The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) is set to launch their very own web portal next month to promote Cebu province to the rest of the world.
The web portal called the Cebu Business Portal (CBP) is made possible with the aide of the German government-funded Small and Medium Enterprise Development for Sustainable Employment Program (Smedsep).
Web portals are Internet sites that typically provide personalized services to their visitors. Business portals are designed to share collaboration in workplaces.
Smedsep consultant Carl Krug noted the portal's contribution in the local and regional economic development.
"It would serve as a free and efficient marketing channel for products and services in Cebu and provide potential investors easier identification of business opportunities in the province," Krug said.
Useful information, which could easily be updated about the CCCI members and other relevant businesses and institutions will be posted in the web portal, which would implement an aggressive internal and external marketing plan.
But uncertainties were later raised during a briefing as the web portal's database would depend on inputs of member firms from CCCI mostly composed of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), many of whom have limited access to the Internet.
CCCI vice president for external affairs Ted Locson said that most SMEs are not computer savvy. He raised the need to first conduct computer literacy training for them.
Krug admitted that computer access continues to be a nationwide challenge but CBP needs to be started now.
DTI-Cebu chief Nelia Navarro, on the other hand, said DTI could initially conduct computer literacy training for SMEs.
"We have received computer donations from Intel and free Internet access from Globelines that we can use to train our SMEs," said Navarro. She also committed to provide necessary data on the web portal.
"We have been passive in providing information to SMEs. Our website is sometimes outdated and telling them to just go to the office to get info is a disservice on our part," Navarro added.
DTI-7 Director Aster Caberte also confirmed DTI's support to the CBP in terms of information, saying the web portal is one of the means to speed up DTI's support for the Arroyo administration's plan to harmonize SMEs. (PIA)
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