Surigao Chamber Wins Prestigious Award at the 34th Philippine Business Conference

The Surigao Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (SCCI) was adjudged the Most Outstanding Chamber in Mindanao for 2008. The award was given by no less than Her Excellency, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, during the concluding plenary of the 34th Philippine Business Conference (PBC) held last October 21, 2008 at the Fiesta Pavilion of the Manila Hotel, City of Manila, the country’s largest and most important business gathering, attended by over 1,000 local and foreign businessmen and government officials.

The award came after thorough judging by a panel of judges from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, academe and national agencies done last October 11, 2008 at Dusit Hotel, Makati City. On hand to defend the nomination of Surigao CCI was its president, Mr. Johann Jake B. Miranda, who presented Surigao CCI’s efforts to improve the business growth of the Surigao community. This year, the chamber’s win was based on its move to consolidate all social and non-government organizations into one united community, strengthening public sector-private business partnerships through such activities as the Surigao Boulevard Development Program, reviving the Kapihan Nan Surigao, a media forum for the city’s pressing issues, and its close work with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The award is the first of its kind for the chamber leading the way for the other 32 chambers in Mindanao, the largest geographical group in the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Overall there are 106 chambers in the country representing more than 20,000 companies.

In the 2007 PBC, the Surigao CCI also received a special award for Membership Development and Entrepreneurship for its unique Surigao Young Business Alliance (SYBA) concept of recruiting the sons and daughters of its members as its second generation leaders as well as to pool young professionals and entrepreneurs in Surigao City.

The PBC awards are regarded as the highest recognition of achievements granted by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry to both business chambers and their corresponding local government units, and are seen to be important trophies of excellence that will attract more investors to their areas. The other regional winners are Paranaque CCI for National Capital Region, Pampanga CCI for Northern Luzon, Metro Naga CCI for Southern Luzon, and Mandaue CCI for Visayas. Metro Naga CCI won the national award following its triumph in 2006 as most outstanding chamber for Southern Luzon.

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