Mayor Celso Lobregat yesterday declared that Zamboanga City is a haven for industrial peace stressing that there has been no labor strike nor was there any labor related problem that has ever caused work stoppage in the city.

“Foremost, I can declare without fear of contradiction that Zamboanga City is a haven for industrial peace. Thousands upon thousands of workers are employed in various mostly private industries in the city, yet hardly can you hear let alone find a labor dispute of uncontrollable scale”, Mayor Celso Lobregat said during the opening of the 1st Zampen Competitiveness Summit at a local hotel Friday.

Since time immemorial Zamboanga City has been enjoying an industrial peace, he said but stressed though that the same is “not a show of passivity on the part of our labor sector neither is this a sign of contentment with what management can barely afford to give its workers”. “This is a tacit example fo labor-management relationship at work. This is industrial peace at work”.

Organized by the Zamboanga City Tripartite Industrial Peace Council in coordination with the Department of Labor-9, Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board-9, the Zampen Competitiveness Council and the city government of Zamboanga, the Competitiveness Summit aimed to heighten awareness amongst policy makers, government, business and labor leaders on the critical importance of productivity, employability and competitiveness as key drivers for economic prosperity.

Mayor Lobregat was also given the opportunity to make a presentation on the topic “Capturing and Enhancing Zamboanga City Competitiveness” where he talked about the local government’s efforts to move Zamboanga City forward, improving work processes to ultimately enrich the quality of life for our citizens and to enhance city competitiveness.

According to the chief executive, sustainable competitive advantage is the focal point of the city’s development strategies emphasizing that his administration continues to work hard to transform Zamboanga into a more attractive city to tourists and investors.

The mayor in his presentation talked lengthily about the city’s competitive advantage as one of the oldest cities in the country that has a rich and colorful history and culture.

One highlight in the presentation was the city’s tag as the Sardines Capital of the Philippines whereby 80% of all canned sardines produced in the country are manufactured in Zamboanga. Todate, there are 11 canning factories operating in Zamboanga and supporting the canning factories are the 4 tin can factories.

Zamboanga is a major producer of dried fish with more than 100 dried fish processors producing more than 40,000 metric tons of dried fish a month and a major producer of seaweeds with 55,898 metric tons production a year.

In terms of industry, Zamboanga is the industrial capital of region 9 with 11 canning factories, 3 coconut oil mills, 3 plywood factories and 4 ship building/repair companies and in terms of services, Zamboanga City is the financial, commercial, education, medical, tourism, transport, convention, sports, communication and de facto regional center Zamboanga Peninsula.

Mayor Lobregat likewise emphasized on the city’s new branding as “Asia’s Latin City” in his presentation.

He expressed elation that amidst the challenging times, new establishments continue to sprout in Zamboanga City and existing ones continue to expand which, he said is a testimony of the business sector’s trust and confidence on the present administration and leadership.

“As the mayor, I am making sure that the government complements and not competes with the private sector, and continue developing a business friendly environment that will promote the growth of legitimate businesses”, he said.

Present during the summit were Ciriaco Lagunzad III, executive director of the National Wages and Productivity Council; Director Ruy Moreno of the National Competitiveness Center, Manila;

Dir. Ponciano Lugatom of DOLE-9; Yahyah Centi- assistant director, DOLE-9 and chairman of the City Tripartite Industrial Peace Council; Jose Suan, Vice chair Regional Tripartite Industrial Peace Council, Edgar Lim- chairman, RTIPC and Competitiveness Council and Engr. George Ledesma, vice chair, RTIPC.

The Summit was themed “Zampen at the Crossroads of Competitiveness; New Challenges, New Opportunities”.