by Michael Vincent D. Cajulao
PAGADIAN CITY, July 3 (PIA) – This year’s iteration of the Regional Small and Medium Enterprise caravan kicked off in Pagadian City yesterday, just in time for the SME Week as declared by President Benigno Aquino III last year, to be observed every first week of July.
Dubbed as 2012 Enhanced SME Caravan, the activity aims to show the progress it has embarked since its inception in 2005 here in region 9.
Department of Trade and Industry Assistant Regional Director Dr. Sitti Amina Jain said the national government has now recognized the great role of SME Caravan in helping improve the status of SMEs in the country.
“We have been doing this since 2005 and have since become a regular activity and the banner program of the SME Regional Core Group thru ACCESS or the Agency Convergence for Comprehensive Entrepreneurship Support Services. And now, it was now recognized by the national government and is now being conducted in other regions, thus it’s called Enhance Caravan”, Dr. Jain said.
She added, “This is seen to help spur regional economic growth in all regions in the country, and specifically, all provinces here in our region, and ultimately contribute to the national societal goal of improving the income of the SMEs and reducing poverty”.
To help attain this goal, DTI flew in experts of the different aspects of operating businesses to arm SMEs with knowledge on laws and policies governing business operation. DTI also brought in experts on product development to improve marketability of local products here.
Ms. Rosa Fernandez, Assistant Head of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) Field Operation, informed the participants on the importance of intellectual property rights.
“Intellectual Property Rights adds value to your products, and improve our lives. If there are no innovations, no patent, and design, there will be less improvement in the way we live”, Ms. Fernandez said.
Fernandez said part of their job is to help protect creations or products varying from trademark, copyright, invention, among others, that are intangible”.
By registering with them, the name, trademark, and other related rights will be protected, making sure that the creator avoids the copying of others of his product or trademark, among others.
Engr. Regebelle Fuentes, Intellectual Property Field Specialist of IPOPHL Satellite Office based in Cagayan De Oro City, also discussed specific topics on trademarks and copyrights and actual procedures on applying for trademarks and copyrights.
In the afternoon, participants were informed of new product design trends by Ms. Analiza Perez of the Product Design and Development Center of the Philippines.
Ms. Perez stressed the importance of being updated on new product labeling designs to make their products more attractive to consumers.
“Having a good product design improves the marketability of your product and making it more competitive in a very tight-competition market”, Perez said.
After these sessions, all government offices were broken up according to the four components of the SME Core which specifically address the needs of the SMEs. These components are Access to financing component, Access to Market Component, Productivity and Efficiency Component, and the Business Investment Enabling Environment Component.
The week-long activity will also be going to Dipolog City and Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay Province. Another caravan will also be conducted in Isabela City, Basilan on July 17. (MVC/PIA9-ZBST)