The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) is undertaking a data-driven review of Cebu’s competitiveness, including the cost and reliability of utilities, regulatory efficiency and the overall ease of doing business, as the province competes with other investment destinations across Asia.
CCCI President Regan Rex King said the chamber is moving toward a more deliberate, evidence-based assessment of Cebu’s investment proposition amid concerns that rising business costs and friction in government processes could affect the province’s ability to attract and retain investments.
‘Cebu is not competing only with other Philippine cities. We are competing with destinations across Asia for investment, talent, businesses, tourists, technology, and opportunity,’ King said during his president’s report at the chamber’s third General Membership Meeting on Thursday evening.
While Cebu continues to benefit from its strategic location, talent pool, entrepreneurial culture, tourism base and established industries, King said investors can now compare locations, operating costs, incentives, infrastructure and business conditions more quickly than ever.
‘The world can compare Cebu with other destinations instantly. So we must be able to do the same,’ he said.
As part of the initiative, CCCI is reviewing representative electricity costs across competing locations and examining power reliability, with King stressing that the analysis remains preliminary and will still have to be validated and normalized for customer classes, tariff structures, taxes and other variables.
The chamber is also looking into water costs and reliability, particularly for large commercial and industrial users such as hotels, hospitals, food manufacturers, laundries, restaurants and industrial operations.
For businesses, King said, the concern goes beyond the published price of power or water.
‘It is the total cost of reliability,’ he said, noting that utility expenses and service interruptions can directly affect operating margins and investment decisions.
The review will not be limited to utilities.
CCCI is also using findings from its Cebu CEO Survey to identify friction points in the local business environment.
The survey showed that while chief executives were relatively positive about certain processes, such as securing business permits and registering vehicles, satisfaction was lower in other areas.
Only 15 percent of respondents expressed satisfaction with securing necessary approvals and rulings, while 45.8 percent saw room for improvement in how government agencies make decisions and rulings.
Another 43.9 percent pointed to the need for government agencies to respond to requests with greater urgency.
King said the findings underscore that competitiveness is determined by the combined experience of businesses, covering utilities, infrastructure, regulation, government responsiveness and the time required to complete transactions.
The CCCI also plans to work with other chambers and business organizations to benchmark Cebu against competing destinations, identify gaps and recommend interventions.
The chamber intends to convene government, utilities, investors, industry leaders, academe and experts, with the goal of putting evidence behind policy advocacy and monitoring whether reforms produce measurable results.
‘We can put evidence on the table. We can articulate what businesses are actually experiencing. We can benchmark Cebu against competing destinations,’ King said.
The initiative comes as several sectors face varying degrees of pressure, including furniture, fashion accessories, tourism, real estate and the business process outsourcing industry.
King said these developments should not necessarily be viewed as isolated challenges, particularly if multiple sectors are experiencing pressure at the same time.
‘If the evidence confirms that utility costs, infrastructure constraints, regulatory friction, or other factors are eroding Cebu’s competitive position, we must be prepared to say so, and more importantly, to do something about it urgently,’ he said.
For CCCI, the central question is increasingly becoming what Cebu can offer an investor-and why the province should be chosen over other locations.
The answer, King said, will have to be supported not just by Cebu’s traditional advantages, but by measurable evidence showing where the province remains competitive and where urgent intervention is needed.