Bicol Business Month 2018 kicks off today

ALL SET. 2018 Bicol Business Month Chair Leanne Z. Montemayor and MNCCI President Ferdinand D. Sia during the BBM media conference. JAM MADRID

By Jam Madrid NAGA CITY--- Aside from the annual Exhibits and Trade Fair that reels off at 4:00 p.m. today at SM City Naga Activity Center, the Metro Naga Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MNCCI) and the City Government of Naga has lined up new exciting events for this year’s Bicol Business month. No less than President Ma. Alegria Sibal Limjoco of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) will the guest of honor in this afternoon’s opening ceremony. Naga City Mayor John G. Bongat and President Ferdinand D. Sia will welcome the guests, sponsors, and exhibitors at the trade fair at the SM City Activity center. For the first time, a Jobs’ Fair for Persons with Disability (PWDs) has been included in the yearly celebration to ensure that physically challenged individuals will have a chance to prove their worth as part of the work force. MNCCI President d Sia said that he has always been amazed by how efficiently PWDs work, sometimes more competent than physically fit individuals. “PWDs are most often neglected, especially as preference for a certain position. Others perceive their physical inadequacy as their physical disability, but believe me, I have known a lot of physically challenged individuals who are far better than the others.” Bicol Business Month 2018 Chairperson Eleanor Zuñiga Montemayor of the MNCCI said that they have chosen the activities based on the current demands and business trends while preferring them to be inclusive. The jobs fair, which will be held on July 7 at the SM City Activity Center is in close collaboration with the Office of City Councilor Elmer Baldemoro and the city’s Persons With Disability Office. Meanwhile, on July 10, farm owners and stake holders of the agri-tourism industry will converge on July 10 at Sonrisa Farm in Magarao, Camarines Sur for the Farm Tourism Opportunities summit with speakers from the Departments of Agriculture, Trade and Industry, and Tourism. Also another new event to unfold in the business month celebration is the formal launching of the Bicol Chapter of the Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management (A-PAD). A representative from the Embassy of Japan will be coming over to witness the occasion, along with the top officers of the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), Citizens’ Disaster Response Center (CDRC), Civil Defense Office, and A-PAD Philippines. A-PAD Bicol is the scaling up of A-PAD Metro Naga which was first instituted in February 2016 with MNCCI as lead convenor. It seeks to address the immediate and long-term needs of vulnerable communities during crisis and calamities. From nine existing member organizations, the group will enjoin other agencies in the Bicol region, notably the various provincial chambers of commerce and industry and DRRM groups whose mission is to lessen the impact of calamities to the communities, save lives and minimize damage to properties. More new big events will take place, such as the showcase and MOA signing for stakeholders in the Angat Kabuhayan farm and livelihood project of the Office of the Vice President which has been slated for July 19 at Robinsons Place Naga. The most-awaited Halyao Awards, or the search for Outstanding Bicolano Businesspersons and the Young Bicolano Entrepreneur awards will raise the curtain on July 28 at Avenue Plaza Hotel as the culminating activity.