The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has made its services closer to the farthest municipality of Iloilo province with the opening of a Negosyo Center (NC) and the holding of a Diskwento Caravan in time for the town’s 54th founding anniversary.
DTI Iloilo Director Ma. Dinda R. Tamayo said the center would initially cater to business name (BN) registration that would spare micro, small, and medium entrepreneurs from traveling to the city for their transactions at the provincial office.
“Technically, they are not very adept in using the online form. Overseas Filipino workers from the municipality can also join in our training and seminar and also know what is happening in the provincial office,” she said.
Tamayo said they would establish eight NCs this year starting with Bingawan. The rest will be in the towns of Dueñas, Igbaras, Anilao, San Enrique, San Rafael, Batad, and Balasan.
By August this year, they hope to complete the establishment of NCs in all 43 local government units of the province.
Apart from opening the center, the DTI also brought its Diskwento Caravan to Bingawan, targeting more or less P200,000 sales for the one-day event.
Dorita D. Chavez, OIC Division Chief and Senior Trade Industry Development Specialist, said at least 13 major businesses and five subsidiaries of San Miguel Corp. have joined the event at the town’s covered gym, offering necessities and prime commodities, processed and dry food, and hardware products, including school supplies, at lower prices.
“The purpose of the Diskwento Caravan is to bring basic necessities and prime commodities to far-flung areas for them to avail of products at discounted prices,” she said.
Chavez added that the venue for the event is very strategic since it is at the center of Passi City and Calinog in Iloilo and the municipality of Tapaz in Capiz so more consumers can have access to the products.
Meanwhile, the DTI is still awaiting the guidelines on monitoring and confiscation of lato-lato toys from the central office.
Tamayo said while waiting for the guidelines, they would help the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in its advocacy on the toy’s possible health hazards.
“We are very careful but we are also accepting the responsibility to do something about it. We will be helping FDA monitor. We quote FDA to warn the public about it,” she said.Perla Lena/PNA
