Mixed signals on business climate

CEBU, Philippines — Optimism on revenue does not fully extend to the operating environment.

Only 34 percent of chief executives expressed satisfaction with the process of securing business permits, while 33 percent were satisfied with vehicle registration procedures.

Respondents cited a need for more transparent decision-making, streamlined documentary requirements and more professional engagement from government personnel.

In agency performance, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) received the highest satisfaction rating at 50 percent, followed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) at 39 percent and the Social Security System (SSS) at 36 percent.

By contrast, executives flagged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) as institutions requiring significant improvement to ease the cost and burden of doing business.

Sustainability shifts from compliance to cost control

The survey also shows environmental initiatives becoming mainstream among Cebu firms, though largely through a cost lens.

Ninety-six percent of respondents said they have adopted sustainable practices. The most common measures include reducing energy consumption (80 percent), recycling and reusing materials (76 percent), and improving waste collection systems (51 percent).

Yet only 52 percent measure the financial impact of these initiatives. Among those that do, 95 percent track sustainability primarily through cost reductions or savings, suggesting that environmental strategies remain closely tied to efficiency rather than revenue generation or risk mitigation.

Upfront capital requirements and high transition costs were cited as the main barriers to deeper integration of sustainability into core business strategy.

Aldie Garcia, treasurer and trustee of the chamber and vice chairman and assurance managing partner at PwC Philippines, said stronger public-private collaboration will be critical to sustaining Cebu’s growth trajectory. Regulatory reforms, he added, should shift from being perceived obstacles to becoming enablers of expansion.

For now, Cebu’s executives are signaling readiness to invest and expand, betting that resilience, infrastructure momentum and digital transformation will outweigh lingering structural bottlenecks in the business environment.