Free seminar on Business Permits and Licensing at NERBAC Cebu every Wednesday

Entrepreneurs who have equipped themselves with sufficient knowledge on the intricacies of business will have a better chance at success, especially in difficult times, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) says.

Amid the growing number of overseas Filipino workers and domestic workers who lost jobs due to the global economic crisis, the government is urging businessmen and future entrepreneurs to take advantage of their free business seminars and skills trainings.

Every Wednesday, 1:00 - 5:00 in the afternoon, interested individuals can avail of a free seminar for information on Business Permits and Licensing System at the National Economic Research and Business Assistance Center (NERBAC) located at the ground floor of the LDM building, Lapu-lapu and Legaspi Sts., Cebu City.

During the seminar, participants can interact with speakers from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Social Security System (SSS), Philhealth, Pag-ibig and the Cebu City Government.

Pre-registration is required for interested parties to attend the NERBAC seminar, an activity which has been ongoing since June 2007.
Another free seminar is on enterprise development which is conducted together with a skill training every Tuesday, except 4th week of the month from March to June this year in all DTI provincial offices in Central Visayas.

“NERBAC is a pioneering project that offers a myriad of government services for start-up and expanding businesses that include business licensing and registration, knowledge and information management, and proactive investment marketing, reducing red tape and improving effectiveness and efficiency in government services,” DTI stated.

New applicants can now even file for their business name registration with DTI simultaneously with their application for a business permit as apart from four National Government Agencies there is also a representative from the Cebu City government available at the NERBAC.

An additional task of the NERBAC is the promotion of investment in Central Visayas. For that purpose the NERBAC provides all necessary information to future investors.
The NERBAC was launched in Cebu in November 2006. It is supported by the Private Sector Promotion Program (SMEDSEP), a development cooperation project between the Republic of the Philippines and the Federal Republic of Germany.

The SMEDSEP program aims to improve the Business and Investment Climate for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the Philippines, especially in the Visayas.

SMEDSEP contributes to the efforts of the Philippine Government to improve the framework conditions for private sector development in the country.

SMEDSEP is implemented in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry the pilot (DTI) at national, regional and provincial levels and the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).