Cebu "fresh alternative" in country's development

Cebu is part of the country's economic development because it provides "a fresh alternative", according to Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

Garcia was invited by the Consular Corps of the Philippines to their monthly meeting last Wednesday in Mandarin Hotel in Manila to speak on how Cebu, under her leadership, has become a strategic ingredient in the economic development of the Philippines.

She specifically stated economic opportunities that the province has opened to the private sector in partnership with the Province of Cebu.

"As your partners in the Chambers of Commerce will tell you, the Province of Cebu has tried hard to provide the right environment for business to grow and to flourish," she added.

Garcia said that Cebu proved it can rise to every challenge and achieve great things against seemingly insurmountable odds with the hosting of the 12th ASEAN Summit.

"What we lacked for in infrastructure, we more than made up for in warmth," she said.

With billions of pesos in assets, a healthy, considerable surplus, and the highest income amongst all provinces, Garcia said Cebu has moved forward and is further embarking upon economic enterprises for the provincial government, to generate more revenue to finance public infrastructure projects and social services.

The province is set to bid out projects and private sector the development of the Farmer's Market, an 80-hectare lot in Camp Lapu-Lapu, the Cebu International Convention Center, the 300-kilometer Transaxial Highway and solid waste management. - Gregg M. Rubio/BRP