by admin | Mar 19, 2016 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
Senatorial candidate Panfilo Lacson inducted the newly elected Board of Trustees of the Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry during their regular monthly meeting held at the Be Grand Resort in Panglao, Bohol on March 18, 2016. Lacson presented to the board his advocacy called “BRAVE” which is essentially a proposal on how to make the national budget legislation become more inclusive to far flung municipalities.
The former police chief presented a trend in the national budget situation where a significant portion of the budget ends up unspent at the end of the year. Lacson proposes that this perennially unspent budget would be better allocated as additional development funds for the local government units throughout the country.
After his presentation, the chamber trustees engage Lacson in an open forum where he emphasized his position against corruption. Lacson is known for not using his pork barrel allocation or the PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) at the same time he is calling for its abolition. The PDAF controversy in 2013 exposed the systematic corruption done using the PDAF as a means to extract money out of the national treasury.
Lacson also clarified that the Yolanda relief donations from other countries did not go into the national treasury but were spend directly by the donor countries through NGOs and volunteers. However, he said that the country was not able to utilize most of the funds because of delayed implementation of rehabilitation efforts part of which would have been funded by the foreign donations.
Engr. Al Uy, President of the BCCI, presided over the meeting. Two new members from tricycle operator and driver’s association were inducted into the chamber membership.
Senatorial candidate Panfilo Lacson (left) inducted the newly elected BCCI board of trustees.
by admin | Mar 16, 2016 | Local News / Bohol Balita
The Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) and Board of Investments (BOI) presented to the Filipino-American Chamber of Commerce of Silicon Valley (FACCSV) the opportunities for trade and investment in the Philippines during the Trade and Industry Briefing held recently at the DTI International Building in Makati City.
DTI Undersecretary for Industry Development Group (IDG) and BOI Managing Head Ceferino S. Rodolfo welcomed the delegation led by FACCSV President Anne Orozco-Ramirez. FCCCSV sought to explore the trade and investment opportunities the country has to offer.
Rodolfo discussed about the recent developments that make the Philippines an attractive investment destination, such as increased infrastructure spending and human resource development. He also highlighted the country’s overall trade strategy.
This briefing is one way to know the perceptions of Filipinos outside the country and what more can be done to encourage more investments into the country,” he said.
EMB Director Senen M. Perlada talked about the Philippine-US trade opportunities, drawing the delegation’s attention to the benefits of tariff preferences given to the Philippines by the US under its Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).
“Take a look at Philippine produced Halal- and Kosher-certified products as well as organic products which are in-demand in the US,” Perlada urged the delegation.
On the other hand, Lanie O. Dormiendo, Officer-in-Charge (OIC) from the BOI International Investments Promotion Service discussed the investment climate opportunities in the Philippines.
The business mission aimed to find business opportunities and partners in the Philippines particularly in the sectors of real estate, retirement facilities, coconut products, healthcare, and indigenous products.
Other sectors the delegation was exploring include wireless home security devices, cosmetics and skin care products, business process management, renewable energy, and new farming technology.
For more information on the services of the DTI, log-on to http://www.dti.gov.ph
by admin | Mar 12, 2016 | Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
The Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry held its annual general assembly on March 11, 2016 at the Metrocentre Hotel in Tagbilaran City. The chamber elected its board of trustees for the year 2016 during the assembly. The trustees for the year 2016 will call a special board meeting to elect the officers.
This year’s theme is “Empowering the Boholano Entrepreneur: From Bohol to the World” in line with the ASEAN integration that will impact the business environment not only the Bohol but throughout the ASEAN member countries.
The officers and members of the BCCI at the General Assembly held on March 11, 2016.
Bohol Governor Edgar M. Chatto, addressed the chamber and lauded it for its active participation in the various programs of the provincial government. Chatto highlighted the Coordinating Roads and Infrastructure Investments for Development (CR+ID) projects which is spearheaded by the BCCI and has become a model for planning of roads development in the country.
Department of Trade and Industry Region 7 Director Asteria Caberte delivered the good news to the chamber that the country has made a lot of economic gains in the past years. The Philippines has been consistently growing at a rate of about 6% per year even with the uncertainty affecting the region. The country also has gained several upgrades in investment ratings by various rating agencies.
At present, DTI is at the forefront of developing Negosyo Centers throughout the country. At present, there are 2 Negosyo Centers in Bohol, one at DTI provincial office and the other at the Capitol building at the Bohol Investment Promotions Center.
In the open forum, Director Caberte was asked about the impact of the ASEAN integration in terms of our agriculture industry. Caberte said that certain sectors, especially in agriculture, are still protected by tariff in the ASEAN integration. She acknowledged that we need to be more competitive as a country to be successful and take advantage of the larger marketplace in the ASEAN region.
The casting of ballots for the 2016 board of trustees was followed by a fellowship dinner and a raffle.
The 2016 BCCI Board of Trustees are as follows: Engr. Albert Uy, Mr. Argeo Melisimo, Mr. John Yap, Atty. Lucas Nunag, Ms. Helena Antonieta Veloso, Mr. Reginald Ong, Mayor Ma. Pureza Chatto, Mr. Steven Lim, Mr. Warren Yap, Mr. Norris Oculam, Mr. Jesus Quipit, Atty. Antonio Amora Jr., Mr. Peter Dejaresco, Ms. Marietta Gasatan, Mr. Dominic Butalid, Engr. Victor Bantol and Mr. Jerome Auza.
by admin | Mar 12, 2016 | Local News / Bohol Balita, Tech Talk
By: Zion Campo
Last Saturday, March 12, BICTC held another tech initiative to help the Boholano community grow into a vibrant ecosystem.
Writeshop, a writing workshop where Boholanos can get advice on how to create a basic business/startup proposal by community members that have done it before was spearheaded by local volunteers.
The attendees were taught how to be concise and memorable in their proposal. The participants were also encouraged to join the 4th Ideaspace Competition.
Speakers around Bohol were invited to mentor the participants. Mark Phillips, cofounder of Gwion (a local tech startup) along with her wife, Jo Phillips talked about business proposals. Mark, who has 19 years of Technology and Finance industry experience has designed and developed architectures for leading investment and Retail Banks across the world. He is also developing a new concept for the Financial Services industry using leading products and innovative technologies.
While Vierna Ligan, DTI’s Planning Officer of the Department of Trade and Industry – Bohol walked the contestants through Ideaspace’s Application Form.
DTI-Bohol has supported efforts in the province on uplifting innovation and startup mentality through DTI’s implemented projects such as Makerfest, BHLi2i and the Fablab Bohol.
BICTC Chairman Ms. Lai Biliran also presented a little bit of what Bohol ICT Council has been working on and the local tech community in Bohol.
Resource person Mark Phillips, cofounder of Gwion, a local startup, pose with the participants to the Writeshop event.
by admin | Mar 12, 2016 | Local News / Bohol Balita, Tech Talk
By:Zion Campo
This coming April, Bohol will have its second Startup Weekend and another big step into promoting Bohol as a prime competitive innovation hub.
The tech community is slowly and surely starting to grow into its own and with the influx of attendees, sponsors and mentors for this coming Startup Weekend Bohol 2, it just proves that us Boholanos are committed to change.
But what exactly is Startup Weekend Bohol all about?
In a gist, Startup Weekend Bohol is a 54-hour event that promotes the spirit of entrepreneurship, collaboration, and innovation in its affected community. But behind the fancy schmancy words, there’s a whole lot of hustle that needs to be done. After all, you’re starting a business in just 3 days!
We’ll outline a little bit about what happens during the event in this article, so here goes:
The Fire Pitch
After the registration, the Startup Weekend attendees are all given the chance to take center stage! The fire pitch round begins. Everyone in the area will be asked to pitch their idea. If you don’t want to pitch, then that’s totally fine but for those who do, they only have a minute to describe what their startup idea is all about.
It’s quick, it’s somewhat nerve wracking but it’s totally worth it.
Once the last of the fire pitches are done, the elimination round begins.
You’re Idea Isn’t Worthless, People Just Don’t Understand It
The elimination round is probably the most brutal phase in Startup Weekend Bohol. You come to Startup Weekend Bohol thinking that your idea is different, world changing, something people will all love but when the votes prove otherwise, that utter depressing feeling sinks in seeing that there isn’t one vote, one single vote on your startup idea.
It’s around this round where the best ideas get chosen and the ones that people can’t connect to get lost in the sea of just ideas. But even though if your idea isn’t picked, there’s still a chance that it gets to the next around if you have enough people rallying to support your idea despite the number of votes it gets.
And for those ideas that didn’t get a chance to go into the next round, don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world for you. Your idea might not have been just understood by people or maybe, just maybe, it really isn’t a great idea as much as you think it is.
After the elimination round, it’s time to find your team.
People Pitching
After you’ve pitched your idea, now it’s time to pitch people to help you with your idea.
Thinking about an idea is easy, finding people to help you execute your idea is hard, very hard.
This is where most people fail, a good idea can only come a long way without a good team. You need to find a well rounded team, a designer, a hustler, and a developer. That’s probably the three core people your team needs to have if you want to win Startup Weekend Bohol or to start any business at all. We encourage you to work with other people, not with your friends. It will be a good learning experience when it comes to hiring people for your startup.
The Weekend
Now this is where all the hustling and thinking happens.
After you’ve formed a team, it is now time to sit, deliberate and execute. There is a whole lot of things that happen during a Startup Weekend (the first night is already crazy).
You think about the market, the possible prototype, the business model, the design, how would you sell it, if your idea truly is needed by people. All these things you need to work on in a short span of time.
Validating your idea is probably the number one thing you should do. Go out and talk to customers. Come back and and work on the feedback you’ve gathered. The ones that typically win Startup Weekend are the ones that have gone out, received feedback and improved their idea.
So, don’t hesitate to get down and dirty with your customers. Ask questions. Dig deeper. Because at the end of the day, your product is useless if people won’t actually buy it.
Prototypes and Practice Pitches
Do I need a prototype?
Well, a good working prototype does add something, it shows that this team can execute! But a good pitch without a prototype can still stand on its own.
Working prototypes prove that your team knows how to get things done, how to turn ideas into real things people can actually use. So you might want to consider that too!
Don’t forget to practice your pitch though! Pitching is the art of selling your idea and if you aren’t able to properly sell your idea to your judges, how will you be able to sell your idea to your customers. So, practice practice practice.
No need to memorize every single detail. Just make sure you have a good flow of things. Make your pitch clear!
The Final Showdown
It’s finally here!
The 54 hour weekend is final over!
The Final Pitching Showdown is where all your hard work will be showcased. The sweat and stress of working on a startup is finally over.
Remember, nobody goes home a loser.
Joining Startup Weekend Bohol is already a big win for you. Not everybody takes the risk of going out there and getting stuff done. According to Henry David Thoreau, most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.
What Thoreau said is true. We all want to change the world, but only few actually do something to change it.
Let Startup Weekend Bohol be one of your stepping stones to changing the world, or maybe, just something for you to enjoy. There’s a lot of good people to make friends with, and it is truly an experience.
So, what to expect during Startup Weekend Bohol?
Talented people and inspiring world changers, a fun exciting environment, and a great dose of infectious entrepreneurial spirit.
Startup Weekend Bohol is on April 15-17.
If you would still like to support Startup Weekend Bohol 2, contact us at bohol@startupweekend.org for further details. For those interested in participating at the event, buy your tickets at www.swb2.eventbrite.com!
See you there!
by admin | Mar 5, 2016 | Local News / Bohol Balita, Tech Talk
By Zion Campo
I remember somebody once said that Boholanos are average people but with above average talents.
And I’m pretty sure it’s true and the students from Holy Name University are just few of those people who exhibit these above average talents.
Last March 3, students from Holy Name University engineering department held an event in BQ Mall where they showcased their projects.
These innovations range from a mobile application that searches for the shortest path from a user’s location to a hotel or gasoline station within Tagbilaran City to a computer vision technology that is capable of collecting vehicle count, density and processing results of traffic congestion.
There’s also a Dora the Explorer-inspired hackpack prototype that alarms whenever someone attempts to steal something from your bag.
These are just few of the awesome things Boholanos are able to create. And this coming Startup Weekend we’re looking for these kind of people to develop their simple ideas to world changing world class startups!
You don’t have to be techie, all you need is the guts to go out there and do something.
If you want to join Startup Weekend Bohol 2, you can purchase a ticket at www.swb2.eventbrite.com. Early bird rate ends this March 7!!!
