Monday, July 23, 2007 Uswag Sarangani: Thriving biz initiative
ALABEL, Sarangani -- Sarangani is due to make another surge on investments and jobs with the celebration of Uswag Sarangani, a small and medium enterprise development (Smed) initiative, which started on July 16 and ends on July 31.
Trade and Industry Provincial Director Nenita Barroso described Uswag Sarangani as "a venue for advocating policies and converging initiatives to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the province."
It is a "mechanism in mustering the efforts the SMEs, local government units, and concerned National Government agencies towards SME promotion and development," she said.
Barroso explained that Uswag Sarangani is the local and expanded version of Smed Week which is scheduled to be celebrated every third week of July.
She noted the gains brought about by the project to the province's booming economy since its launching in July 2005.
Barroso said Uswag was able to promote well the Sarangani's Smed as thriving local business initiative.
She said Uswag has greatly contributed to the generation of jobs, investments, and sales in the provincial Smed Program.
In cooperation with the Sarangani Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc., and the Sarangani Provincial Smed Council, Uswag Sarangani 2007 celebration banners the theme "Ang Galing Mo Pinoy, Go Negosyo."
"We lined up several SME-related activities from July 16 to 31, which we hope to provide impetus and needed boost to SME development initiatives in the province," Barroso said.
Advancing the Otop as a way to spur economic growth at the countryside through collaborative efforts with concerned agencies is part of the "legacy building phase" of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's administration.
President Arroyo believes in the entrepreneurial skills of Filipinos to be able to grow small businesses into bigger ones.
She said these potentials only need to be tapped, developed and improved.
The Otop program, according to Barroso has harnessed the ingenuity of the SMEs in the seven municipalities of Sarangani to venture in aquaculture, dried fish, banana, mango, and coco coir business, among others.
Uswag Sarangani is meant as socio-economic festivity of the province which stands for "United towards a Strong, Wealthy and Globally Competitive Sarangani."
