The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – Region 2, in collaboration with the Board of Investments (BOI), officially commenced the series of Capability Building Training (CBT) on Investment Promotion for Local Government Units (LGUs) under the agency’s flagship project “Invest in Bountiful Cagayan Valley Region” last 29-30 April 2021 via Zoom.

The participants and the speakers during the capability building training

The first of a series, “CBT on the Development of Investment Promo Collaterals” was attended by around 100 participants from the different provinces, cities, and municipalities in Cagayan Valley represented by their Local Chief Executives (LCEs), Planning and Development Officers (PDOs), and Local Economic and Investment Officers (LEIPOs). Some representatives from the academe and other regional line agencies including DTI’s investment promotion focal persons also joined the activity.

This module aimed to fully equip the LGUs in catering to the needs of the target investors. Correspondingly, the participants were provided with basic knowledge to develop digital and traditional promotional collaterals and to formulate communication plans utilizing their promotional materials to reach their target audiences/investors locally and internationally.

“The journey of our LGUs and all the stakeholders of the region is the journey of the entire region and that your level of competitiveness defines the competitiveness of the entire Cagayan Valley. Hence, let us work together towards an even more investment-friendly Region 2,” said DTI-Region 2 Regional Director (RD) Leah Pulido Ocampo as she highlighted the LGUs’ vital role as leader, indispensable partner, and a key factor in making Region 2 engage in local economic promotion and provide efficient, effective, and investor-friendly services. “We cannot allow this pandemic to hold us back from realizing our visions for Region 2, especially when there are indications of positive outlook and opportunities that we shouldn’t miss,” RD Ocampo added.

The participants and the speakers during the capability building training

During the training, the different provinces (Cagayan, Quirino, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and Batanes) entered into five breakout rooms for the workshop on The Competitive Advantage Challenge and the Development of Promotion Collaterals (Traditional/Digital). Each province presented its development advantages, industries, and why these industries thrive in their respective regions.

Meanwhile, Director Ma. Rosario “Pie” J. Dominguez of BOI’s Domestic Investment Promotion Services highlighted the primordial role of LGUs in investment promotion as she focused her lecture on “Investment Promotion and Strategies”. She also emphasized that the LGUs must align their image brand with that of the regional brand, put significance by presenting the information needed by investors in specific numbers or figures, and identify competitive advantages, particularly on agro-processing, logistics, and establishment of cold storage facilities.

Other significant topics were also discussed during the two-day webinar such as image building by Chief Ferry Ann Guillermo Brum of BOI-Information Communication Division; stocktaking/capitalizing on the assets of the locality by Chief Ellen N. Kionisala of BOI-Cagayan de Oro, use of traditional and digital tools like Hubspot, Trello, and Canva, and the preparation of investment promo communication Plan.

Moreover, after the training, DTI-Provincial Offices, through the Negosyo Center Business Counselors and Provincial Investment Promotion Officers, will handhold the participating LGUs to ensure that they will finalize, develop, and implement their investment promo communication plan using their promotional materials.

Each LGU will convene its Technical Working Group to undertake the follow-through activities. LGUs with complete promotional materials and approved communication plans will be eligible to participate in the next level of training activities such as Packaging of Projects Studies, Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Notes, and join in other succeeding investment marketing activities organized by DTI-Region 2, BOI, and PPP Center.

In closing, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) – Region 2 RD Jonathan Paul M. Leusen expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the provincial and municipal LGUs, and the organizers of the activity—the BOI and the DTI.  “Due to the series of lockdowns, the pandemic has changed the country’s economic state. Through this activity, LGUs and other key players become more aware of the mechanisms and strategies for promoting the entire region and establishing its economic need,” DILG RD Leusen said in his message. ♦

Date of Release: 11 May 2021