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AS THE
FASTEST-growing destination in the
Philippines, Cebu continues to attract
more US investments due to the fruitful
business climate, cosmopolitan lifestyle
and excellent workforce on local shores.
“Companies are continually expanding and
seeking new franchises and partners in
hopes of capturing the ripe market. Cebu
makes for a great place to live and work
in and I congratulate the companies here
for having made the right choice,” said
US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie
Kenney during a visit to Cebu recently.
Likewise, she commended Filipino
companies which have also succeeded in
their ventures into the US as a result
of their people-to-people ties and
strong name recall with countrymen on
foreign shores. She cited Jollibee,
Greenwich, Goldilocks and other
well-known Filipino franchises which
have hit it big in the US due to their
linkages and patronage with the Overseas
Filipino Workers and long-time
Americanized Filipinos.
Another huge bestseller is the furniture
sector wherein the US market seeks
creative, innovative and original
designs.
American Showcase
Ambassador Kenney spoke on the sidelines
of the recent inauguration of the
American Showcase featuring 16 leading
US businesses to help strengthen the
American brand in the growing business
districts in Cebu, Cagayan de Oro and
Davao. Exhibitors included 3M
Philippines, Amway Philippines LLC,
Electrobus Consolidated, Inc., Citibank
Savings, Federal Express Corporation,
Ford Philippines, Goodyear Philippines,
Kraft Philippines, Microsoft
Philippines, Subway Philippines, B. V.,
and many others.
The event is scheduled to open at The
Atrium-Limketkai Center in Cagayan from
October 17-19 and later at the NCCC Mall
in Davao City on October 25-28. Free
seminars will be held on “Doing Business
in the US” along with free product
presentations.
The Ambassador also discussed the strong
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
commitments of the US firms due to their
linkages with orphaned/abused children,
housing, feeding programs, environmental
causes, and many more. “Its all a matter
of giving back to |
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the
community for what the businesses have
gained in their stay in Cebu. And the
companies will continue to seek new
avenues on how to expand their CSR scope
of coverage,” she reiterated.
Back to back with the American Showcase
is the “US Catalog Show” featuring over
50 US companies generally new to RP
shores and looking for agents,
distributors, and end-users.
Housewives Slur
About the racial slur on the medical
profession in the Philippines by the
character played by a leading lady of an
American TV series, Kenney downplayed
the incident, saying that the quality of
Filipino nurses are known worldwide as
hard-working, caring, and sensitive to
the patients’ needs. “One off-hand
comment will not affect the good
reputation of the Filipino nurses and
doctors. Filipinos have contributed so
much to hospitals worldwide. Besides, I
don’t watch that show,” she replied,
referring to Desperate Housewives. To
recall, actress Teri Hatcher’s character
Susan on the show requested to check her
doctor’s diploma to make sure that it
did not come from a medical school in
the Philippines. This comment has
resulted in howls of protest from
Filipinos worldwide.
Amcham Event
In her speech during the American
Chamber of Commerce meeting, the
Ambassador also recounted experiences of
her visits to other American companies
based in the Philippines. “The Filipinos
have displayed exemplary customer
skills, work ethic and improved English.
The spirit of customer service is quite
evident in the American On Line (AOL)
branch in Clark,” she stated.
She also commended Lexmark Philippines,
Federal Express, Timex, Fairchild
Semiconductors, Ford Philippines, Kraft
Philippines, Texas Instruments and other
US firms for their outward display of
confidence in the local workforce as
evidenced by their large-scale expansion
plans and operations in the country. In
addition, Kenney cited the role of the
American chambers in advocating the
business interests of their members in
face of the national economy growing by
leaps and bounds.
The US envoy also served as the
inducting officer of the new set of
Amcham-Cebu officials led by Paul Fluty |
