by admin | May 24, 2017 | Headlines
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law for the entire island of Mindanao as of 10PM on May 23, 2017 following terrorist attacks by the Maute group in Marawi City. The Maute group is an ISIS inspired terrorist group that have been trying to gain foothold in the country.
“He (Duterte) has full confidence in the AFP and PNP’s management of the situation,” said Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella in the press conference held in Moscow. The president and some of his cabinet members are in Moscow, Russia for a state visit.
According to Secretary (DFA) Alan Peter Cayetano, the president does not take lightly the declaration of martial law because of the implications to certain industries like tourism.
“But the priority of the President is the safety, the lives and property of people of Mindanao. So he cannot sacrifice the lives of people for any amount of money or any economic reason,” said Cayetano.
AFP Chief of Staff General Eduardo Ano said that at least one police officer was killed and eight soldiers were wounded in the firefight.
“I’m appealing to the residents of Marawi City to stay home, drop on the ground if there are gunshots,” Mamintal Adiong Jr, the governor of the Lanao del Sur province told The Philippine Star newspaper. “They have to lock their doors and gates too.”
Duterte had said on several occasions that he was ready to declare martial law to finish the terrorism threat.
by admin | May 21, 2017 | Headlines
By JUNE S. BLANCO
CABINET Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr. and Rep. Erico Aristotle Aumentado (Bohol, 2nd District) Thursday morning led launching ceremonies of the biography of the former’s friend and the latter’s father at the Fortridge Pavillion in Soculan, Dauis town.
Erico Boyles Aumentado: A Great Boholano Leader is now off the press. Aumentado had invited Evasco to be the guest of honor and speaker. initial copies are sold at the introductory/launching price of only P500, available at the Aumentado museum and residence at New Capitol Heights, this city.
In his message, Evasco said the elder Aumentado is the epitome of good public service. He said he got to know the solon when the latter frequented Davao City in 2001 shepherding selected Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh) employees undergoing training in different aspects of human resources as part of a grant from the Australian Government.
Evasco confessed that it was in one of their meetings there that the solon invited him to return to his hometown of Maribojoc to run as mayor and introduce the kind and brand of development that he has implemented in Davao City.
And, as the saying goes, the rest is history. Evasco completed three terms as mayor of the previously sleepy town before his current stint as Cabinet Secretary of President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
He spelled out his current task in the most basic term as “coordinator” of the rest of the secretaries in order to put their acts together to benefit the most number of Filipinos.
For their part, authors Bingo Dejaresco and Ben Cal gave anecdotes on their personal experiences with the former governor.
Granddaughter and passer of the 2016 bar examinations Jiselle Rae Aumentado-Villamor bared her life with her grandfather. She said he was doting on her, but assumed a strict and no-nonsense façade as her boss.
Aumentado the son was the elder Aumentado;s chief of staff. As such, he had direct experience as front liner in following up funding from different agencies. Into his own terms now, he followed up his father’s contacts, established rapport, and again, the rest is history.
For her part, Aumentado matriarch Grenie said she was deeply moved on hearing directly from those affected that her husband had touched their lives in so many ways..
by admin | May 20, 2017 | DTI Updates, Photo Story
RENEWED TIES, RENEWABLE ENERGY – Gov. Edgar M. Chatto, hosts a special dinner for the German Ambassador to the Philippines, His Excellency, Gordon Kricke, together with the German community in Bohol. With the Ambassador are WeGen Chairman/Founder Michael Saalfeld, WeGen CEO, Pres. and Co-Founder Julito “Sarge” Sarmiento, WeGen COO Cecilia Dalupan, WeGen CFO Lorenzo Tan, WeGen Laudato Si Managing Director Jun Cruz, WeGen Bohol Managing Director MGen (ret.) Carlos Holganza, and NGC VP for SPUG Ed Veloso.WeGen, formerly known as Merica Energy, is a transformative new business that takes advantage of rapidly advancing distributed and renewable energy developments, battery storage and software technologies for a range of applications – for homes and small businesses, to large industrial and commercial properties, and even entire islands. The company aims to make more sustainable energy solutions in the Asia Pacific Region. With the governor are First Lady and Balilihan Mayor Pureza Veloso Chatto, 1st Dist Cong. Rene R. Relampagos, SEEM Cluster Head Liza M. Quirog, and Board Members Benjie Arcamo and Jade Acapulco Bautista.
by admin | May 20, 2017 | DTI Updates, Headlines, Negosyo Center Updates
TAGBILARAN CITY, May 18, (PIA)–The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) completes its two programs dealing with helping micro small and medium enterprises (MSMsE) hand holding them to sustain and link with other available help to sustain them and upscale into a better surviving industry.
This as the DTI brings to Bohol its second micro, small and medium enterprise retooling programs with 25 entrepreneurs availing of the Kapatid Mentor Me Program (KMMP).
Next to its Small Medium Enterprise Development Roving Academy (SMEDRA), which was launched in Bohol years back, the DTI brings this mentoring program that aims to get to the 95% of the economy which is the micro industries, according to DTI 7 Regional Director Asteria Caberte, during a press con after launching the program here at the Metrocenter Hotel, May 17.
The KMMP started as a joint under taking of the DTI Go Negosyo and aims to usher in an entrepreneurial mindset by linking the micro, small medium enterprises (MSMEs) to large enterprises in a symbiotic supply and demand relationship.
Top achieve this linkages, MSMEs should be provided with capacity buildings as well as access to technology, consultations by business elders and financing.
These include the conduct of trainings, seminars, one -n one mentoring sessions, business matching and other capacity building activities that ate all geared towards the successful integration of the MSMEs into the thriving industry clusters, DTI said.
This means the program can help MSMEs scale up their businesses through regular coaching and mentorship by business owners and practitioners on the various functional areas of entrepreneurships.
In Bohol, 25 MSMEs short listed by the 7 Negosyo Centers here enrolled in the province’s first batch of KMMP, an even bigger number of MSMEs taking the long queue just to get to the free program, said Marisol Balistoy, DTI Bohol caretaker.
The 95% micro economies often do not survive and they get lost because they do not always get the help they need and nobody helps them, SME Development Adviser Engr. Merly Cruz added.
in fact of the 95%, 99.2% are micro and small industries whose survival rate is hardly 50%, she pointed out.
These micro and small industries are the potential suppliers of the micro processes for large industries for their future processes, Cruz who used to be DTI assistant secretary said.
The country is so keen on helping these MSMEs because they create 2 or every 3 new jobs, and sustaining it even for its job generation strategy, could already mean significant improvements in the economy, Cruz hinted.
With the KMMP, they can hopefully expand their network, if they have financing problems, the KMMP brings the micro-financiers to them, mentors them on the access to markets, new technologies, business adviser or critic and supply matching.
At the Bohol launch, Caberte said they invited 300 MSMEs to join the 25 MSMEs in the first two KMMP sessions, of which over 350 business owners and operators came.
During the first two sessions, the DTI brought in topics on Entrepreneurial Mind Setting and Values Formation with mentor Rey Calooy founder and CEO of RNC Marketing, while local business icons Emgr Arnold Labunog of Jojie’s Bakeshop and Dr Ed Escalona owner of Our DeliBread came in to inspire the entrepreneurs.
Also in during the launching and initial sessions was Henry Tenedero who talked about Marketing. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
Marketing mentor Henry Tenedero and PCE Visayas dean Virgilio Espeleta dished out free business advice to over 350 Bohol MSM entrepreneurs gathered during the free sessions of the opening modules of the Kapatid mentor me program in Bohol. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
by admin | May 20, 2017 | Headlines
TAGBILARAN CITY, May 19, (PIA)–For their resilience to global economic meltdowns, a former senior official at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) sees helping micro small and medium enterprises important to galvanize world economies.
During the press conference after launching the Kapatid Mentor Me Program of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Negosyo Centers (NC), Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE) and the Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), former DTI undersecretary for regional operations Merly Cruz hinted that small capitalization allows them to easily recoup.
Big businesses have bigger capitalization and in an economic crisis, they lose big and somtimes could not recover. leading to closing shop.
Cruz, who came to Bohol in a new hat; PCE adviser in the development of MSME also came with PCE Central Visayas dean and Boholano Virgilio Espeleta brought along with them two more business mentors who spoke to over 350 Boholano entrepreneurs gathered for the launching of the Kapatid Mentor Me Program (KMMP), the first mentoring program to help MSMEs here.
Even mentors Rey Calooy founder and Chief Executive officer of the RNC Marketing and Henry PCE Tenedero agree with Cruz that a move to integrate support to MSMEs would be the best move the country would ever take with the opening of world markets and the integration of economies.
Cruz pointed out that 95% of the economy are MSMEs, while 99.2% of the MSMEs who provide 2 out of three new employments are basically small and micro industries.
These micro and small enterprises do not always survive, she said pointing out only about 50% of them surviving while the rest fall off and get lost.
To help these MSMEs get past the initial stages and scale up, the government brings in to Bohol the KMMP, which allows Boholano entrepreneurs the help of a pool of 26 to 28 mentors from industry clusters as yet, that could lend advise and technologies to help these young entrepreneurs stand sturdy, said PCE Visayas Virgilio Espeleta.
The PCE has provided the mentors in coordination with the local chambers of commerce and industry, in as much as the DTI which is the most strategic agency to convened the KMMP would have a difficult time tapping the mentors.
While DTI is good, there is something wanting in its system, admits former Usec Cruz.
Here, as the new views coming out from the private sector, the PCE sits in the most appropriate position to traffic the fusion of strengths, the former regional operations chief of DTI and now the MSME development guru explained.
Keeping the achievement in bringing the mentoring program to Bohol entrepreneurs, DTI Regional Director Asteria Caberte finds it her personal opportunity to usher in something revolutionary.
While the KMMP has already started two batches of mentoring courses in Cebu, the Bohol opening is another huge opportunity for local entrepreneurs to gain knowledge and skills to build sturdier investments, said Marisol Balistoy.
Many see the move as game changing trailblazing step in Bohol.
To Cruz however, Bohol’s trailblazing is nothing new, when she witnessed how Bohol has gone leaps and bounds in the recent years, starting with its environmental advocacy in sustainable ecotourism and development. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
Former DTI director for regional operations Merly Cruz and DTI Regional Director Asteria Caberte believes that supporting the micro and small entrepreneurs can help sustain the job generation capacity of the country and makes the economy more resilient. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
