Cebu: Philippines best seller

Cebu and the surrounding islands have been at the forefront of inbound tourism to the Philippines since the days of Ferdinand Magellan. It is one of the most popular destinations in Southeast Asia, known for its excellent beaches and diving sites. Its location in the heart of the Philippines has also made it a natural gateway to the central areas of the country.
Tourism is not the only resource that Cebuanos can boast about. Its very popular governor, Gwendolyn Garcia, prides herself on the diversification of the island. Cebu City, the capital, is ranked as one of the top cities in the world for outsourcing, just behind Chennai in India. Twenty percent of all BPO business is conducted in Cebu.
Cebu is also one of the most attractive destinations for foreign investment in the Philippines. The Mactan Economic Zone, strategically located adjacent to the international airport, is one of the most successful manufacturing zones operated under the Philippines Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), generating in excess of $1 billion annually for the country as a whole. In fact there are 150 multinational companies employing 45,000 people.
Nonetheless tourism is at the forefront and Governor Garcia, after her election in 2004, decided to create a Provincial Tourism and Heritage Council, uniting the private and public sectors in the common task of promoting the island’s rich cultural heritage. The idea is to get people off the beaches and into the rural towns and villages to explore the churches and historical sights.
It’s called Suroy Suroy Sugbo, a Philippine term for the 15 “caravans” that Garcia has organized and traveled on, since 2004. These trips, in turn, generate interest from the towns and villages, in anticipation of Garcia’s arrival.
The historical implications are many and the island is in the process of writing its definitive history. “Every town and village is involved in the process and encouraged to write its own history. The end result will be a 54-volume history of Cebu as there are 54 towns involved,” Governor Garcia said.
Infrastructure problems have been equally at the forefront and have been addressed through ambitious projects such as the trans-axial highway (400 km road), which will connect the southernmost tip of the island to its northernmost tip. To date, under Garcia, 447 km. of asphalted roads as well as 69 concrete bridges have been constructed.
IT is also very much in mind, and Garcia created the Cebu provincial ICT Council, combining leadership from both the public and private sectors to drive development in the IT sector as well as bring the benefits of IT to the countryside.
“Throughout history, Cebu has always been a trading area and a center of commerce in the South,” according to Jon Aboitiz, CEO of Aboitiz Equity Ventures. Aboitiz believes that Cebu’s strength lies in its industrious workforce. Cebu is also a university town with a well-educated, English-speaking pool of talent, ripe for the picking. It is also the second largest city in the Philippines with an excellent quality of life. Almost a country within the country.
Gwendolyn Garcia, Cebu’s most popular governor to date, invited me to come back and be on one of her next Suroy Suroy Sugbo caravan trips. I can only say that to return to Cebu would be an opportunity not to miss!