THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said confidence of businessmen in Central Luzon continue to rise despite the ongoing coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
This is because of the continued application of business registrations from new and old entrepreneurs.
In the latest report of the DTI-Central Luzon, from January to September 2020, the agency has processed a total of 61,720 business name registration despite quarantine restrictions brought by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The figure is only slightly lower than the number of registrations for the same period in 2019, where DTI processed 62,697.
DTI-Central Luzon Director Judith Angeles attributed the business resilience of the region to the sound economic fundamentals of the seven provinces of the region and the confidence of businesses in government.
For the first three quarters of 2020, DTI-Bulacan processed the most number of business name registrations (BNRs) with 14,415, while DTI-Pampanga followed with 13,386 BNRs and Nueva Ecija had 9,634 BNR transactions.
DTI-Tarlac processed 7,905 BNRs, while DTI-Zambales had 7,382 and Bataan had 6,771 transactions, and DTI-Aurora processed a total of 2,227 BNR transactions.
Angeles also noted that with these figures, more economic activity and job opportunities will be generated by the continuity of businesses in the region.
She also said that in 2020, the DTI-Central Luzon is expecting a total of P11.018 Billion in investments because of the abovementioned business name registrations.
In terms of employment to be generated from these businesses, the agency expects more than 97,000 new jobs to be opened.
Despite the pandemic, the DTI regional and provincial offices continue to support micro small and medium enterprises in the region to cope with the new normal through continuous assistance like online learning tools, livelihood starter packs, mentoring sessions, e-commerce and product development services.