Alaminos, Laguna โ The Negosyo Centers are appreciated for
assisting both current and
prospective business owners. Their main offerings
include business registration, business consulting,
and business advocacy
and information. Through
Negosyo Centers, the
Department of Trade and
Industry (DTI) also collaborates with other non-governmental organizations,
local government units,
academic institutions, and
other relevant agencies
to expand the programs
and services, improve the
ease of doing business,
and support the growth of
micro, small, and medium
enterprises (MSMEs).
The Small and
Medium Enterprises Roving Academy (SMERA) is
one of the DTIโs ongoing
education initiatives created to help MSMEs grow.
This program aids MSMEs
in learning how to improve
their competitiveness in
both domestic and foreign
markets.
The Laguna
Provincial Office of DTI
in collaboration with the
Card MRI Development
Institute Inc. (CMDI) conducted a SMERA on DTI
Programs and Services
cum Consumer Education
on Tuesday, March 21,
2023, from 1:00 p.m. to
5:00 p.m., at the Training
Center of CMDI located
in Barangay Tranca, Bay,
Laguna. This session was
a component of a 2-day
livelihood training program
offered by CMDI to its
microfinance clients and
members in Region IVA
CALABARZON who had
both potential and established enterprises.
In order to discuss the DTI programs
and services as well as
consumer education, Mr.
Vencer Vladimir A. Hurtada, the Negosyo Center
Business Counselor of
Negosyo Center Alaminos,
Laguna, and the resource
speaker for this seminar,
first discussed the DTI
vision, mission, and mandate. He also spoke about
the different MSME development programs, including how to enroll in Kapatid Mentor ME and how to
apply for a business name
and BMBE registration in
Negosyo Centers. He also
spoke about One Town,
One Product Program for
MSMEs, which focuses
on product development,
design, standards compliance, marketability,
production capability, and
brand development. He
also expounded that trade
shows, e-commerce, and
key industrial clusters
are examples of market
development. He also
provided information on
the Comprehensive Agricultural Reform Program,
the Shared Service Facility, and Building Entrepreneurship via Advising and
Mentoring Services.
In line with this,
Hurtada also discussed
and imparted knowledge
and information about
consumer education by
elaborately discussing the
rights and responsibilities
of consumers, and he ended the discussion by providing the participants with
a list of government agencies and their respective
jurisdictions connected to
business matters.
A total of forty-four (44) potential and
current MSMEs from various CALABARZON cities/
municipalities attended
the seminar, which was
well-received and oriented. The learning exercise
received positive feedback from the participants
as well. One observation
made throughout the presentation was very insightful and practical. (VVAHurtada, DTI-Laguna
