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Monday, February 16, 2004
Canadian aid project to open Cebu office
A BILATERAL project between Canada and the Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to support small and medium enterprise development plans to open an office in Visayas and in Mindanao this year.
“We are hoping to open (a Pearl 2 office) in Cebu by April,” said Restie Male, program officer of the Partnership Development Facility (PDF), a component of the Private Enterprise Accelerated Resource Linkages (Pearl) Phase 2 project.
The office would most likely be located in the DTI regional office, he told Sun.Star Thursday ahead of the signing of a P2-million deal between Pearl 2 of the federal government agency Canadian International Development Agency (Cida) and the Pollution Control Officers Association of the Philippines Inc. (Pcapi) 7 on the implementation of the environmental management system in Tesda workshops.
Davao
Male said Pearl 2 also hopes to open an office in Davao within the year.
This as he announced that Pearl 2 is “still open for proposals from other industry organizations” that might need funding.
The maximum per project is P2 million.
Canada gives grants, which means donations, and not soft loans.
Donation
He assured that unlike other funding countries, Canada would not compel beneficiaries to buy Canadian products in exchange for its aid.
For instance, for Mindanao business chambers that want to mount business missions, he said, Cida encouraged them to look more at the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia- Philippines-East Asean Growth Area rather than at Canada.
The Pearl 2 project has three components–sectoral enhancement, capacity development for investment promotion and the partnership development facility (PDF).
There are three ongoing projects for the PDF, which will cost Cida about P4 million this year.
These projects are being undertaken with the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Pcapi and the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology, the last of which is developing certification tools and standards for information technology professionals.
Exporters
For the sectoral enhancement component, Pearl 2 is working with the Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation Inc., Cebu Fashion Accessories Manufacturers and Exporters and the Cebu Gifts, Toys and Housewares association.
“We sent them to participate in fairs,” like in China and Milan, Male said.
For the CFIF, in particular, Pearl 2 is supporting the Cebu X, the annual international furniture show of mainly Cebu exporters, slated to take place on Feb. 26-29 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel.
The work with CFIF is a continuing one.
“Last year, we were finding out their problems. This year, we are (thinking of) programs to solve the problems identified,” Male said.
For the capacity development component, Pearl 2 is working with the Cebu Investment Promotions Center. CTL
(February 16, 2004 issue)
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