Davao City, Philippines – Asked about the need for innovation, Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry President John Carlo Tria responded to reporters, saying that innovation will definitely help businesses survive and recover given the new normal operating environment emerging in response to the COVID 19 pandemic.
“The major response to new normal and new operating environment is innovation, as new challenges in the market, and remain profitable under new operating conditions as we recover from and maintain precautions amid the COVID 19 pandemic,” says Tria.
“For example, some Davao companies have gone online to promote and sell their products and services” he noted, citing the rise in restaurants now on social media and mobile apps, and hotels like Marco Polo have begun offering their menu for takeout,” Tria added.
In the real estate sector, designs of real estate developments, Tria said, are also catering to the need for connected, integrated living.
In an online forum hosted by real estate group Prime Philippines last Friday, Tria noted that, “I think new township developments that integrate residential, commercial and institutional facilities like supermarkets, hospitals, offices, and schools [are] like the ones that buyers will take a good look at.”
Even the Department of Agriculture has begun innovating, Tria said, noting how Under DA’s Plant Plant Plant Program or Ahon Lahat, Pagkain Sapat (ALPAS) Kontra COVID-19, the upscaled Kadiwa features three platforms that cater to the different needs of consumers, namely: Kadiwa Retail, Kadiwa On Wheels, and Kadiwa Online.
“Innovation sometimes means making changes in the way we do business to ensure the survival and recovery. As a chamber we commit to help companies innovate through the innovation programs we are doing with the Department of Trade and Industry through the Regional Inclusive Innovation Center,” he said.
