A group of influential business writers from Manila once visited Naga City to assess the investment potential and business climate in Camarines Sur, and the first thing they did was to look for the business section of the local weeklies. To their disappointment, there was none.

        This inadequacy of the local press and the meager coverage of the business sector do not necessarily reflect or diminish the presence of strong and dynamic business associations, a growing and bustling economy, and a myriad of economic activities in our midst. Although, the local press has intermittent business news and fascinating business feature stories, they are infrequent and scanty compared with, and paralleled to the vast and ebullient world of business.

        In fact, we have the Metro Naga Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MNCCI) which has been in existence for the past twenty years, and the newly formed provincial Camarines Sur Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CSCCI). Both chambers have several hundreds of active members, and have undertaken numerous laudable projects that benefit not only the local business community but also the general public. In order to put back Camarines Sur and the Bicol Region in the investment radar, the MNCCI has spearheaded the conduct of the Bicol Business Week for the past two years in a row. The week-long event is highlighted with the equally prestigious "Halyao Awards for the Most Outstanding Bicolano Businessmen".

        It must be noted that Naga, along with Legazpi City has been chosen as one of the “Ten Most Competitive Small Cities in the Philippines” by the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in its Philippine Competitive Ranking Project 2005 supported by the USAID, Asia Foundation, and gtz, a German NGO. The competitiveness ranking covered 65 cities nationwide comprised of 13 metro-cities, 15 mid-size cities, and 37 small cities.

        The citation, etched in a glass trophy reads in part: "The city (Naga) has provided an environment that nurtures the progress and dynamism of its enterprises and industries. It also has obtained one of the highest overall competitiveness ratings among the Small Cities based on cost of doing business, infrastructure, human resource, linkage and accessibility, quality of life, local governance, and dynamism of local economy."

        Naga City Mayor Jesse M. Robredo said, “Naga was honored for its economic dynamism, participatory governance, accountability, and effective initiative on information communication technology that taken together contributed immeasurably to the progressive transformation of Naga, as a competitive, investment-friendly city.”

        It was on the same note that no less than the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) has chosen Naga as the Most Business-friendly City, and Camarines Sur as the Most Business-friendly Province respectively in the Philippines.

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        I think adding a Business Section in a weekly newspaper like the Bicol Mail can never be too late especially if this will open new frontiers and set another milestone in the local press.

        However, in doing so we also realize the difficulty of sustaining the endeavor as it entails additional publishing costs, and the demanding work of putting up a credible and respectable business section every week.

        That is why we continuously persuade our friends in the business community that a business section in this newspaper is peremptory and is an essential medium to refresh the discussion of vital business issues and concerns from their perspective. And it is only logical that they too help underwrite the costs to make it sustainable. Likewise, we do encourage them and our readers to send us their articles/contributions which have relevance to the growth and development of businesses in general, of Bicol. In this manner, it becomes truly a BUSINESS FRONT of business, for business, and by the people in business.

        Finally, we will pursue this noble undertaking in spite our many limitations, because as Goethe puts it, “ Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”

        Let us go forward and be counted. Be a part of the BUSINESS FRONT.