Municipality of Dumarao signs pact to streamline business permits
DUMARAO, Capiz -- A signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was done on October 8, 2008 among the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) represented by Engr. Dominic Abad, DTI Regional Director for Western Visayas; German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) represented by Dr. Volker Steigerwald, GTZ Visayas Coordinator; and the Municipality of Dumarao represented by Vice Mayor Querubin Pamplona in behalf of Mayor Leslie Warren Benjamin who has a previous engagement. The MOU was held in the Municipal Hall of this town.
Streamlining of the Business Permits and Licensing System (BPLS) is one of the major interventions in the Small and Medium Enterprise Development for Sustainable Employment Program (SMEDSEP). SMEDSEP is a development cooperation project between the Philippines and Germany. It aims to improve the business and investment climate for micro, small and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs) in the Philippines, especially in the Visayas. SMEDSEP contributes to the efforts of the Philippine government to improve the framework conditions for private sector development in the country. SMEDSEP is implemented in partnership by DTI at national, regional and provincial levels on behalf of the Philippine Government and the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Currently, obtaining a Mayor's Permit requires a considerable amount of time before it gets processed. For budding entrepreneurs, this impedes their decision to put up a business. Efforts to encourage businessmen to invest has been a priority for most local government units (LGUs) and to fast-track the processing of their permits is an encouragement for them to pursue their business plans. Through the BPLS project, there will be swift delivery of services on the parts of the LGUs to facilitate the documents of new investors and entrepreneurs.
GTZ is an international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations owned by the German Government. For 30 years, it has been providing forward looking contributions to political, economic, ecological and social development in partner countries.