Regional Director Aster Caberte of the Department of Trade and Industry explains how the Negosyo sa Barangay program can benefit the micro, small and medium enterprises in the countryside. /Irene R. Sino Cruz
CEBU CITY, Philippines—To bring their services to the lower-income municipalities, the Department of Trade and Industry in Central Visayas (DTI-7) will launch the Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay in Cebu and in Negros Oriental in August.
DTI-7 Regional Director Aster Caberte explained that the NSB is a program created to bring government closer to small businesses and boost assistance through the establishment of barangay help desks for countryside business in the 4th, 5th and 6th class municipalities.
The program intends to maximize the entrepreneurs’ potentials until they could already stand on their own, Caberte added.
She disclosed that their office targets a total of 250 barangays to participate in the NSB program in the region this year.
DTI-7 has also set a target of 1,250 barangays to participate in the program by year 2022 to reach out and assist more entrepreneurs.
DTI-7 first launched the project in Bohol, which was identified as a pilot area due to the accelerated developments in the province, she said. They have also launched the NSB project in Siquijor. Officials and residents of the two provinces attended the NSB launching.
The barangay captains of villages who attended the NSB launch in the two provinces urged their constituents to take advantage of the services offered by the program.
NSB services include information campaign on the services offered by the Negosyo Center, financial literacy, business name registration system (BNRS) and streamlining of business regulatory requirements, consumer education and protection, trade fairs, shared service facility (SSF) and Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso (P3), among others.
It also offers entrepreneurship seminar, bookkeeping/accounting for non-accountants, product development and related skills training through the Negosyo Centers established in the provinces.
DTI established Negosyo Centers to help micro, small and medium enterprises grow, to facilitate job generation and to promote inclusive growth./dcb