DTI implements "no-breaks" at BN registration counter

Standing to plug the perceived gap in government service to the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and as regards access to support, transportation and infrastructure and chain supply efficiency, the local Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it is implementing a "no noon break" policy on its business name registration counter.

In a press statement, DTI-Bohol through information officer Lucille Autentico said while their office functions break at noontime, their business name counter still accepts business name registrations.

As this developed, applicants may now file their applications from 8:00AM to 5:00PM at the local DTI Office located at 2/F FCB Main Branch Bldg., C.P.G. North Ave., Cogon District, Tagbilaran City, she said.

According to the DTI, original applicants for single proprietorship needs P300 registration fee, must be adult Filipino citizens. If family name is suggestive of alien nationality, applicants need to submit proof of citizenship as PRC ID, birth certificate or voter's ID and latest franchise agreement for franchise holders, a preferred and three alternative business names.

For partnerships and corporations, applicant brings a P500 registration fee, SEC Registration certificate, two sets of corporation articles and By-Laws, a copy of the board resolution or secretary's certificate designating authorized representative to sign in behalf of corporation. They must also prepare one preferred and three alternative business names.

For renewals, applicants bring P300 fee for single proprietorship, P500 for corporations, partnerships and cooperatives while a surcharge of P100 is asked after 90 days from expiry of names. Applicants also need to surrender original BN certificate or Affidavit of Loss and the amended articles of Incorporation and By-Laws, if applicable.

This Bohol DTI initiative also came at the heels of a recent survey released by the United Parcel Service (UPS) Asia Business Monitor concerning 100 MSME respondents. In the survey, the respondents detail a perceived lack of government support on them, Presidential Management Staff Director General and Oversight Official for MSMEs Cerge Remonde said.

Remonde said that the government is currently concocting a new project to further ease the business transaction processes and bring about faster business registration of MSMEs.

He pointed out that the internet-based Philippine Business Registry System "harmonizes all business registration processes performed by different national government agencies and local government units, leading to a seamless transactional environment for business registration."

Even before the survey was conducted, Remonde explained that the government had already thrown its full support for the establishment and propagation of MSMEs and had even implemented a host of initiatives ranging from direct assistance to indirect interventions.

Remonde added that under the Small and Medium Enterprises Development (SMED) Council, the government provided P91.35 billion worth of loans to entrepreneurs from 2004 to 2006 through the SME Unified Lending Opportunities for National Growth (SULONG).

He said government assistance is mainly found in the Medium Term SME Development Plan in the forms of direct assistance as: credit access and guarantees, product development and technology intervention, training and marketing support, advocacy among others.

"Other forms of government assistance include marketing support in trade fairs, local and international, technology upgrades, product development and personnel training," Remonde said.

Over this, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had directed all government agencies and instrumentalities to simplify rules and regulations, reduce reportorial requirements, and eliminate fees and charges on export clearances, permits and other documentation requirements to cut red tape and to facilitate ease in doing business and encourage more investments in the country. (PIA)

Japanese group eyes Cebu hospital as retirement facility

A group running a retirement and nursing home in Japan is now eyeing the Cebu Doctors’ South General Hospital (South Gen) in the southern Cebu town of Naga as a potential retirement facility.

”They want a place where it’s near the hospital and the sea,” Dr. Potenciano Larrazabal Jr., Cebu Doctors’ Hospital Inc. (CDHI) president, said.

Larrazabal said CDHI and the Aiko group of Japan are negotiating to have the group's retirees relocate to the hospital’s 70-bed fourth floor.

”It will be a trial run. But the Japanese are decided. They may be here in a couple of months,” he said.

While waiting for the plans to materialize, the fourth floor will undergo renovation and additional amenities will be put up.

He said CDHI is already contemplating on hiring Niponggo teachers and a Japanese cook.

Larrazabal said once the deal is inked, the nursing staff will have an opportunity to learn the Japanese culture and to speak Niponggo.

While the initial plan was for the Aiko group to hire some of South Gen’s nurses, the CDHI official fears this may cause a “culture shock” for the nurses.

Bringing Japanese retirees here will be a “win-win” situation to both parties.

Larrazabal said the partnership with the Aiko group is a step closer to CDHI’s realization of establishing a retirement village in southern Cebu.

”With the growing aging population, I can see that the Philippines, particularly Cebu, has bright prospects to cater to these retirees who are in need of good healthcare facilities and services,” he said earlier.

He said CDHI may utilize a portion of the one-hectare lot in Naga, where the 250-bed Cebu Doctors’ South General Hospital sits, for the retirement village or acquire other properties nearby.

There are also plans to construct a “mini mall” within the vicinity of the retirement village.

Larrazabal is optimistic that, in the near future, the healthcare sector will be among the province’s booming industries, along with property development and information and communications technology.

While some hospitals in Manila make good retirement facilities, he said Cebu has a stronger probability to attract the medical tourism market because of the province’s peace and order situation, better airport facilities, good telecommunications and the Cebuanos’ proficiency in the English language.

In the past years, CDHI has invested in building and improving its network of hospitals in the province, including Cebu Doctors’ Hospital, North General Hospital in Talamban, Cebu City and South Gen.

”We have committed our resources in building facilities that enhance the country’s medical industry,” Larrazabal said. (PNA)

RDC private sector reps 1st national convention in Cebu

Private sector representatives to the Regional Development Councils in the country will hold their 1st national convention on April 26-27 at the Parklane Hotel, Cebu City with the theme, “20 Years of Regional Development, Partnership and Volunteerism.”

Valeriano Avila, chairman RDC-7 DevAd committee said he hopes that the convention will make the public realize the importance of private sector representatives’(PSR) participation in governance which is essential to the regional growth and development. Avila has been a PSR for almost 20 years now.

This is the first time that RDC private sector representatives meet to discuss various issues and concerns on how they can strengthen their partnership with the regional development councils in the country. The convention serves as a kick off activity for the up-coming celebration of the 20th year of PSR participation in the RDCs.

“The PSRs in Central Visayas have been active and effective in advocating private sector concerns through the RDC and its sectoral committees. I hope this convention will provide a venue for me to network with PSRs from other regions in order for us to consolidate advocacies that have national implications,” said Argeo Melisimo, chairman of the economic development committee, RDC-7.

Melisimo expects that the convention will provide the PSRs the avenue to exchange ideas and learn from their best practices. RDC-7 co-chair, Robert Go echoes Melisimo’s expectations and wants to know the best practices of other RDC-PSRs.

Emmanuel Rabacal, chair of the RDC-7 Infrastructure Development Committee and who has been a PSR for 12 years will present the successful initiatives of the Central Visayas RDC in strengthening PSR participation.

The convention is being funded by the German government through the GTZ-Decentralization Program, with the National Economic and Development Authority as co-convenor. At the end of the 2-day activity, the RDC-PSRs expect to unite to a common stand on interregional and national development through a written declaration or covenant that will be presented to higher authorities.

As can be recalled, the People Power Revolution of 1986 ushered in a policy agenda for people-powered development. For the first time, non-government organizations (NGOs) or the civil society were recognized as active participants in development planning, investment programming, budget review, and project monitoring.

In November 1987, the RDCs were reorganized and its membership expanded to include representatives of the private sector and NGOs. (PIA).

PRA eyes Iloilo as satellite area for Cebu as retirement destination

The Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) has identified Iloilo as a satellite area for Cebu as retirement destination, a move that generated a strong endorsement from the Iloilo City government through Mayor Jerry P. Treñas.

PRA Chairman, Ret. Gen. Edgardo B. Aglipay, who met with the business sector and officials of the city government, Thursday said they have already identified various sites in the country that can be developed as retirement centers.

These are Baguio, Subic and Clark in Pampanga, Metro Manila, Tagaytay, Cebu and Davao.

The cities of Iloilo and Bacolod will serve as satellite areas for Cebu.

With this, Aglipay cited the need for Iloilo and Bacolod to have international flights and a tertiary hospital for these cities become at par with retirement destinations.

Nonetheless, he believes that Iloilo City has a great potential to become a good destination for the retirees.

He cited the good climate of the city, the friendly people, the more than five domestic flights a day and the good peace and order situation.

Mayor Treñas, on the other hand, expressed optimism over the project, adding that he has long been waiting for Aglipay to introduce the project to the business sector in the city.

"We have seen that there is a market in the retirees and this will benefit not only our businessmen but the multiplier effect of this investment is tremendous. It will create more jobs, more support services and this will definitely help in making Iloilo City the next big thing," he noted.

Treñas said these efforts are in line with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's thrust of making the Philippines a retirement haven for foreigners.

He disclosed his series of meetings with the interested developers of the old airport site in Mandurriao district whom he requested to provide a theme park, a convention center, a Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA)-accredited information technology park and a hospital that could cater to the demands of medical tourism.

Treñas was optimistic these facilities would lure foreign retirees to consider the city as a retirement destination. (PNA)

DTI-Leyte awarded Best Sub-National Reform in Asia for success in BPLS

The Leyte Provincial Office of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has been awarded the Best Sub-National Reform in Asia for 2006 by the Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (DCED) for its involvement in the Streamlining Business Permits and Licensing (BPL) Procedures in Ormoc City under its partnership program with the German Technical Cooperation- Small and Medium Enterprise Development for Sustainable Employment Program (GTZ-SMEDSEP) .

The awards program, known as the "Excellence in Business Environment Reform", aims to highlight excellence in high-impact, sustainable and co-ordinated donor support for business environment reform. For 2006, the award focused on best practices in Asia.

There were only two categories of awards for 2006: the High-Impact, Sustainable and Co-ordinated Reform which is the main award; and the Sub-National which focuses on the reforms within sub-national government authorities such as local municipalities or regional or
provincial government authorities and efforts towards local level implementation of central level reform decrees.

DTI-Leyte beat out best practice entries of other Asian countries in the sub-national category for the impact its reform project on business registration in Ormoc City has had on enterprise development, poverty reduction and economic growth; how it has improved the capability of key agencies to identify reform needs and manage change without future active support by donor agencies; and how coordinated it is to the efforts of other donor agencies as well as aligned to the development goals and strategies of the national government.

With the assistance of DTI-Leyte and GTZ-SMEDSEP, the local government unit (LGU) of Ormoc City was able to simplify the city's business permits and licensing procedures. As a result, an increase of 25% business registrants was realized by year 2006 compared to 2005.

The improved business registration figure was attributed to the reduction of the BPL cycle from 17 to 5 steps; reduction in processing time from 17 days to 2 days; and reduction of required documents from 12 to 6 forms. Moreover, the LGU-Ormoc realized an increase in tax revenues (Php21.16 Million) out of the new improved system. This increase in revenue collection of LGU-Ormoc was then transformed to social services that will uplift the urban poverty
incidence of the City.

The new BPL system adopted by the LGU of Ormoc City is continuously being improved towards installing an on-line business registration in the future. Part of the accrued increase on revenue collection will be utilized for this purpose as part of its sustainability plan. Consequently, the support of donor agencies will no longer be needed to implement the plan.

The experience of LGU-Ormoc is now a documented good practice in streamlining BPL which can be replicated in other LGUs. It will be implemented by DTI Provincial Offices in Visayas or Central Philippines Region hand-in-hand with the various LGUs, both at the provincial and municipal levels.

The reform project of DTI-Leyte complements the efforts of donor agencies as its multiplier effect would ultimately reduce poverty; promote good governance and private sector development which are also the concerns of various donor agencies. It is also aligned with the SME Development Agenda of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo which fully supports the promotion and development of small and medium enterprises by providing an enabling business environment. (DTI)

RP's top tourist destination logs 1.25M tourist arrivals last year

Cebu is fast becoming a travel destination among foreigners and locals after the Department of Tourism (DOT) 7 reported a double-digit growth in tourist arrivals last year.

The province registered an 11.57 percent increase in tourist arrivals in 2006. The number grew to 1.25 million from the 1.12 million in the previous year, data from DOT 7 revealed.

“All ingredients needed for an ideal destination is here in Cebu. We have the image, the right perception and accessibility,” said DOT Undersecretary Phineas Alburo.

For accessibility alone, the Mactan Cebu International Airport caters to 51 overseas flights to all major tourist destinations in the world, he said.

In addition, a “well-organized” tourism industry coupled with the Cebuanos’ hospitality led by “active” local leaders makes Cebu a popular tourist hot spot, Alburo told Sun.Star Cebu.

According to DOT 7 data, travelers from East Asian countries like China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Taiwan account for 67.10 percent of the total number of tourists or a total of 318,527 visitors.

The Koreans continue to top the list of foreign arrivals in Cebu next to the Japanese and tourists from the United States.

The Korean market, which continues to be the fastest growing market of the country’s tourism industry, numbered 165,309 last year, up by 13 percent from the 146,289 in 2005. This is followed by Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China.

However, in terms of growth rate, both China and Taiwan have shown significant increases.

Tourist arrivals from Taiwan grew by 46.15 percent, while Chinese visitors increased by 43.73 percent.

Alburo said the province needs to capitalize on the growing Chinese market, described to be the new generation of “sophisticated” travelers.

Meanwhile, tourists from the United States and Canada are also seeing bright prospects in Cebu’s tourism sector, as travelers from the two countries increased by 29.23 percent last year.

From 45,306, the figures grew to 58,551 in 2006.

European tourists to Cebu also grew by 29.75 percent from 34,178 to 44,436 in the same period.

Tourists from the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland were identified as the top three visitors frequenting the province.

“The Philippine tourism offices in Frankfurt and London are aggressively moving to get the European market,” Alburo said.

He said DOT is also penetrating the Russian market, whose average length of stay in Cebu is from seven to 14 days.

The report also revealed that visitors from South Asian countries like India have more than doubled its growth, showing a 70.75 percent increase last year. From 1,453 tourists in 2005, DOT recorded 2,481 last year.

Owing to Cebu’s “successful” hosting of the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit early this year, even tourist arrivals from neighboring countries grew.

A total of 10,914 Asean tourists traveled to Cebu last year, registering a 14.70 percent increase from the 9,515 visitors in 2005.

In terms of volume, the Singaporeans ranked first with 4,858 tourists but the Indonesians registered the highest growth rate at 83.42 percent.

From 772 Indonesian tourists in 2005, it has increased to 1,416 last year.

In addition, tourist arrivals from Thailand grew to 51.42 percent from 1,060 to 1,605 in the same period.

The province is also a magnet for domestic travelers and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Domestic travelers grew to 772,767 last year, an 8.39 percent increase from the 712,938 the year previous.

OFWs registered a 35.69 percent growth rate or from 1,813 to 2,460.

Alburo is optimistic in getting more “promising” results by the end of the year, as the effects of the Asean summit are slowly trickling down to the local tourism and business sectors, which is also anticipating the entry of foreign direct investments.(SS)

CCCI holds microfinancing seminar for SMEs

Recognizing the vital role small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play in the growth of the country's economy, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) will undertake a one-day seminar on micro-financing for SMEs for them to gain easy access and avail of financial programs from government and private financial institutions.

The seminar is aimed at increasing awareness of member SME-entrepreneurs on how to access financing services from banks and other financial institutions and gain more insights on collaterals, collateral substitutes and financial statements. Likewise, the seminar is also a venue for SME entrepreneurs to avail financing programs offered by financial and non-financial institutions.

SMEs are considered the backbone of the country's economy and comprised 99 percent of the total manufacturing establishments and contribute to over 50 percent in employment generation and 28 percent in the value-added in production.

Topics to be discussed during the seminar include: basic loan requirements of financial institutions and the problems encountered by SME entrepreneurs in accessing financing; collaterals (deposit hold-out, real estate mortgage and chattel mortgage and collateral substitutes (guarantee, pledge and assignment, surety bond, standby letter of credit, lodgement of title deed, life insurance policy, listed/unlisted securities and export letter of credit, negative pledge agreement and joint and several signatures); and setting-up of accounting systems for SMEs and preparations of financial statements.

Resource speakers for the seminar are micro-financing experts from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Wealth Development Bank (WealthBank), Philippine Export-Import Credit Agency (PhilExim) and Small Business Guarantee Financial Corp. (SBGFC).

CCCI urges its members and even non-member SMEs to avail of this rare opportunity. A minimal registration fee is collected to cover part of the cost for the whole-day activity which is inclusive of meals and snacks as well as seminar kits.

CCCI members are asked to pay P 750 and Php1,000 for non-CCCI members as interested parties may inquire for further details at the CCCI office at tel. no. 232-1423 loc. 109 and look for Jethro/Rhea. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)