Baybay encouraged to be a more competitive city

By Provincial Media Relations Center
June 20, 2010

TACLOBAN CITY  –  Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla has given the green light to the city of Baybay to be the province’s next alternative business district.

He encouraged Baybay city officials and hundreds of city residents in attendance during the 3rd Charter Day Celebration of Baybay City that by being more competitive in investment and business promotions, the city can bag new locators to the area that would help the city’s economy.

He said that if nearby cities of Maasin and Ormoc were able to make a headway into the business scene, the city of Baybay, which he said may still be in its infancy, can easily be at par with the rest of them business and investment wise.

Already, he said, the province for its part is already readying the groundwork for more investments to come to this new city by inviting locators in the business process outsource field.

The governor, who was instrumental in the location of APAC Customer Services Inc to Leyte via the Leyte ICT Park in Palo, said that similar businesses could also consider the city of Baybay as the next ICT hub.

It was learned that for its part, Baybay City in 2005 developed and implemented a five-year Tourism and Investment Plan. After two years of implementation, Baybay improved tourism and investment collaterals which resulted in more investors locating in Baybay, tourism sites developed that helped generate more employment in the city.

Through the set up of the Baybay Tourism and Investment Promotion Office, the city has aggressively promoted the municipality as a location for business and provide better services to potential and actual investors.

Since 2005, it was learned that more or less P125 million was invested in Baybay, which according to the governor is a clear demonstration that Baybay has improved its business climate and institutional environment.

Baybay is home to several of the province big companies particularly in the oil and fiber industry.

The city has also packaged itself as a tourist destination with direct established links to hotels and tourism operators in the Visayas.

With this call, Gov. Petilla has also called on the Department of Budget and Management to restore Baybay’s Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) under its cityhood status.

The governor explained that returning the IRA to Baybay as a city, would help the local government to operate as a city and perform its other functions and responsibilities to its constituents.

The governor also added that with Baybay operating on a municipal status IRA, their capacity are being limited.