July is celebrated as the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Month in the Philippines. In Negros Occidental, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) has approved last July 15 Resolution No. 0951 declaring the last week of July every year as Negros Business Week.
The resolution, authored by 3rd District Board Member Patrick Leonard Lacson and 5th District SPM Nehemias de la Cruz, stressed the need to promote awareness on the importance of MSMEs as the access of the poor to livelihood opportunities and which can be attained through the development of MSMEs.
To celebrate, private and public sectors in Negros Occidental joined hands in conducting business forums and trade shows. These events showcase the entrepreneurial skills and ingenuity of the Negrenses in the eclectic array of products and the trendsetting innovative designs.
OTOP … Bugal Sg Negros Trade Fair
OTOP is a flagship program of President Arroyo and it’s also actively supported byt local govenrment units in Negros Occidental. In celebration of the SME Month, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Association of Negros Producers organized the “OTOP … Bugal sg Negros“ held on July 9-11, 2009. The trade fair featured OTOP products of the different towns and cities in Negros Occidental.
1st Negros Occidental OTOP Congress
DTI Negros Occidental organized the 1stNegros Occidental OTOP Congress on July 30,2009 at Planta Centro Bacolod Hotel and Residences. The congress was organized by DTI and was attended by Local Government Units and OTOP entrepreneurs.
The OTOP Congress was held to review the accomplishments of the program after three years of implementation and also to find out how far the program was implemented and to review the commitments of the LGUs and stakeholders such as the SMEs.
The highlight of the event was the awarding of OTOP Most Supportive LGU and Outstanding SME. Hinigaran won as the most supportive OTOP LGU, followed by Kabankalan City and Talisay City as first and second runners up, respectively. Outstanding OTOP SME winners included the Organization for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement (OISCA) of Bago City, Diana’s Toron de Mani of Kabankalan City, and Veloria’s Squid Rings of Sagay City.
1st Negros Business Week
The 1st Negros Business Week was organized by the Provincial Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development Council (PSMEDC) and chaired by the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industries (MBCCI). With a theme “Negosyo… Kaya mo!”, the event ran from July 27 to August 2 and highlighted a week-long trade fair at Robinsons Bacolod.
During the opening ceremonies, national awardees for the first ever Presidential Awards for Outstanding Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise were given recognition. DTI Regional Director Dominic Abad said he is very happy that all awards for the Visayas were given to firms in Region 6, two of which are from Negros Occidental.
Dood’s Enterprises was awarded Outstanding MSME for Visayas under the Micro Category and Vicmik Enterprises for Medium Category. Receiving the award for Dood’s Enterprises was Rose Marie Madejanon, the proprietress. Isabel Lovina , President of Vicmik received the award.
The vibrancy of the business sector in Negros Occidental is due to the cooperation among government agencies and private sector. It is also in support of the provincial government’s thrust for self-sufficiency and to counter the effects of off-milling season or ‘tiempo muerto’ (dead season).
