THE Covid-19 pandemic is not stopping the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 7 from assisting entrepreneurs in growing their businesses through the agency’s Negosyo Centers.
The agency said it maintained a 100 percent facilitation rate in the four provinces of Central Visayas by tapping the power of technology.
DTI 7 Director Ma. Elena Arbon said the current challenges due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions of movement prompted them to innovate.
“We are addressing this through a combination of face-to-face and online interventions. The online solutions that we have instituted have allowed us to expand our reach (to give) more awareness of the Negosyo Centers,” she told SunStar Cebu.
The Negosyo Center Program is responsible for promoting ease of doing business and facilitating access to services for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Republic Act 10644 also known as the “Go Negosyo Act,” seeks to strengthen MSMEs to create more job opportunities in the country.
Arbon said they are getting a lot of inquiries about Negosyo Centers through their Facebook channels.
The DTI said there were 4,173 MSMEs assisted in 65 Negosyo Centers in the first seven months of 2021, covering 62 municipalities in Central Visayas.
The program started in 2014, with five centers established in the islands of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Since then more Negosyo Centers have been set up nationwide bringing ease of doing business closer to MSMEs in all regions.
Function
Negosyo Centers help stimulate entrepreneurship development as MSMEs contribute substantially in driving the Philippine economy.
These centers are found in strategic areas convenient for the existing and would-be entrepreneurs, such as DTI offices, local government units, academe, non-government organizations and malls.
Negosyo Centers conduct and link MSMEs to seminars, training and programs related to setting-up a business, marketing, financial literacy and more.
MSMEs may also avail themselves of advisory services tailored according to their business needs and assistance in the processing and documentation of necessary paper requirements among others. (JOB)