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DTI LAUDS QUEZON CITY’S ONLINE BUSINESS REGISTRATION: MOBILE APPS PUSHED FOR YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS TO START A BUSINESS
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is pushing for automated government frontline services through mobile applications and the use of electronic payment scheme to enhance the ease of doing business in the country. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, chair of Inter-agency Ease of Doing Business Task Force, said that the ultimate goal of all the reforms is to make all frontline services online literally at your fingertips, providing a convenient and efficient means for public to transact with the government. Lopez cited the Quezon City (QC) government’s Online Business Registration, where applicants can file for business permits online. This allows businesses to easily register their firms in the comforts of their home/businesses. During the joint visit of the DTI, DILG and NCC, the QC government reported on the ePayment facility for business taxes and real property taxes. Payment of these charges can be made thru Landbank, Bancnet, or GCash. These reforms significantly improved doing business in Quezon City. “As we continue to cut red tape and streamline procedures, we are now moving towards automation of government transactions. In the age of smartphones, we intend to harness its potential to ease of doing business. With the support of DICT, we are looking at developing a fully electronic registration process using smartphone apps.” Lopez said Secretary Lopez also stated that with the enactment of the proposed Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act, nationwide automation will soon become a reality. The proposed law mandates a central business portal that will link the systems of national government agencies and local government units, as well as the establishment of a... read moreDTI intensifies support for MSME exporters
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) through its Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) intensifies its programs that support micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in accessing export markets through its Regional Interactive Platform for the Philippine Exporters (RIPPLES) Plus Program. For full year 2017, RIPPLES Plus assisted a total of 408 exporters and implemented 33 marketing and promotional activities geared toward strengthening Philippine exporters’ capacities in support to increasing economic revenues for the country. Through RIPPLES Plus, Philippine exporters are being assisted to penetrate markets by updating them on latest trends and market requirements. “For the track 2 project, the conduct of the product development included the translation of the text of the chichacorn labels in Arabic language. This will open new export markets of my chichacorn products specifically in the Middle East,” said Clemencia Padre, a program participant from Region 1. For 2018, the program aims to undertake targeted and more aggressive export promotion for priority industries, such as food and agri-marine, services, and industrial sectors. “Our participation to the various trade and exhibitions and fairs allowed our cooperative to open new markets and new opportunities. Orders have increased from Manila- and Cebu-based exporters and converters. We generated a total of Php 6.40 million for 2016 and Php5.06 million for 2017 through RIPPLES Plus,” said Ma. Trina V. Sumayang, General Manager of of Tubigon Loomweavers Multipurpose Cooperative. RIPPLES Plus is a focused program developed and being implemented by DTI-EMB that aims to expand the supply base of internationally competitive Philippine export products and services and to provide intensified, purposive and practical assistance geared toward the internationalization of Philippine... read more
BOI INVESTMENT FIGURES SURGE 402% IN FIRST 2 MONTHS OF 2018
Investment projects approved by the Philippine Board of Investments (BOI) in January to February 2018 continue to surge as the premier investment promotion agency recorded Php131.6 billion worth of projects, up by 402.3 percent compared to the same period last year. “The sound policies of the government and the strong investor sentiment continues to fuel the growth momentum of the economy as we continue to generate projects and create more jobs for our countrymen,” Trade Secretary and BOI Chairman Ramon Lopez said. He added that these projects are riding on the growth momentum to continue this year after the agency posted an all-time high of Php617 billion in committed investments last year. “Barely two months in the new year, we’re off to a blazing start and given the momentum, we will continue to roll for the rest of the year and hit our target of Php680 billion, which is up 10 percent from the record-breaking figure from 2017. There were so many prospects late last year that after seeing the unprecedented growth, they finally decided to roll out new investments and other firms remain bullish with their expansion to take advantage of the expansive economy,” he said. Trade Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo meanwhile pointed out that most of the approvals centered on the need to address the growing demand of infrastructure in light of the administration’s “Build, build, build” program. “The power requirements are enormous and so are the construction part which leads to more cement production and the expansion of transport facilities,” he explained as the biggest project approvals in February came from power, cement...ICT councils in PH vow to create 1-M jobs in provinces by 2022
Officials of the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP) have committed to work for at least 1 million direct jobs and 3 million indirect jobs in information and communications technology (ICT) in the countryside by 2022. The number or more translates to approximately half of the ICT industry jobs targeted by the industry under the new administration. The target, as well as the strategies, was presented by NICP officers led by president Wilfredo Sa-a Jr. in their courtesy visit to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) secretary Rodolfo Salalima on Thursday, July 28. Sa-a stressed that 70 percent of the ICT industry today is found only in Metro Manila, and the rest are spread throughout the country with concentration in the urban areas. NICP said its direction is to help bring more jobs such that half of industry targets are found in the countryside. Sa-a explained that aside from jobs in the ICT business process management, the group’s thrusts is to create ICT opportunities in tourism, health, agriculture, entrepreneurship, and others related sectors. Salalima expressed appreciation for the programs of NICP in the countryside since its inception in 2008 and assured the commitment of his office to promote inclusive growth. He assured NICP that the national broadband plan is not “only going to be about infrastructure, but also many things” including human resource, job generation, and growth of the countryside as he believes that the results and the use of the infrastructure is more important. Former NICP president Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, chair of the annual NICP eGOV Awards, presented to Salalima the concept of eGOV which addresses...Local News/ Bohol Balita
DTI-Bohol Launches Ideas to Innovation (BHL i2i) Challenge
Contributors: Jerome John J. Gabin & Jude Bernard T. Guieb The Department of Trade and Industry – Bohol Provincial Office (DTI – Bohol), in cooperation with the Bohol Fabrication Laboratory (Fablab) and Bohol ICT Council, is organizing the Bohol Idea to Innovation (BHL i2i) Competition which will commence this coming October 2015. This initiative aims to spark creativity and innovation in the province of Bohol. The BHL i2i Competition, the first of its kind in the province, is a program that promotes innovation and start-ups through digital fabrication. It aims to support the participants in developing technology-based solutions to local problems. It is an end-to-end approach to develop ideas into minimum viable products through the facilities and technologies available at the Bohol Fablab, the first fabrication laboratory in the country. It will be open to all aspiring students and innovators of Bohol. The competition is composed of four (4) stages: a) boot camp stage; b) prototyping stage; c) co-creation stage; and 4) the exhibition stage. The competition will be kicked-off by a Boot Camp, a two (2) day event where competitors will undergo various lectures before they go into the ideation phase, preparation of presentation materials and pitching. Winning ideas will qualify for the next stage and will be supported by DTI in the development of prototypes. Teams may avail of the services and technical support of the Bohol Fablab during the prototyping stage. An added feature of the competition is the product co-creation process with Japanese mentors before the presentation of the final prototype for judging. Through this process, teams will have the chance to further improve their...CFO names 3 towns with most au pair beneficiaries
TAGBILARAN CITY, Sept 7 (PIA)–Believe it or not, three towns in Bohol have been tagged by the Commission of Filipinos Overseas (CFO) as having the highest number of “au pair” beneficiaries. And what is that “au pair”? It is French for, “at par” or equal, and allows a young person to partially work as domestic assistant in a foreign country by taking a share in the host family’s responsibilities, while the other part, is for the person to get to school. And while au pair has presented to Filipinos a way to study, in exchange for childcare, some light housework, Boholanos from Pilar, Sierra Bullones and Tagbilaran have been most numerous in the CFO list. Au pairs work but while working light jobs, they take on easy tasks because government regulations allow them to be in the foreign country primarily for reasons of education, said Princess Mayumi Kaye Peralta of the CFO project management division. So when the name doesn’t ring a bell, it may be because the program, which has been on since 2000, was temporarily suspended owing to the tendency of host families to abuse the good-natured Filipinos, the CFO administrative assistant said. Then, au pairs who stay in the host families, when they do the laundry, initially offers to include a few until the government realized the candidate was washing all the laundry and has few hours left for studies. An au pair receives an allowance, and a private room, the usual practice is that au pairs eat with the family most of the time, and join in some of the usual...Senator Bam Aquino Meets BCCI Trustees
Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino met with the Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) board of trustees on September 4, 2015 at 9:00AM at the Coralandia Resort for a open agenda meeting. The trustees were led by BCCI President Engr. Al Uy. Bohol Governor Edgar M. Chatto was also present during the meeting. The senator gave an overview of the Go Negosyo Act (Republic Act No. 10644) which mandates the creation of Pinoy Negosyo Centers, under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in each city and municipality around the country. These Pinoy Negosyo centers are meant to make it easier for entrepreneurs to register and start up their businesses, as well as gain access to sources of financing. The senator also asked for feedback on some of the programs where his office was involved or have supported. Among the topics discussed were the proposed tax reforms, tax breaks for startups, and how to enable local manufacturers to compete with established suppliers from outside the province in suppling the tourism industry with various products such as premium soap for hotels. The senator mentioned that our tax law is too complex and the tax brackets are outdated. The senator also wants to encourage startups which would generate jobs for the country by giving them a tax break for the first two years. Earlier this year, President Benigno Aquino signed into law the Youth Entrepreneurship Act or RA10679. The measure creates financial literacy modules in all levels of Philippine education, to inculcate a culture of enterprise development among the Filipino youth. Also discussed in detail was the matter of the “slow” Internet service in...Second MDR-TB center Opens at Gallares soon
TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, August 20(PIA) –Boholanos who might have developed a multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) may have eased worries soon as the province’s second satellite treatment center would open at the GovCelestinoGallares Memorial Hospital within the month. The first MDR-TB satellite center outside Cebu was at the Don Emilio del Valle Hospital in eastern Bohol, according to Bohol TB program focal person PolizenaRances. Speaking at the Kapihansa PIA to commemorate the Lung Month in October, Rances, who is a nurse by profession revealed that MDS-TB patients in Bohol used to come to Cebu for treatment. She said that bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB) can develop resistance to the antimicrobial drugs used to cure the disease. When the tuberculosis does not respond to most potent anti-TB drugs: isoniazid and rifampicin, then the person hasMDR-TB. Health authorities have aired their concern over the emerging TB-treatment mismanagement. While most people with tuberculosis are cured by a strictly followed, six-month drug regimen that is provided to patients with support and supervision, inappropriate or incorrect use of antimicrobial drugs, or ineffective formulations of drugs, self-medication and premature treatment interruption can cause drug resistance, which can then be transmitted, especially in crowded settings such as prisons and hospitals, Rances bared at the Kapihansa PIA Thursday. Patients under treatment who stop upon noticing that they are getting well already, are more likely to develop MDR-TB and would need an even more potent drugs while treatment becomes increasingly difficult. When there is treatment available, it is expensive, limited and are not always available. When it is, some patients may also experience adverse effects of the drugs. As...PCC to put up dairy Stores in tour areas
TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, August 18 (PIA) –Like the phoenix which rises from the ashes, Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) at the Ubay Stock Farm in Lomangog is now up mooing to serve people and tourists as well with its Bohol carabao dairy outlet. Now ready with their complete line of dairy of products ranging from carabao milk, cheese, processed dairy products including known Bohol cheesy sweets: torta, pastillas, cheese puto, chocobao, freshmilk, carabao ice cream and many more dairy products, the PCC also recently opened its Milka Krèm Plant and its first Bohol Dairy outlet in Lumangog. This, according to the PCC is the first step in the plan to put up carabao milk and processed dairy products outlet in the plan to saturate Bohol with carabao milk and its products. The ultimate dream is to put up Bohol Dairy Outlets in all tourism destinations in Bohol, shares Lenie Fe Libres, PCC information officer. Libres, a developmental communications graduate at the Leyte State University, told tourism product development team assembled by Japan International Cooperation (JICA) for its eco-tourism Bohol project that very few people see the potential of carabao milk. Fifteen years ago, Bohol was a non-dairy area until 1982 when the Philippine Carabao Research and Development Center was established and did extensive research on the farm animal. A decade later, the center, located at the Ubay Stock Farm in Bohol started milking carabaos, a largely rare thing in a province whose idea of a carabao is only as extensive as a beast of burden and a meat source. Five years after the 1992 successful milking carabaos, PCC started processing...National News
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