NDC CELEBRATES ITS CENTENNIAL YEAR

The National Development Company (NDC) had a modest celebration of its centennial year which was held at the PICC with its Chairman, DTI Secretary Ramon M. Lopez, as the guest of honor.

The occasion was a gathering of luminaries with the presence of former NDC Chairpersons, Ambassador Lilia Bautista, Jesli Lapuz and Adrian Cristobal. Likewise, present were former General Managers, Arthur Aguilar, Jose Mari Trenas, Samie Lim and Ofelia Bulaong together with partners from the government and the private sector.

The affair was an opportunity for NDC to showcase its evolution from 1919 to 2019, from its first subsidiary, the Cebu Portland Cement Company incorporated in 1921 to its most recent investment in Rizal Mini Hydro Power Project.

The DTI Secretary cited NDC’s rich history and commended the company for its contribution to the current economic progress that the country is experiencing now.

Through its 100 years of existence, NDC took the role of a catalyst in the country’s economic development, undertaking diverse projects, from inception, to nurturing, to privatization. These include industrial projects in the form of the National Steel Corporation, Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Corporation, Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corporation, agricultural plantations through the NDC-Guthrie Plantations, Inc. and NDC-Guthrie Estates, Inc., transport with the Philippine Airlines, National Shipping Corporation and ocean-going vessels.

Likewise, NDC was the Philippine corporate representative in the Asean Joint Venture Projects in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

After focusing on privatization during the Aquino administration, NDC reverted on its cycle of investments with the likes of the very successful First Cavite Industrial Estate, Inc., Manila Exposition Complex, Inc., Science Park of the Philippines, Inc., San Carlos Bio-ethanol, Inc., Philippine Mining Development Corporation, Philippine Pharma Procurement, Inc., NDC Philippine Infrastructure Corporation, Alabang-Sto. Tomas Development, Inc.

As NDC journeys through its bicentennial year, its developmental perspective is geared towards high impact projects where it would act as an enabler to new technology-incubation, global competitiveness endeavors, renewable energy generation, addressing supply chain gaps, micro, small and medium enterprises and urban/rural development, providing support to local economies.

Its projects in the pipeline include the Multi-purpose Gamma Irradiation Facility, the expansion of the World Trade Center Metro Manila, the Davao Food Complex in Toril, Davao, the NDC Industrial Estate in Dasmarinas, Cavite, the solar hybrid system project initially targeted to be located in Palawan and the venture fund for start-ups.

NDC is, likewise, working in parallel with and is supportive of the investment priority plans of the Department of Trade and Industry, specifically in the Leyte Ecological Industrial Zone.

The company has and will continue to champion socio-economic programs through projects in greenfield areas generating employment and raising income towards the upliftment of the dignity of the Filipinos.

Realizing the need for a definitive identity and to embrace a sense of corporate branding, the celebration was capped with the release of the new NDC Logo and the NDC Corporate Hymn.

SB Corp., UP Los Baños ink pact opening MSME Finance Institute

Body The Small Business Corporation (SB Corp) has forged a partnership with the University of the Philippines – Los Baños (UPLB) to help boost an inclusive and integrated entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem for Filipino entrepreneurs through the MSME Finance Institute at the State University’s campus in Los Baños, Laguna.

The SB Corp.–UPLB partnership will provide entrepreneurs continuous access to technology, knowledge and information, research and development network, and infrastructure such as the Fabrication Laboratories and Shared Service Facility (SSF). Throughout different phases of the enterprise, appropriate funding will also be made available in the form of loans or equity financing.

“With the state university’s ability to provide a wide array of services such as infrastructure, expertise, knowledge and technology to startup and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the partnership would produce very good results,” SB Corp. President and CEO Ma. Luna Cacanando said.

Cacanando added that financing access and mechanism will bring the products of research and development closer to the market and facilitate technology commercialization through business startup models.

The SB Corp.-UPLB partnership is anchored on the i3s Strategy or Inclusive, Innovation and Industrial Strategy, which aims to build a strong government-academe-industry collaboration that includes innovation and entrepreneurship and human resource development.

Under the agreement, SB Corp will provide MSMEs with risk-based lending technology, risk-based financing and mindset, financial education, access to industry linkages through DTI’s network, equity financing facility, low-cost lending through the Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso (P3) Program, access to markets and industry, among others.

On the other hand, the UPLB through the Center for Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship (CTTE) and Department of Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship (DAME) will provide startups and MSMEs technical and entrepreneurship trainings, business degree programs, research and development funds/grants from the Department of Science and Technology, Department of Agriculture, and Commission on Higher Education, technology business incubation, Fablab, co-working space, among others.

UPLB Chancellor Dr. Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. said the partnership will provide a dedicated space for collaborative endeavors between UPLB researchers and partner organizations.

“This partnership is very important since the University has been pushing forward the technology and commercialization of UPLB’s wide research and knowledge products,” Sanchez said.

“UPLB will be even more responsive to the various needs of the industry sector, particularly for those who are involved in agriculture and entrepreneurship activities,” he added.

DTI Implements Online Services for Product Certification, ICC Sticker Verification

To facilitate ease of doing business through streamlining and automation of frontline service transactions, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has started to process product certifications under the Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS) through an online portal. The Product Certification Information Management System (PCIMS) features an end-to-end online and paperless processing of Import Commodity Clearance (ICC), Philippine Standard (PS) Safety and Quality Certification Mark License. It also provides an inventory management for Security Papers and ICC Stickers.

“DTI has made it easy for entrepreneurs and the business community to process certifications and avail of frontline services in the comforts of your home or anywhere. No need to be present at any DTI office,” said DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez.

“However, we want to assure you that this does not end here. This will be a continuing process of reform and automation. We will continue to review and streamline processes in BPS as well as in other bureaus. The ultimate ease of doing business is enabling people to do things and all transactions online,” he added.

BPS started implementing the use of PCIMS in its ICC processing in October 2018 parallel to the manual processing of ICC applications. By January 2019, PCIMS was fully implemented and BPS ceased its manual applications for ICC processing.

The PCIMS has the following features: 1) online and paperless filing of applications; 2) certification fees can be paid at any DTI office; 3) first-in, first-out processing; 4) real-time tracking of application status; 4) auto email of Statement of Account, Notice of Non-conformance, Show Cause Orders; 5) Certificates may be claimed at any DTI Office; and 6) auto reminder of surveillance schedules and PS license expiration.

To access the PCIMS, a registration form may be requested through email at bps.scd@dti.gov.ph. Application of product certification may be accessed through www.qualityproducts.dti.gov.ph.

“Businesses will definitely benefit with this shift to online transactions. Apart from the convenience and less time spent on application, it is also cost efficient. We’ve estimated about Php 3,600 in savings per application, from Php 4,170 spent per application down to Php 557. That’s big savings for businesses,” shared Sec. Lopez.

Likewise, DTI is shifting its ICC sticker verification through a mobile application to assist DTI market enforcers and monitors during market enforcement activities, as well as consumers in verifying a certified product.

This digital method using any smartphone will detect the fake ones from the real ICC and PS stickers.

The mobile application will be able to confirm legitimate ICC stickers in products sold in the market through the QR code accompanying each sticker. BPS started issuing ICC stickers with QR codes in July 2018.

Currently, the ICC Verification System is on its pilot testing and can be fully used by 24 April 2019. It will be available for download at Google Play Store on the same date.