Sri Lanka, Cebu Explore Business Opportunities

Sri Lanka and their Cebu counterparts recently explored possible business partnerships during the Cebu visit of Sri Lanka’s Honorary Consul to the Philippines, Hugh Sriyal Dissanayake, and his 12-man delegation.

They were business leaders back in Colombo, Sri Lanka engaged in shipping, new techniques in food production, hotel boutiques, packaging, agriculture, tourism, real estate, education, construction, and services.

Dissayanake encouraged Cebu businessmen to visit his country.

Welcome rites were held in their honor at the Capitol Dignitaries Hall led by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Teodoro Locson Jr. who cited 54 years of good economic and cultural relations between Cebu and Sri Lanka. He expressed hope for a stronger partnership between the two islands.

Locson said that the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a fast emerging market in Asia.

Sri Lanka’s more popular product is tea which is why it is interested in putting up a tea factory in Cebu and help generate employment for local economy.

Cebu Investment and Promotions Chief Benjamin Joseph Yap said the delegation from Sri Lanka were potential business partners.

One was interested in education and is thinking of recruiting graduates of Cebu’s leading universities for employment in Sri Lanka besides the interest to learn from Cebu’s educational system.

Local businessmen who showed interest in partnering with Sri Lankan business were into shipping, solid waste management, education, and tourism.

Aside from economic opportunities in Cebu, Yap took pride in sharing with the Sri Lankan guests Cebu’s award for the seal of good governance awarded under Gov. Hilario Davide III’s administration from DILG for efficiency and infrastructure.

He also cited Cebu’s economic zones that employed around 200,000 people. The most popular of these economic zones are located in Mactan.

Sri Lanka is formerly known as Ceylon. (by Fides Palicte)

www.cebu.gov.ph