DTI in partnership with the local government unit of Malungon held a groundbreaking ceremony of the Negosyo Center- Malungon on June 27. The said Negosyo Center, which is currently under construction, will have a separate building with a training room facility. Currently, the center is temporarily housed in the Business Permits and Licensing Office of the municipal LGU.
Leading the ceremonial groundbreaking and opening ceremony of the 34th Negosyo Center in Region 12 were DTI- Sarangani Provincial Director Engr. Nenita Barroso and Municipal Vice-Mayor Mariano Escalada, Jr.
Provincial Director Engr. Nenita Barroso said, “Through the establishment of the Negosyo Centers in the municipalities, we will be able to reach and help those living in the uplands and develop their entrepreneurial capabilities.” She also stated that Sarangani province is the top four poorest provinces in the country which makes it all the more necessary that government services will be brought to those living in the hinterlands of the far-flung municipalities..
Provincial Director Barroso said, “We can also help local businessmen since we will have Business Counsellors manning the centers to give them business advisory services and capacity-building trainings.” She also explained the three major functions of the Negosyo Centers which are Business Registration Assistance, Business Advisory, and Business Information and Advocacy.
“With the Negosyo Center, you can get your Business Name Certificate with DTI within the day or as fast as 15 minutes,” said PD Barroso. She also said that Negosyo Center-Malungon will display locally-made products of the municipality. “In the future, we will see the products made in Malungon, Sarangani displayed in supermarkets,” she said.
On the other hand, Municipal Vice Mayor of Malungon Mariano Escalada, Jr. shared about the financing program of the government for MSMEs namely the Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso (P3) which aims to abolish the “5-6” money lending system. This loan assistance for MSMEs will come from the financing arm of DTI, the Small Business Corporation or SBC, which will disburse the funds to partner Financing Institutions (FIs).
After which, Business Counsellor Sheila May Perez then named some of the SBC’s partner FIs namely Radiowealth Finance Company Inc., Cebuana Llhullier Pawnshop, and Mediatrix Multi-purpose Cooperatives, among others.