagui, IFC executive director, who was present in the consultation, volunteered services to assist in identifying the portions of the business process that are considered difficult for the applicants.
Duterte welcomed the offer of the IFC, saying that their recommendations will be taken into account together with those of the other business groups that would be used as basis for an executive order to come up with new regulations.
The city government, however, made it cleared that it cannot give DCCCI’s request to create a one-stop shop for business processing to include the national government agencies.
DCCCI also suggested for a single application form to be used to transact with all these agencies.
"The national agencies cannot even agree among themselves.. They have conflicting regulations," City Administrator Avisado said.
