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ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 12 March) – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Regional Office-IX is eyeing to establish five “Negosyo Centers” this year in Region IX in line with Republic Act 10644 otherwise known as the “Go Negosyo Act.”
RA 10644 aims to strengthen the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with the ultimate goal of creating more job opportunities in the country. It was signed into law in July last year by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III.
Dr. Sitti Amina Jain, DTI OIC-regional director, said Thursday two of the targeted five Negosyo Centers will be launched in Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay before June this year.
Jain said the Go Negosyo also aims to establish “Negosyo Centers” in all provinces, cities and municipalities to make things easier for SMEs to do business and facilitate access to services critical for their development.[]
Jain said the Negosyo Centers, as its core functions, will facilitate business registration; perform business advisory services; business information and advocacy; and monitoring and evaluation.
Jain said that under the law, the Micro-Medium and Small Enterprises (MSMEs) Development Council shall encourage public-private partnerships in the establishment and management of the Negosyo Centers.[]
In this set up, Jain said that a tight coordination and cooperation among local government units and other agencies and organizations is needed to avoid duplication of efforts, and more important, to foster coordinated action.[]
She said the other salient features of the Go Negosyo Act are technology transfer, production and management training, and marketing assistance for MSMEs; and establishment of a Philippine Business Registry Databank under DTI to serve as a database of all business enterprises in the country.
She said it also aims to establish a start-up fund for MSMEs to provide financing for the development and promotion of MSMEs in priority sectors of the economy to be sourced from the MSME Development Fund and Barangay Micro Business Enterprise (BMBE) Fund; Reconstitute the MSME Development Council and its additional functions; and designate DTI as sole agency to issue certificate of authority for BMBE to avail of benefits and incentives under RA 9178 or the BMBE Act of 2002.
She added that the public, to know more about the law, can read the full text at www.dti.gov.ph on the SMS laws and incentives.
