Economic growth seen with good governance, private participation

Recognizing the role of business chambers in building capacities of local government units (LGUs), effective and stronger government and private sector partnership is being pushed in the bid to achieve local economic development.

Former Negros Occidental governor Rafael Coscolluela, who represented current Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. as the keynote speaker during the opening rites of the 27th Visayas Area Business Conference and Expo at L’Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City on Friday, said local government chief executives are encouraged to become champions of local economic development.

Coscolluela, also the provincial consultant on investment, promotions, export and trade development, said it has been a challenge because, evidently, LGUs were not designed to be economic development champions, which the business chambers have been performing for many years.

The partnership between the government and private sector must focus on the chosen theme of the business conference “Government and Business Partnering for Growth and Development: Building Capacities and Finding Solutions,” he added.

The three-day activity was hosted by the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) in collaboration with the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental.

It gathered representatives of businesses, local government units, and academe from Western, Central and Eastern Visayas.

Coscolluela, in his speech, said the country is currently facing “very difficult and challenging” times with rising inflation and other things happening like climate change affecting the sugar industry, charter change, and the upcoming 2019 elections.

The former governor lamented that some appointed local economic investment promotion officers, whose jobs are to encourage more investments and help create business-friendly and competitive localities, were not trained in the task of building local economies.

He said there is much to be done in terms of capacity-building for LGUs to become more effective partners of the private sector.

Amid such gaps, Coscolluela said business chambers can play a large role, given their capacities, skills, experience, and background. /