Rey Anthony H. Chiu
TAGBILARAN CITY, July 25 (PIA) --
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-7) reported 10 major
breakthroughs during the the opening of the 11th Regional Sandugo Trade
Expo at the Island City Mall in Tagbilaran City Bohol on July 20.
DTI Regional Director Asteria Caberte
highlighted the government's Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSME) Development
Plan which facilitated the breakthroughs in Central Visayas.
"The MSME development plan as
the platform creates and enabling environment and provides government
support not only to improve MSME access to finance and expand markets access,
but also to strengthen MSME productivity and competitiveness," said
Caberte at the opening ceremonies of the local products expo in Tagbilaran
City.
She said the MSME Development Plan puts
local MSMEs at the forefront and address the problem of poverty
squarely.
Caberte, who hails from Bohol and is
consequently the regional director for the Negros Island Region, added that
that plans help put premium on job generation and bring food o the
table.
In DTI 7, the regional director added
that the streamlining of business regulatory requirements put up in the
Business Permits and Licensing System (BPLS) has reduced cost of doing business
by streamlining bureaucratic processes and pushed for transparency in
transactions.
In Central Visayas, Caberte reported
that 132 local governments have already adopted the BPLS and quickly added that
further improvements can still be made.
In local government partnerships, DTI
has launched 16 Negosyo Centers offering usiness registrations, information,
advisory, trainings and seminars.
She also disclosed that 12 more Negosyo
Centers are up within the second semester of the year, although DTI
Secretary Ramon Lopez has ordered the immediate establishment of such centers
in all major cities and first and 2nd class municipalities here.
In productivity and competitiveness as
well as production efficiency, DTI 7 reports 94 Shared Service facilities
currently established until 2016.
The SSF are common service facilities
to give MSMEs the technology and equipment to leapfrog the products development
and production which require equipment and technology.
She also pointed out the Bottom-Up
Budgeting, for which DTI has seen 25 completed projects and 17 more ongoing,
including community identifies SSF and Negosyo Centers, plus trainings.
DTI also hailed the government's
micro-financing program which gave access to entrepreneurs, which also made
available, with DTI assistance, some P109 million worth of loans in the
region.
Also, a program called Travel Retail
Immersion Program has helped selected MSMEs in the region with their product
development via a design consultant.
The region has developed 55 new product
collections now market-tested at the Mactan International Airport, she
added.
As to consumer rights and protection,
DTI has provided Timbangan ng Bayan to protect consumers from unfair
trade practices relative to weights.
She also cited the Bagwis Awards
program for stores that adhere established service and product standards
in the region.
DTI's roving academy has also brought
to SME programs and services via product design, pricing, packaging, labeling,
and food safety rendered by partner government agencies.
DTI in Central Visayas has consistently
encouraged LGUs to regularly track data and benchmark performance against other
LGUs, cities as a basis for competitiveness scoring on economic dynamism,
government efficiency and infrastructure. (rmn/rac/PIA-7/Bohol)
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