The monthly General Membership Meeting of the Palau Chamber of Commerce (PCOC), a non-profit organization representing the Private Sector of Palau, took place on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, at the Palau Community College Assembly Hall.
PCOC welcomed 75 members and guests to discuss current business matters that concern the Members of the Organization and heard from the invited special guest speakers of the day.
The Palau Chamber of Commerce invites a different guest speaker each month to speak at its general membership meeting, not only to inform but to discuss with the members the current major issues affecting the business community in Palau.
For September 2021’s meeting, PCOC invited Honorable Minister Ngiraibelas Tmetuchl, Minister of Human Resources, Culture, Tourism and Development (MHRCTD) for the Republic of Palau and his Team at the Ministry, particularly Director Terralyn Sairong Nabeyama from Bureau of Human Resources, Director Sunny Ngirmang from Bureau of Culture, and Palau Visitors Authority Managing Director Kadoi Ruluked.
The guest speakers touched on many different important topics, but the main takeaway of the presentations is, that the Private Sector in Palau needs the support of the Government with business friendly labor laws and regulations to help the economy to survive, to thrive and to bring this small island country forward. The Ministry will take into consideration the comments provided by the Palau Chamber of Commerce, particularly regarding the current Labor Rules and Regulations that do not attest to any amnesty program especially with concerns regarding the processing and timeline of needed work permits, where transfers are treated like new permits.
Palau Visitors Authority outlined the events for the upcoming weeks and invited the Members of the PCOC to participate at the Night Markets and at the October 1st Celebrations for the 27th Independence Day of the Republic of Palau. He agreed that PCOC members are, of course, welcome to use the booths on both sides of the JP Bridge if they wish to join the other vendors selling food and beverage items during the events.
The Palau Chamber of Commerce wishes to continue the conversation about the above- mentioned topics with the Ministry of Human Resources, Culture, Tourism and Development (MHRCTD) for the Republic of Palau, and for the sake of economic recovery to create a strong foundation and partnership with the Ministry and its Bureaus.