WITH the massive campaign of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Northern Mindanao, the number of business registrations continued to get higher every year.
Data from DTI showed that from a total business registration of 6,528 comprising five provinces in the region in 2005, the figure increased to 7,183 in 2006.
Although the number lowered a little in 2007 with only 7,007, it subsequently grew to 7,988 in 2008 and further went up to 9,009 in 2009, reaching 37,715 in just five years.
Carmel D. Mabao, DTI-X information officer, said this was the result of the “house-to-house” campaign of DTI in all towns and cities regionwide, noting the active participation of the local government units in calling business establishment owners to operate legally.
“Our men in the field really traveled all across the region just to have the non-registered business establishments signed up with DTI,” Mabao said.
She announced that the DTI is giving 50 percent discount on registration fee for business name registration, which has already started late last year and would end in the last day of July this year.
Mabao also noted the annual one-stop-shop established in certain places in every town and city where majority of the national government agencies are present for the convenience of applicants.
“The one-stop-shop also encouraged those business firms to register with the DTI because it’s easier to process their documents,” she said.
She also recognized the Land Transportation Office (LTO) as one of the national agencies that contributed to the dramatic increase of business registrations every year as they beefed up their drive for taxi operators to be strictly required with documents from the DTI before they can continue operating.
“We also do some surprise visits to the business establishments across the region for them to be reminded during renewals of registration,” she added.
The DTI data includes new registration of business names and renewals of trade name registration.
However, Mabao said renewals has less percentage every year after noting that in five years time, roughly 40 percent had renewed their registration since other business establishments had closed down.