By Ivana Janlee A. Otoc
MindaNews
MINDANAO’S business leaders are calling for more robust business chambers to be able to help small and emerging enterprises.
Leaders interviewed by MindaNews at the start of the three-day 35th Mindanao Business Conference held at the Limketkai Mall here on Tuesday said that concerns raised by participants point to several recurring needs — small and emerging enterprises need pathways to market and those pathways often require more than what an individual entrepreneur can provide alone. These concerns also form part of the broader policy advocacy work of business chambers.
Nenita R. Malbas, chairperson of the 35th MinBizCon and area vice president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Mindanao, said during her speech that the business environment is changing, requiring chambers to think beyond simply maintaining their organizations.
“The question before us is not simply how do we keep our chamber operating. The bigger question is how do we build chambers that will remain strong and relevant even long after our term of leadership has ended,” she said.
For Malbas, a future-proof chamber should have strong governance, responsible leadership, financial sustainability, engaged members, effective systems and a clear sense of purpose. But the ultimate measure of that relevance is whether chambers can create value for the business communities and people they represent.
Dr. Alberto P. Fenix Jr., president emeritus of PCCI and director in charge of the Philippine Chamber Development Institute, told MindaNews in an interview that succession should be intentional.
“Leadership succession should not happen by accident or by chance. Chambers need to cultivate future leaders who can bring fresh ideas while learning from the experience and wisdom of those who came before them,” he said.
Dr. Irene Austria Floro, Chairman of the Board of the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc. (Oro Chamber), said the concerns raised by businesses are largely common across regions.
The challenge is turning those concerns into action. “How do we ensure these are being taken care of and translated into action?” she said.
Floro’s proposed mechanism is to gather issues from different regions, study them and translate them into resolutions. These resolutions, she suggested, will be placed in a portal developed by MinDA, allowing chambers to monitor them. The system is intended to preserve the advocacy agenda even when chamber leadership changes, which can be monitored not only by officers but also by chamber members.
The 35th MinBizCon, hosted in Cagayan de Oro under the theme “Accelerating Inclusive Growth for Business Through Innovation and Sustainability: Bridging the Gap, Scaling the Future,” brings together business chambers and other stakeholders to discuss the region’s economic future.
