Government of Maribojoc: Travel, Business and News

The lead-up to the 19th Mindanao Business Conference has kicked off in this city, the economic hub of northern Mindanao.

“It promises to be an exciting event, focusing on energy, shipping, agribusiness, mariculture and other key industries,” said Ralph Paguio, president of the event’s host organization, the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc.

The “MinBizCon” is the premier venue for presenting Mindanao’s investment opportunities, as well as for linking its business community with investors and buyers, sharing best practices in economic development, and fostering a more competitive business environment.

The conference, held in a different city each year, is being organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), with support from the Cagayan de Oro City government, USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program, the Mindanao Development Authority, and other partners.

This year’s MinBizCon will run from September 17 to 18 at the Atrium in Limketkai Center, Cagayan de Oro City. This year’s theme is: “One. Global. Mindanao. Maximizing Potentials.”

“We are happy to bring the MinBizCon back to Cagayan de Oro after several years,” said PCCI chairman Sergio Ortiz-Luis, Jr. “We have seen a lot of development in this area, and it’s fitting to hold the conference here to showcase its business opportunities.”

“There will be plenary sessions championing Mindanao’s winners. In these sessions we will be highlighting the key products, or ?product champions’ of each Mindanao sub-region, which is a new element in the event format,” said Paguio.

He added that the Oro Chamber, in partnership with the U.S Commercial Service, will hold its annual OroBest trade show simultaneously with the conference.

A Mindanao Investment Forum will be held in Makati City in July, as an auxiliary event, Paguio said.

Let’S face it, stimulating local economies also need that small and medium enterprises (SMES) build roads that connect them to the vast information super-highway to get their products a world-wide exposure.

And with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) poring into the aspect of high tech marketing SMEs, Project Training Enhancement for Competitiveness in Harnessing Innovative Entrepreneurs (Project TECHIE) is the immediate government intervention.

Conceptualized to help local SMEs and Micro SME’s, the project as implemented by DTI Industry (DTI) and the Philippine National IT Standards (PhilNITS) Foundation, Inc. uses an integrated approach in Information Technology, enabling SMEs and MSMEs by building partnerships, training and giving them access to an efficient support through a project secretariat.

“It is in response to the mandate of the present administration that calls for the promotion and development of SMEs and MSMEs as a way of stimulating economic activity in the countryside, admits DTI regional director Asteria Caberte.

She adds, the project is “a tool, which can help local SMEs and MSMEs boost productivity and income as they’re taught how to maximize the use of the world wide web and the Internet in their promotion and marketing efforts”.

Coming with five levels of training, project TECHIE starts from basic computer literacy to comprehensive web marketing, according to DTI.

Implemented since December 2009 to June 30, 2010, the project roots out participants from SMEs and sends them to training courses.

The DTI nominates and selects participants to the training conducted by PhilNITS free to SMEs and MSMEs, she revealed.

It may be recalled that DTI has been actively promoting IT among local MSMEs here in the past three years.

DTI Director Maria Elena Arbon is optimistic that the project will improve the competitiveness of local MSMEs by enhancing their global presence through website promotion of products and services.

Locally, DTI partners with Holy Name University in the implementation of Phase 1, making use of HNUs IT facilities to train Boholano MSMEs on basic computer skills and applications.

Some 25 Boholano SMEs from the crafts and food sectors participated in the first batch of the training which was held at the HNU Computer Laboratory.

Malacañang has expressed confidence that investors’ faith in President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s reform agenda will sustain the economic stability and growth of the country.

Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye made the statement in connection with the weakening of the peso. The peso the other day has plunged to P56.05 against a dollar. But the peso fall was short-lived.

Bunye said the Filipino people shall withstand and eventually overcome these challenges as there is much to bank on in the resiliency and deep spirit of enterprise that reside in the people.

“It is unfortunate, however, that the threats to the economy loom just when we are already gearing for a full economic turnaround,” the Palace official added.