by admin | Mar 16, 2017 | DTI Updates
DTI Bohol conducted a “Seminar on the Updates of Product Standards and Regulations” to the 35 members of the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) – Bohol Chapter last Saturday, March 11, 2017 at JJ’s Seafoods Village, K of C Drive, Gallares Avenue, Tagbilaran City.
The seminar was aimed at (1) informing Boholano Architects on R.A. 4109 otherwise known as the Philippine Standardization Law and its pertinent implementing rules and regulations; (2) raising awareness on Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS) Certification Schemes – PS Mark and Import Commodities Clearance (ICC) as well as Mandatory Products under the BPS Certification Scheme; and (3) instilling standards and quality consciousness among architects in the practice of their profession. .
DTI BPO Consumer Advocacy and Education (CAE) Officer, TIDS Miguel C. Abuyabor, was the resource speaker of the seminar. Negosyo Center Bohol Counsellor Maribel R. Arbasto was also present to facilitate the activity and talk about the services of DTI Negosyo Center.
Members of UAP Bohol Chapter have expressed their thanks to DTI Bohol for the very fruitful activity and are looking forward to a seminar on PCAB Accreditation in the next months. UAP focal person, Archt. Ronald Jose T. Malanog also expressed his hopes for a more strengthened partnership with DTI in consumer welfare and protection.
by admin | Mar 14, 2017 | DTI Updates
The Department of Trade and Industry through its Go Lokal! store project showcased outstanding Filipino products from 18 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) during the ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting (AEM) Retreat and Related Meetings last March 8-10 in Pasay City, Manila.
“This is the first time we showcased Go Lokal! products through an exhibit. We hope to showcase more of these globally competitive products of our MSMEs from the regions in the succeeding ASEAN-related events. We see that this is the best time to feature our products to our ASEAN neighbors,” said DTI Secretary Ramon M. Lopez.
Products sourced from various MSMEs in the country include fashion accessories, bags, and home decors. DTI is expected to showcase more of the Go Lokal! products in the upcoming 30th ASEAN Summit in April and at the 31st ASEAN Summit in November.
Go Lokal! is a design-led concept store showcasing modern and indigenous quality products crafted, designed, and created by innovative Philippine micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). It can be found in consumer-frequented locations as a mainstream distribution channel for world-class products while offering value for money to the Filipino consumer.
Go Lokal! is a public-private collaboration initiated by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) serving also as incubation, marketing, and branding platform for the best of Philippine MSME products including the next gen One Town One Product (OTOP) offerings.
“With Go Lokal, we would like to maximize the growing domestic consumer market. Through this, we are also helping our MSMEs in mainstreaming their products,” explained DTI Undersecretary for Industry Promotion Group Nora K. Terrado.
At present, the DTI’s Go Lokal! has signed memorandum of agreements (MOAs) with the country’s chain of malls such as Robinsons Department Store and DoubleDragon’s CityMall. For the growing tourism industry, it has also signed with Enchanted Kingdom through its Agila Theater’s Pugad Souvenir Shop. Go Lokal! is one of the many projects of DTI in providing market access to micro entrepreneurs across the country.
DTI wishes to partner with more private sector entities such as ports and top tourists destinations in the Philippines for the said project. The Go Lokal! Project is part of the One Town, One Project (OTOP) program of DTI.
by admin | Mar 14, 2017 | DTI Updates, National News, World
The Department of Trade and Industry’s Consumer Protection Group (DTI-CPG) joins other member organizations of the Consumers International (CI) from different countries in the celebration of the World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) on 15 March 2017.
The Consumer Protection and Advocacy Bureau (CPAB), under the DTI-CPG, in coordination with the Consumers International (CI), holds a half-day Consumer Forum on 15 March, from 1:00PM to 5:00PM at the Robinsons Galleria Activity Area in commemoration of the WCRD.
The WCRD is an annual occasion which marks the day when the late US President John F. Kennedy formally addressed the issue of consumer rights on 15 March 1962 at the US Congress. It provides an opportunity to raise global awareness about consumer rights which must be protected and respected at all times.
This year’s celebration theme is “Building a Digital World Consumers can Trust”, which pushes for
better digital access, security, understanding and redress.
The forum topics include E-Commerce Business Ethics and Trends in Online Shopping, Tips to Avoid Online Shopping Fraud and Scam and Promotion and Development of E-Commerce in the Philippines.
The keynote message will be delivered by DTI-CPG Undersecretary Atty. Teodoro C. Pascua, while the forum speakers are Director Mark Joseph Panganiban of the Digital Commerce Association of the Philippines (DCOM), Inc.; Supervising Agent Martini Cruz of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and Division Chief Maria Crispina S. Reodica of the DTI-E-Commerce Office.
The DTI-CPAB has invited participants from micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), consumers, academe, youth, DTI employees, LGU and other government agencies to attend the event.
Undersecretary Pascua asserts, “Through the Forum, the Department aims to create and promote a reliable digital economy that consumers can depend on without having to worry about their safety and security”.
“Aside from prioritizing the rights of the consumers, the DTI-CPG particularly identifies the Filipino students, as millennials, to actively participate in the advocacy program for consumers to understand their rights and to exercise them”, Undersecretary Pascua adds.
The Department intends to educate students on their privileges as consumers knowing that they are more likely to engage in many online transactions and be involved in e-commerce activities.
For the forum, the DTI-CPAB invited the contest winners of the “Tanghalang Pangmamimili” that was conducted by the DTI’s Regional Office of CALABARZON (Region-IVA) to show their winning performances.
The Tanghalang Pangmamimili is a competition among CALABARZON students that happens every October in celebration of the Consumer Welfare Month. It is a stage play wherein students perform situations that consumers face concerning their rights and responsibilities.
In line with this, the DTI-CPAB will formally launch its “Dulaang Mamimili”, a nationwide contest in order to influence the youth, especially students, to become more aware of their rights and responsibilities and use them.
by admin | Mar 11, 2017 | Kontra Droga, Kontra Terorismo, Major Events, Police Reports
TAGBILARAN CITY, March 11, (PIA)—So what’s with a woman in the elite police force?
There must have something that toughened this frail girl in a brood of four from a remote barangay in Buenavista, Bohol to let her squeeze through hardships as they fall one by one the moment she wears the bulletproof vest of prayer and determination.
The name Arlene Manatad is just like any ordinary Boholano name.
At 27, and a single parent to an 8 year old girl, this innocent looking face and disarming smile is a woman’s taser. But her normal build masks a core toughness that makes Arlene Manatad a name whispered among the elites of Bohol police force.
She has just crossed over the fence of the frail woman image to be honored as the first and only woman member of the elite police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team in Bohol.
Said to be the toughest test of physical fitness and agility, mental and spiritual strength among elite police officer’s trainings, SWAT commissioning have been notoriously called the most physically rigorous and mentally straining activity for 77 days of police life.
But for Police Officer 2 Manatad, the pain and the strain are just hurdles towards her determined goal to bring the woman earn its rightful equal footing, with the men.
Born on June 4, 1989 as the youngest in a brood of four, three of them boys, Arlene traces her playgrounds in remote barangay in Lusong, Buenavista town. Their father works as the barangay captian and sallies back and forth with works at the National Grid Corporation while her mother does the child rearing and the housework.
For her, being alone to fend off for herself is never new: she has to walk from her barangay to the nearby elementary school in Lubang, and to stay in a boarding house in Getafe for her secondary schools. By the time she was ripe for college, she opted to sail across to Cebu and studied Bachelor of Science major in Criminology at the University of Cebu. Alone.
A class mate in college, whom she would have to be forced to marry, got her pregnant. Four days after her marriage, her husband left them and would show up again later in her life.
When ladies of less temper would have surrendered to the bad fate, she continued her school while nursing the baby and keeping them eating square meals in economically challenging Cebu.
By December 1, 2010, she was accepted in the police force after passing the board, at that time, her estranged husband showed up to seek favors, but having survived after he abandoned them, she has had enough.
Her first assignment was at the Cebu Provincial Police Office, but desk work bores her that she decided to barge into the world of men in the police force: the Regional Public Safety Battalion.
There she showed what a woman can do in a world dominated by testosterone: become intelligence chief among Alpha ones.
To prove she still has a fight left in her, she jumped into the chance to train into the anti-insurgency police force: the PNP Scouts.
Along with 2000 at the trainings, Arlene was said to be the youngest but was the source of inspiration among women in the training camp.
“I was the youngest but I hand to be the mother taking care of the women who feel too tired to go on,” she beamed.
For that, she said she felt lucky to be among the 264 police officers accepted.
And that plus her precise operational skills endeared her to the elder SWAT: she was often borrowed to infiltrate anti-drug and anti- crime ring operations.
After completing years of meritorious service for Cebu, PO2 Arlene requested for transfer, where the SWAT and RPSB take turns using her skill and intelligence gathering skills in operations, enough to push her to finally officially join the SWAT training in Bohol.
Of the 4 women in the 72 who started training in November, PO2 Manatad flew through the hurdles, grimacing but the pain paid off when she finished among the top ten in a graduating class of 64.
“The training was hard but what was harder was when my father left us and my mother for another woman in 2012,” she bared.
But, if it had to happen, it should, she finally hinted.
Already whetted by the abrasive stones of trails, the acid test of endurance in trainings and the firm resolve to fight it out; nails and teeth, when life hands a dirty deal, living as a woman, mother and a crime-buster for PO2 Arlene Manatad has always been a multi-tasking feat.
“Of course, life is tough, she hints, but with the playing fields now expanding for women to get on the arena, all one needs is to commit to the tasks at hand and never give up,” she advised.
“As women, we should never be afraid to stand for our rights,” she stressed.
We are not alone. We have agencies that are there to help us, she capped.
That statement etched an image in our minds, “fix eyes to the target, breathe, relax, aim and shoot.”
It could have been PO2 Manatad’s unspoken motto.
She is an undisputed sharpshooter, co SWAT graduates proudly told us. (rac/PIA-7/Bohol)
Fixing the eyes to the crosshairs, breathe, relax, aim, squeeze and shoot. PO2 Arlene Manatad shares what being a woman is in a world brimming with testosterone. (rac/PIA-7/Bohol)
by admin | Mar 7, 2017 | DTI Updates, Photo Story
NEW CHINESE TRADE MINISTER MARKS FIRST OFFICIAL VISIT TO PHL. On his first official visit to the Philippines, China’s newly-appointed Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) Minister Zhong Shan (R) met with the Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez (L) on 7 March in Makati during the 28th Philippine-Chinese Joint Commission on Economic and Trade Cooperation (JCTEC). Serving as the official bilateral mechanism for discussion of trade, investments and economic cooperation, the JCETC was convened after a five-year hiatus, and serves as a quick follow through of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s State Visit to China last October 2016. Both sides agreed on important initiatives geared towards improving overall levels of trade and investment between the two countries. Discussion highlights included the Six-Year Development Program for Economic and Trade Cooperation (SYDP) that will serve as the overall framework for economic relations from 2017-2022, the list of priority infrastructure projects to be funded by available Chinese credit facility and potential private sector investments from China on oil downstream projects, aviation industry (including aircraft parts manufacturing), waste to energy through gasification, ship building, and ship repair facility and integrated steel facility
by admin | Mar 4, 2017 | DTI Updates, Major Events, Tech Talk
Everything starts with a dream and a strong commitment, Gov. Edgar Chatto addressed Information Technology Business Process Management (IT-BPM) industry experts and Boholano government, business, academe stakeholders at the three-part forum that was the 5th Visayas ICT Organization (VICTOr) conference, 1st Bohol Education Summit, and 3rd Visayas Creative Congress this week.
The governor along with Usec. Monchito Ibrahim of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) signed commitment to support Bohol’s bid to become IT-BPM investment haven.
He affixed his signature along with Bohol ICT industry stakeholders in pursuing the IT-BPM industry specific 2017 Education Action Plan.
The gathering of industry experts and stakeholders focused on effective talent development and was aimed at linking education and industry needs in order for Bohol to become a major player in the industry, alongside initiatives to meet requirements on infrastructure and business environment.
The education and industry linkage replicates bridging models for already established economic pillars of tourism and agriculture in the province.
The IT BPM industry specific Education Action Plan for 2017 is comprised of priority programs such as faculty development/industry immersion, curriculum development, equipment and facility improvement and center of excellence/development certification.
Its activities include trainings, industry partnerships, establishment of a business incubator, and accomplishing requirements for center of excellence/development certification as part of achieving academic roadmap to support IT BPM industry needs.
The 2-day conference featured industry best practices through sharing from Visayas ICT councils particularly about strategies on opening up the ICT industry in the province. It also highlighted the Philippine IT BPM roadmap 2022, talent development strategies, cybersecurity and governance with particular spotlight on Bohol.
Industry experts included Stephanie Rosalinde Caragos-president of the National ICT Councils of the Philippines, Dan Reyes-president of the IT Business Process Association of the Philippines, Jonathan de Luzuriaga-president of the Philippine Software Industry Association, Penny Bongato-Talent Development Executive Director of IBPAP, Breyvan Tan-managing director of EC Council Singapore.
It also presented creative industries sharing from Alvin Juban-Game Development Association of the Philippines president, JD Abenaza-CEO of Zeenoh Games, John Dave Duenas-Manager of the Technology Business Incubator Center in Bacolod City, Xteve Abanto-Concept artist and Creative Director of 13Headz Studios, and Genesis Rana-founder of UV New School.
According to Dan Reyes, the IT industry brings in $22billion in revenue with over 1.1 million employed and another 1.5 million unique online workers in the country.
The Philippines has over 650+ IT BPM companies, making it the biggest employer next to government and also holds the distinction of being the contact center destination of the world, he reported.
Bohol ICT Council Lai Biliran stated the conference builds on the gains of Bohol being in the limelight of the digital landscape with the launch of Digital Bohol last year and the holding of major IT conferences such as Geeks on the Beach, (Open Collaboration with East Asia New Champions (OCEAN16). (Leah&Jasmine/EDCOM)
by admin | Mar 3, 2017 | DTI Updates, Infrastraktura, Major Events, World
TOKYO—Philippine-Japanese trade relations remain robust as the Philippine Mission to Japan headed by the Department of Trade and Industry secures over Php 20 B investment commitments from Japanese firms during the three day visit.
In sidelines to the Investment Forum in Tokyo and the 35th annual meeting of the Japan-Philippines Economic Cooperation Committee (JPECC) and Philippines-Japan Economic Cooperation Committee (PHILJECC) 35th Annual meeting, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez recently (28 February – 3 March) met with to top Japanese Executives who have specified their interest to invest and expand in the Philippines.
Secretary Lopez met with Tsuneishi President Kenji Kawanoto to discuss the expansion plans of the company in the Philippines. “These projects with Tsuneishi involves a 120-hectare ship reuse center in Negros Occidental, a Biomass Fuel Project in Mindanao, and an International Ship Recycling Facility that will be equipped with state of the art green technologies, ” said Secretary Lopez.
The projects with Tsuneishi are projected to generate a total number of PhP 15.2 billion with 32,000 additional direct and indirect jobs in Shipbuilding and Biofuel industry.
Ichijo Co. Ltd, a prefabricated housing components manufacturing company, also discussed with the trade chief about their plans of further expanding their facility in Cavite by building a two-storey warehouse. The facility is estimated to cost nearly Php 2 Billion and generate roughly around 600 additional jobs.
“Ichijo’s competitive operations in the Philippines catapulted its ranking from number 6 in Japan to number 1, alongside Sekisui House,” said the Secretary Lopez highlighting the investor opportunities in the Philippines.
Secretary Lopez also met with Senior Executives of Sōgō Shōsha, Japan’s seven major trading houses namely Mitsubishi Motors, Mitsui & Co., Ltd, Sumitomo Corporation, Itochu Corporation, Marubeni Corporation, Toyota Tsusho and Sojitz Corporation, joined by Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade and Honorable Jose Laurel V.
The Sōgō Shōsha group expressed interest for further venture on participation in trade partnerships with the Philippines namely in the fields of renewable energy, railway and transportation, water management and Security.
These projects include a coal power plant with an estimate cost of over Php 75 Billion , capacity enhancements of mass transportation namely LRT Line 1 South extension, LRT Line 2 East extension, North-South Commuter Railway Project and possible development of transit systems in Davao, Cebu and Clark, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Multi Role Response Vessels (MRRV).
For the latter half of 2016 to 2018, Sōgō Shōsha group of companies (including subsidiaries and affiliates) expressed investment interests amounting to P198.5 billion in the aforementioned segments of the present government’s Philippine economic development plan.
The Philippine Mission to Japan garnered more than Php 200 Billion investment interests, securing over Php 20 Billion worth of commitments from Japanese companies.
“Japanese investor remains confident of business prospects in the Philippines.” said Secretary Lopez. We urge Japanese investors to take the chance to invest in the Philippines as it experiences its momentous economic takeoff in the region” he added
by admin | Mar 3, 2017 | DTI Updates, Photo Story
NEGOSYO CENTER OPENS IN PARAÑAQUE. To encourage Filipinos to venture into business, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) launched the 10th Negosyo Center in the National Capital Region (NCR) and 452nd nationwide since its inception in 2014. In line with the Republic Act No. 10644 or the Go Negosyo Act, the DTI launched Negosyo Centers nationwide to help MSMEs in providing access to information, business name registration, access to finance, access to market and access to training. In photo are (center-right) DTI-Regional Operations Group Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya and (center-left) Parañaque City Mayor Edwin L. Olivarez.
by admin | Feb 28, 2017 | DTI Updates, National News
Following the successful state visits of President Duterte in Japan and Prime Minister Abe in the Philippines, Japanese bank Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank (OKB) initiated an investment forum in the Philippines recently (22, February) OKB is the first Japanese regional bank in the Philippines to successfully secure a license to operate as representative bank from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) during their anniversary celebration.
According to Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez, the forum gathered 140 Japanese companies, 30 percent of which are SMEs, the largest mission to date from Japan this year. Following the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the Philippines, there have been five missions to the country both from Kanto and Kansai regions. “With all these missions to the Philippines at the first two months of the year alone, DTI is confident that the Philippines is getting a growing and larger share of the migration of Japanese SMEs to other countries. This is important as Japanese SMEs with decades of specialized technology under their belts can contribute to value added manufacturing, tourism, agribusiness, deepening and expanding our inventories of products and services, closing gaps and completing loops in our supply chain”.
“We hope Ogaki Bank remains partners with the Philippine government in pushing the country’s growth agenda of sustaining the momentum of development for inclusive growth and shared prosperity for all Filipinos,” said Sec. Lopez.
OKB is headquartered in the Tokai region where most sizeable investors to the Philippines such as Ibiden, Toyota Motor Corporation, and Brother Industries Limited are also from.
“The Philippines traversed different prefectures across Japan promoting trade and investment opportunities,” said Sec. Lopez, highlighting initial touchpoints in Tokai, a region with the highest concentration of Filipinos, as well as the base of major Japanese companies with sizeable investments in the Philippines.
With both the Kanto and Kansai sides of the Japanese peninsula deploying organized business delegations in the Philippines, DTI efforts in Japan are bearing fruit, according to the trade chief.
Prior to this forum, Secretary Lopez also delivered his keynote speech at the Bank of Tokyo MUFJ and Security Bank‘s first business matching forum which concluded over 200 business matching meetings.
It will be the Philippines turn to conduct an investment mission to Tokyo on February 28 as economic officials from DTI, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), ASEAN Japan Centre (AJC) and Philippine Society Japan Inc., and Philippines-Japan Economic Cooperation Committee, Inc. (PHILJECC) – Japan-Philippines Economic Cooperation Committee (JPECC) brief more Japanese investors.
For more information on the services of the DTI, log-on to http://www.dti.gov.ph
by admin | Feb 25, 2017 | DTI Updates, Major Events
February 24, 2017. LGU-Loon conducts Planning Session on Earn and Learn Vocational and Entrepreneurial Skills (ELVES Program) with DTI, DICT, TESDA, DSWD, DOLE and other LGU officials at the Negosyo Center. (Photo by Roser Ann Dumanat, Business Counselor-Negosyo Center Loon)
by admin | Feb 21, 2017 | Globe Updates, Internet Service Provider
Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI), the leading homegrown developer in Metro Cebu, intends to raise up to P3.8 billion from an initial public offering scheduled for May to fund land acquisition and development costs for its expansion plans to five key cities in Visayas and Mindanao. Part of the proceeds will also be used for debt repayment and working capital requirements.
In a prospectus submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission today, Cebu Landmasters is listing and selling firm shares of 505 million common shares with an over allotment option of 75 million shares on the local bourse targeting mid-to late-May 2017. This represents up to 34% of the company’s outstanding common shares, post-IPO.
Of the firm shares, 430 million are new shares forming the primary tranche, while 75 million are existing shares forming the secondary tranche. The 75 million shares from the greenshoe will be from existing shareholders. The IPO will be priced at up to P6.56 per share.
BDO Capital will serve as the sole issue manager for CLI’s stock market debut. Joint lead underwriters and joint bookrunners are BDO Capital and BPI Capital.
CLI is the first Cebu-based real estate developer to apply for an IPO and the leading local real estate developer in the Metro Cebu residential condominium arena. It accounts for 11 per cent market share of the total supply of residential condominium units in Metro Cebu, second only to Ayala Land, according to a market study by CBRE Philippines (now Santos Knight Frank).
In just 13 years, Cebu Landmasters has diversified from the residential segment into commercial, hospitality, industrial and mixed-use product offerings further distinguishing it from other VisMin real estate players. CLI president and CEO Jose Soberano III observed: “We will use our flexibility to create new developments in the cities of Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Dumaguete, Bacolod, Iloilo and new Cebu locations. These projects will maximize the demand and supply indicators in each location with the best uses for each site.”
In highly urbanized areas exhibiting strong sustained growth like the booming Cebu I.T. Park, for instance, it will offer a high-end New York inspired residential development masterplanned by global designers to be part of a mixed-use hub with a retail plaza, park and a future office component. In rapidly urbanizing cities like Davao and Cagayan de Oro, it will offer mid-market residential condominiums that meet the needs, aspirations and price points of BPO and other employees as well as those of OFWs. In fact, the first phase of its Cagayan de Oro project sold out in less than a year.
Meanwhile, in the so-called Next Wave Cities like Dumaguete, Iloilo and Bacolod where BPO firms are locating and fueling the economy together with OFW remittances, it will offer its economic housing brand known for its generous amenities and ideal location.
In 2016, Cebu Landmasters generated revenues of P2.17 billion and net profits of P702 million. Its recent projects include residential condominiums Mivesa Garden Residences and Midori Residences identified by CBRE as the top-selling projects in Metro Cebu. It also sold office projects and partnered with The Ascott Limited to develop Citadines Cebu City to open by 2019 with 180 serviced apartments.
CLI has also built its track record on projects that offer exceptional values to clients. Soberano explained that its being a homegrown company allows it to tap the best suppliers and best deals in VisMin locations and to pass on the savings to customers. “Being value-focused Visayans ourselves, we have a good idea of the kind of spaces clients appreciate and how much they will willingly pay for them.” CLI is set to continue its hands-on approach and maximize its knowledge of the local market to achieve high client satisfaction scores across VisMin, he emphasized.
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