Mayor Sara Duterte: Retail industry is a “huge driver” in Philippine economy

Guest of Honor Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte (first row, 5th from left), opens the two- day Stores Asia Expo 2017 recently at the SMX Convention Center. Joining Mayor Duterte are the PRA board and officers (front row, from left) PRA Vice Chairman Mars Chua, president of Sportshouse; PRA Vice Chairman Roberto “Bobby” Claudio, president of Toby’s Sports; PRA Chairman Emeritus Samie Lim, chairman of Blims Lifestyle Group, Canadian Tourism and Hospitality Institute and Francorp Philippines; PRA President Atty. Paul Santos, president of Picture City; PRA Chairman Lorenzo Formoso, overall chair of the NRCE 2017 Conference and Expo and chairman of Federation of Asia Pacific Retailers Associations; Trade Undersecretary Atty. Falconi Millar; PRA Vice President Rosemarie Bosch Ong, SEVP- Chief Operating Officer of Wilcon Depot Inc.; PRA Director Bienvenido Tantoco III, president of Rustan’s; PRA Vice President Vivian Que Azcona, president of Mercury Drug; (back row, from left) PRA Vice President Arthur Coronel, president of Cinderella; Globe Business Cluster Head Robie Reyes; Rustan Supercenters Inc. CEO Irwin Lee; PLDT Enterprise Vice President Vic Tria with Bb. Pilipinas 2017 beauties. THE retail industry has been a “huge development of the Philippine economy, Davao City Mayor Sara DuterteCarpio said recently, as she urged businessmen to seek investment opportunities at the country’s South.

“On a local scale, retailers and the services industry remains to be the top business sector in Davao City. It accounts for more than 40 percent of the total number of businesses in our city, Mayor Duterte, who led the ribbon cutting at the opening of the 24th National Retail Conference and Stores Asia Expo (NCRE) 2017 at the SMX Convention Center Manila on August 10 to 11.

NRCE, the biggest and most important retail event in the country, is the - tailers Association, the acknowledged national organization of retailers and suppliers nationwide.