The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Ilocos Norte looks forward to establishing more Negosyo Centers to strengthen micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Maricor Racela, Senior Trade Industry Development Specialist and Trade Promotions Officer of DTI-Ilocos Norte, said Thursday the municipalities of Sarrat and Pinili will soon have their own Negosyo Centers (NCs) where local entrepreneurs can register their business and avail of other government services without going to the DTI provincial office in Laoag City.

To ease the process of starting up and registering businesses, Racela said Negosyo Centers are spreading in all towns and cities to assist small businesses nationwide.

“In compliance to Republic Act 10644, the DTI shall establish NCs in all provinces, cities and municipalities, and bring the services of the government closer to the people,” she said.

In Pinili town, the center will be established on the first floor of the Women’s Multi-purpose Cooperative and souvenir shop, just beside the municipal hall building.

The proposed Negosyo Center in Sarrat will also be located on the second floor, west wing of the Sarrat Training Center, just a few meters away from the public market.

Like the existing Negosyo Centers in Laoag, Batac, Burgos, Bacarra, San Nicolas, Badoc, Dingras, Piddig, Banna, Solsona, Vintar, Paoay, Bangui, Nueva Era and Currimao, the DTI Ilocos Norte hopes to serve more MSMEs in the province by having an accessible one-stop-shop near them.

Once a Negosyo Center is in place, potential and existing business owners no longer need to travel far to be able to join capacity-building seminars and other skills and development trainings being provided by the DTI.

This is part of the Duterte administration’s promise to bring government services closer to the people and give more opportunities for businesses to grow and expand their horizons with proper training and government support.

Each center is manned by a team that provides business registration assistance for those who are just starting, business advisory services for proper guidance on compliance and license requirements submissions, business information and advocacy for trainings, and monitoring and evaluation for feedback and improvement.

It basically serves as a support center for MSME owners for each important step a small business would encounter, from launch to expansion. (PNA)