Rama Cuts Drawing CIPC Services

After the reported resignation of the trustees of the Cebu Investment Promotions Center (CIPC), Mayor Michael Rama said he will no longer tap the services CIPC as the city’s marketing arm to market the South Road Properties (SRP) lots to investors.

The mayor said he will no longer give cash assistance to the CIPC this year because the marketing of SRP has been delegated already to the SRP office headed by Roberto “Bo” Varquez.

Since Rama had assumed as mayor in 2010, the CIPC whose managing director is Joel Mari Yu had failed to look for even a single buyer of the SRP lot.

It was learned that the members of the CIPC’s Board of Trustees headed by Geronimo Sta. Ana had resigned from their positions, an action that surprised the City Council.

City Councilor Nendell Hans Abella proposed that the CIPC’s Board of Trustees Atty. Augusto Go (vice chairman), Sabino Dapat (treasurer), Rogelio Lim (trustee) and Enrique Benedicto (trustee) be invited by the council for them to know the reason why they decided to quit from their posts.

But Councilor Gerardo Carillo said the City Council has nothing to do about the CIPC because it is just a Non-Government Organization (NGO) and not a government office.

“Naunsa gud tawon sila, nalimot sila nga kaniadto kadaghan man nga ang City Council mopatawag sa mga opisyal sa CIPC atul sa sesyon? Kamubo ra gud tawon nila og memory,” the mayor said.

Rama said if the City Council will not allow the former Board of Trustees of CIPC to appear before them then he will invite Sta. Ana to visit the mayor’s office for him to explain.

But Yu said the resignation of the board of trustees of CIPC is just a courtesy thing done periodically so that the board will have new officers.

Aside from Cebu City, the CIPC is reportedly receiving little cash assistance from other Local Government Units (LGU) in helping them to find possible investors.

The CIPC Board of Trustees claimed that they helped Cebu City by promoting the city to investors in the past 20 years and it contributed to the growth in the business process outsourcing industry in Cebu.