DTI to open centers in Cebu, Bogo, Siquijor and other growth areas
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will open 6 more Go Negosyo centers in Central Visayas by September.
The total number of Go Negosyo hubs in the region is targeted to reach 40 by next year as DTI also rolls out centers in key growth areas, said DTI regional director Asteria C. Caberte.
“The good thing about this is that all Go Negosyo centers in the region will be Model A, meaning all services will be available,” Caberte said in a telephone interview.
A Go Negosyo Center is aimed at promoting ease of doing business and facilitating access to services for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) within its jurisdiction.
Its services include business registration assistance, business advisory services, business information and advocacy, and monitoring and evaluation. All these will be available in a Model A center, Caberte said.
So far, two centers have been launched in the region. DTI launched yesterday a Go Negosyo Center in Tagbilaran City in Bohol, the second in the region.
The first was opened in Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental during the Visayas Area Business Conference last week. Both the Dumaguete and Tagbilaran hubs are located at the DTI provincial offices.
Negros Oriental, however, is no longer part of Central Visayas region, but of the Negros Island Region created under Executive Order 183 that was issued in late May this year.
Caberte said a center will open next week in Siquijor town in Siquijor, also at the DTI offices.
Three centers will open in Cebu on Aug. 19 to 20. One will be at the DTI Cebu provincial office, another at the DTI regional office, and a third in Bogo City.
“Bogo was the first to respond to our call for LGUs (local government units) in Cebu to partner with us for the establishment of these centers,” Caberte said.
Another center will open, also on Aug. 20, in Dumaguete in partnership with the city government while a second facility in Bohol will open in September in partnership with the provincial government.
Caberte said they have conducted capacity-building seminars for people who will serve as business counselors in the centers. DTI will send personnel at least once a month to the centers, she added.
As of July 10, the DTI said there are a total of 59 Go Negosyo centers nationwide. Of these, 12 are in the Visayas, 16 in Mindanao and 31 in Luzon.
By the end of this year, Caberte said DTI hopes to have 100 Go Negosyo centers all over the country.