THE Iligan City Government is granting both fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to businesses in the city that are Bagwis Awardees of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) from years 2006 to 2017.
About 50 business establishments in the city will be receiving the incentives in accordance to City Ordinance 17-6629, adopted and approved by the City Council of Iligan.
The city ordinance, also known as the Reinforced Bagwis Program of Iligan City, is "an ordinance strengthening the Department of Trade and Industry's Bagwis Program by providing incentives, both fiscal and non-fiscal inducements, to establishments which duly qualify them as Bagwis Awardees, and prescribing the parameters/criteria as standard in the conduct of business."
Angelo Devero, the Senior Trade and Industry Development Specialist of DTI-Iligan, said the fiscal incentives include P10,000 to P30,000 discounts based on gross receipt/sales for business tax as assessed by Iligan City Treasurer's Office depending on award.
Non-fiscal incentives, Devero said, include access to express lane for the renewal of business permit, recognition as priority supplier for government purchases and inclusion, and the promotion to the buying/consuming public.
"The possibility of generating more sales and clients would be augmented since these business establishments are believed or perceived to be compliant to fair trade laws and that consumers are
assured to receive the best value for their hard-earned money," Devero added.
In August 2013, the Bagwis Awards has started to lose ground in the field of doing business due to the declining number of applicants.
The DTI-Lanao del Norte Provincial Office opened up the idea and conferred with the past concerned committee of the City Council on giving incentives to business establishments bestowed with Bagwis Seal of Excellence to strengthen the program.
It was in July 2016 that business owners in Iligan and DTI once again tap the Committee on Trade, Commerce and Industries to pursue the proposed legislative measure strengthening the Bagwis Seal of Excellence Program.
"Considering the stringent criteria required to receive such recognition like the promotion of good employer-employee relationship, implementation of corporate social responsibility and upholding the fair trade laws as presented by Engineer Elvira Redublado of DTI, I believe these establishments deserve to be granted with incentives from the local government," Councilor Demosthenes Plando said.
DTI's Bagwis, recognized by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Committee on Consumer protection, is a national program in which recognition are given to establishments for upholding rights of consumers, practice responsible business where consumers get the best value for their hard-earned money, and function with the highest level of business ethics through voluntary self-regulation and service excellence.