DAVAO CITY, PHILIPPINES—It is undeniable that Davao City, one of the Philippines’ leading economic regions, has been a hot topic of discussion lately. With Mayor Rodrigo Duterte recently announcing his bid for the highest position in the land, the eyes of the nation, as well as the international business community, have been trained on this city in Southern Mindanao.
With Metro Manila treading the path of over-congestion, Richard Mills, CEO of Chalré Associates, avers that the investment community is now exploring and looking into key cities outside the Philippines capital as potential areas of investment. “The Philippines has become one of the premier regional hubs in the Southeast Asian region. While much of the investment has been concentrated in Metro Manila, other key cities in the Philippines like Davao and Cebu also have thepotential to be operation centers for business expansion in the country,” he says.Mills’ company is behind the Asia CEO Forum and the recently held Asia CEO Awards.
One of the most widely attended regular business event in the Philippines, the Asia CEO Forum held its first-ever multi-speaker engagement in Davao City’s Marco Polo Hotel last December 1, 2015. Davao, with its key location in Mindanao, the Philippines’ largest island group and the most untapped in terms of economic opportunities, presented the perfect location for senior business executives and investors to network with the Mindanao business society.
 |
| Architect Jun Palafox (center) interacts with the audience on how to improve Davao City during yesterday Asia CEO forum held at The Marco Polo, Davao. Palafox, who discussed latest architectural trends and urban planning, was joined by fellow resource persons JLL Philippines research, consulting and valuation head Claro Cordero (second from left), IBEX Global Davao site director Resi Cayabyab (seconnd from right) and Davao City Investment Promotions Center (DCIPC) officer in charge Ivan Cortez (rightmost). Lean Daval Jr. Photo and caption by: edgedavao.net |
An outstanding lineup of speakers highlighted the market potential of Davao as an investment hub,including world-renowned Architect Jun Palafox, the principal architect and urban planner of Palafox Associates, one of the nation’s best known architecture and urban planning firms. Overseeing one of the largest BPO locators in Davao, Resi Cayabyab, Site Director of IBEX | Global, discussed the industry’s opportunity for growth and employment in the region. Jones Lang LaSalle Philippines’ Claro Cordero, who heads the company’s Research team, discussed the growth of key real estate sectors in Davao and south of the Philippines.
Davao City Administrator Jesus Melchor Quitain gave a thorough presentation on how investors can easily get things done in Davao City.Organized by an alliance of Filipino and international business leaders, the Asia CEO Forum operates with the mission to promote the Philippines as a premier business destination to global decision makers. Usually held in Manila, the forum’s presenters comprise leaders of industries engaged in their pursuit to boost the country’s significance to the entire region.
Touted one of the most liveable and safest cities in Asia by various ranking bodies, Mills shares that increasing interest among the local and international business community prompted his company to expand its presence and advocacy in Davao City. “Davao City is fast progressing to become one of the major growth areas in the country, and this has attracted the attention of global and multinational enterprises looking to expand their presence in this bustling region of the Philippines. We want to serve as a platform for business and industry leaders to know more about Davao, as well as engage in potential investment opportunities with the Mindanao business community across such sectors as BPO, real estate, tourism, and agriculture,” states Mills.
