DTI, Megaworld ink deal to help MSMEs

The Department of Trade and Industry has forged an alliance with the city government of Manila, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Megaworld Corp. to help boost the competitiveness of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

Under the memorandum of agreement signed late last month, Megaworld will provide the DTI space at Lucky Chinatown mall for the Negosyo Center, the establishment of which is provided under Republic Act No. 10644, or the Go Negosyo Act.

According to the DTI, the Negosyo Center at Lucky Chinatown will be a one-stop shop catering to Manila-based MSMEs. Among the services that will be offered by the new Negosyo Center are business registration through the Philippine Business Registry (PBR); business advisory services, including product development, trade promotion, financing facilitation, investment promotion and SME counseling; business information and advocacy; and monitoring and evaluation to track the progress of MSMEs assisted by the center.

The Manila chapter of the PCCI will meanwhile provide technical and professional services to the entrepreneurs, including business counseling and skills training.

This year, the DTI targets to put up close to 150 Go Negosyo Centers.

The agency is tasked to establish Negosyo Centers nationwide.

These centers are expected to hasten the business application process of MSMEs in coordination with the local governments and other concerned agencies.

Centers are likewise mandated to provide business advisory services such as facilitating access to grants, financial assistance and shared service facilities.

A unified and simplified business registration form that contains all the necessary information for the business application process of MSMEs will also be made available in all Negosyo Centers. Trade Secretary Gregory L. Domingo earlier said the government hoped to set up as many as 1,600 centers across the country over the next seven years in a bid to develop more entrepreneurs.