www.smedsep.ph What's New as of as of 30 May 2007

[Dela Cruz Ben Arvin GTZ PH]

  

This is the Monthly Email Newsletter of the DTI-TESDA-GTZ SMEDSEP Program.
Visit our website at www.smedsep.ph for more information.

As of May 30, 2007

The annual GTZ Programming Workshop Meeting was held in Cebu last week of March which was attended by national and international staff. With a new country director in place, a review of GTZs general orientation was conducted in order to strengthen its country portfolio. To start the creation of a communication framework for SMEDSEP, a Communication Strategy Planning Workshop was held in Manila last April 3 at BSMED. This was followed a week later with the Results-Based Management (RBM) Seminar

 

New Publications

• Mission Report on the Consultancy to Identify Possible Interventions to Support Tourism Development in the Visayas
  Dietmar Quist and Rita Pilarca / February 2007 / download

• Market Study on SME Finance Training among Rural Banks and Thrift Banks
  ARMDev Team / March 2007 / download

• Transport Brief # 3: Trade in Services in the Philippine Maritime Sector
  Hanna Bucher / March 2007 / download

 

National Updates

• GTZ SMEDSEP/BSMED has enrolled with the Socioeconomic Portal for the Philippines or SERP-P as the repository of knowledge on the SME sector in the Philippines

• Short term mission of Kai Hauerstein for SMEDSEP on the replication and upscaling of streamlining business permits and licensing procedures in LGUs and NGAs.

• SMEDSEP Program Monitoring and Replanning Meeting was held in Boracay attended by DTI BSMED and National Staff, DTI Regional Directors for Regions 6, 7 and 8, SBC and by GTZ-SMEDSEP Program Managers, Visayas Coordinator, Regional Coordinators as well as National and Regional Staff

• Four one-day Action Planning workshops for the validation of the SMED Plan and M&E System were held in Manila last May 2007. Each day revolved around the following topics respectively: 24 May (Productivity and Efficiency), 25 May (Access to Markets and Competitiveness), 28 May (Access to Finance) and 29 May (Business and Industry Enabling Environment).

 

Regional Updates

Region 6

• Mayor Santiago Barcelona, Jr. of Escalante City has signed the Executive Order that will set into motion the implementation of the recommended streamlined business permitting process in the City.

• In response to the Business Development Services orientation workshop held in 6 provinces in Western Visayas, at least 15 prospective BDS providers coming from Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo and Negros Occidental submitted their Letters of Intent (LOI) to partner with SMEDSEP.

• Antique and Capiz have shown keen interest in adopting LRED by sending a regional delegation composed of DTI Regional Focal Person and staff, Provincial Directors and staff as well as private sector representatives to the LRED Sensitizing Workshop in Ormoc

• DED and GTZ are now exploring the possibilities of collaborating together in extending support to the Negros Island Tourism, Inc. (NITI).

Region 7

• A Manual for NERBAC (National Economic Research and Business Assistance Center) is now in the process of finalization by the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP).

• A presentation of a draft study report on the conversion of Cebu as a Special Economic Zone made to GTZ Managers in Manila last 17 May followed by a presentation in Cebu City on 18 May to the Cebu Ecozone Study group. A final report was presented to different stakeholders last week of May

• SMEDSEP and PEZA EID (Eco-Industrial Development) Project jointly implemented the Business Development Service (BDS) model. Capacity building for PEZA Managers was held last 17-18 May in Manila and Business Planning Writeshop for Mactan Service providers last 23-25 May in Mactan, Cebu.

Region 8

• LRED Sensitizing workshop was held in Ormoc last 25 April. The participants included DTI regional and provincial representatives for Regions 8 & 6. A second round of LRED sensitizing orientation was held in Bohol April 27 and the participants this time were from Regions 7 & 6.

• Capacity Development Interventions

  • Joint SMEDSEP-EnRD LRED Training of Facilitators 3 in Ormoc City scheduled June 12-15

  • ILO’s LED Course in Turin, Italy scheduled June 4-15; representative from LGU Ormoc City to participate

  • Mesopartner’s Summer Academy on LED in Duisburg, Germany on July 16-20; representative from DTI 8 to participate

  • InWent’s RED Manager’s Training in Germany ongoing; DTI and DA participants

Financial Services

• Selection of UP-ISSI in Diliman Quezon City as SMEDSEPs training service provider to institutionalize SME finance trainings among rural and thrift banks nationwide.

• Formalized an agreement with Bank Victorias, Bacolod and FAIR Bank Bogo, Cebu that will be provided in-depth coaching under SMEDSEP to intensify lending to the SMEs

 

Trade Policy and Promotion Project

Updates on Trade in Services

• Trade in Health Services Training Course - The Trade in Services Training Course for the Health Sector was successfully concluded last March 9, 2007. Participants mentioned their appreciation of the varied and diverse discussions on medical tourism and GATS.

• Integrated Capacity Building Approach for TSGTS Concluded - The integrated capacity building approach for TSGTS was concluded last April 27 with their presentation before a panel presentation of DTI and DOTC officials of their outputs from a three-day Integration Workshop and consultative meetings with various air, maritime and ports sector stakeholders.

• Logistics Public Forum - A public forum entitled “Conditions for an International Transport and Logistics Hub: A European Perspective” was held last April 26, 2007 by Mr. Dinos Stasinopoulos, where he presented his perspective in establishing logistics facilities and where Ms. Rodolfo of CRC presented the possibility of having Clark and Subic as logistics hubs as a response.

Updates on Trade in Aquaculture

• Phase IV of the training package on food safety and quality in the milkfish value chain on Understanding ISO 22000:2005 and Integration of HACCP and Operational Pre-requisite Programs was held on April 16-20, 2007 at the Iloilo Business Hotel. The participants included stakeholders from the private sector companies, academe (consultant-trainers), research institutions (consultant-trainers), and the government sectors (inspectors).

• The first half of the first month coaching, Phase V: Company Coaching towards stability and sustainability, was successfully held on April 30-May 8, 2007 at different sites. These sites included, Panit-an, Capiz; Victorias City, Negros Occ., Binalbagan, Negros Occ. and Silay City, Negros Occ.

 

BIMP-EAGA Project

• Strengthening BIMP-EAGA Coordinating Private Sector Institutions

  • The project is undergoing strategy development for energizing the private sector participation in BIMP-EAGA economic integration; ongoing between 7 May - 9 June

  • In cooperation with the Local Government of Northern Territory, Australia, the project is organizing a series of activities to promote the BIMP-EAGA Business Portal in key areas in the sub-region in May-June 2007.

• Strengthening the BIMP-EAGA Coordinating Public Sector Institutions - Benchmarking of sub-regional structures and arrangements in Europe by participation of the BIMP-EAGA Senior Officials in the Baltic Sea Regional Conference in Hamburg and study visit in the Baltic Sea Cooperation Secretariat office in Stockholm, 9-11 May 2007.

• Accelerating the Implementation of ASEAN Agreements in BIMP-EAGA - The respective MOUs for the improvement of transport linkages by land and sea are drafted for approval by the next BIMP-EAGA Transport Ministers Meeting in June 2007.

• Promoting Cross-Border Value Chains

  • Seaweeds value chain analysis is ongoing, together with the International Finance Corp.; for validation in a value chain stakeholders' seminar/fora in July 2007

  • Supported the development of collateral materials, e.g. video and brochure, towards promotion of joint tourism development in BIMP-EAGA

 

PEZA-EID 2 Project

• Management Updates - After conducting the first EID Steering Committee meeting, a decision was made towards establishing a PEZA-EID concept based on EID policy, EID group (HO), EID unit (EZ), sector committees.

• Inter-Agency Cooperation - BDS activities were completed in collaboration with SMEDSEP. Revision of draft MOA for Multipartite Monitoring Team (MMT) was elaborated and will be circulated View

Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH; Sitz der Gesellschaft/Registered Office Eschborn/Taunus, Germany; Registergericht/Registered at Amtsgericht Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Eintragungs-Nr./Registration no. HRB 12394; Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrates/Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Erich Stather, State Secretary; Geschaeftsfuehrer/Managing Directors: Dr. Bernd Eisenblaetter, Wolfgang Schmitt