CEBU CITY – A Cebu CEO Survey 2026, conducted by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) in partnership with PwC Philippines revealed confidence and optimism among businessmen here for an upbeat revenue growth but expressed mixed sentiments in ease and cost of doing business.
Survey results said, a remarkable 84 percent of Cebu CEOs are confident about their companies' revenue growth over the next 12 months, with optimism rising to 87 percent for a three-year outlook. This positive sentiment underscores a robust commitment to overcoming the previous year's challenges and fostering regional prosperity.
The Cebu’s business community is entering 2026 with a renewed sense of optimism and resilience. Following a year marked by significant calamities, business leaders are prioritizing recovery, expansion, and long-term sustainable growth.
“Our business leaders want a stronger and more resilient Cebu to emerge from a calamitous year. We aim to drive growth that redounds to our fellow Sugbuanons and the rest of Central Visayas. This is the business community doing its part to uplift our province and our region,” CCCI president Jay Yuvallos said.
Yuvallos noted that the business community’s optimism is largely shaped by a collective commitment to drive recovery, following the spate of disasters that battered Cebu province last year. The latest Cebu CEO Survey reports an upbeat outlook amid subdued global confidence.
Roderick Danao, Chairman and Senior Partner at Isla Lipana & Co./PwC Philippines, also highlighted that Cebu's resilient business community is leveraging its strengths, such as its prominent position in tourism, infrastructure, and the growing IT and business process management (BPM) sectors.
This, combined with a strong commitment to rebuilding public trust, further fuels the region's optimism for the year ahead. “Cebu CEOs uphold a buoyant outlook as the wider Visayas pursues tourism recovery, accelerates infrastructure, and deepens its niche in the IT and BPM sectors,” Danao noted.
The survey also reports mixed sentiments in the ease and cost of doing business, with Cebu top executives particularly expressing moderate satisfaction at 34 percent in securing business permits and 33 percent in vehicle registration.
Cebu CEOs, however, believe there is room for improvement in several key areas. They specifically hope to see more transparent decision‑making processes for transactions and requests, more professional conduct in dealings with government representatives, and more reasonable and streamlined documentary requirements.
When assessing government agency performance,
the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) emerged with the highest
satisfaction rating of 50 percent, followed by the Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC) at 39 percent, and the Social Security System (SSS) at 36
percent.
Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) were highlighted as agencies in need of substantial improvement to ease the overall business experience in Cebu.
The survey finds that 96 percent of Cebu CEOs are implementing sustainable practices, most of which target resource efficiency and cost savings, such as reduced energy use at 80 percent; recycling and reusing materials, 76 percent and improved waste collection systems, 51 percent.
Despite the widespread adoption of sustainability measures, only 52 percent measure their financial impact. For those who do, 95 percent use cost reduction or savings as the primary metric. Financial constraints remain the top barrier to sustainability, with upfront investments and high transition costs delaying its integration in business strategy.
CCCI Treasurer and Trustee Aldie Garcia, also Vice Chairman and Assurance Managing Partner at PwC Philippines, emphasized that Cebu’s optimism is rooted in its collective ambition to move forward and adapt. He stressed that enhancing public-private partnerships is crucial for accelerating shared progress.
“For Cebu to be truly competitive, government institutions must be strengthened so that they can transform regulations and policy directions from barriers into enablers. Cebu has a community of business leaders committed to rise and embrace change. As businesses scale innovation and invest in the future, stronger government institutions will help drive sustainable growth for the region,” Garcia said.
The survey findings reflect Cebu's readiness to adapt, innovate, and invest in sustainable growth, with business leaders at the forefront of this effort. As the province seeks to recover from its recent setbacks, the Cebu business community is poised to lead the charge in shaping the future of the Visayas, focusing on long-term sustainability, infrastructure development, and digital transformation.
The Cebu CEO Survey 2026 was conducted between January 10 and February 11, 2026 to gathering insights from 107 business leaders, majority of respondents were CEOs and Presidents, with other positions like Chairpersons, Managing Partners, and Directors rounding out the pool.
The survey captures perspectives across various
sectors, with the largest proportion of respondents representing medium-sized
businesses (assets between PHP 15,000,001 and PHP 100,000,000) at 39 percent. Industry
representation includes infrastructure, real estate, wholesale distribution,
and technology, each contributing about 10 percent of the responses. (Photos: CCCI)
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