43 Central Luzon MSMEs to join 5th OTOP Luzon Island Fair

San Fernando City, Pampanga (10 November) -- 43 Central Luzon-based Micro, Small and Medium entrepreneurs will be joining the upcoming 5th OTOP (One Town, One Product) Luzon Island Fair.

Department of Trade and Industry regional information officer Wilfred Carbonell said that the November 18-22, 2010  bazaar, dubbed "Pamaskong Handog ng Luzon", will be held in Megatrade halls 1 and 2 of SM Megamall.

It shall feature arts & crafts, holiday decors, fashion accessories, footwears, furniture & furnishings, health & wellness products, home decors, jewelries, processed foods and semi-processed raw materials made by the residents of the country's biggest island.

Each region has also prepared side events for the five day fair namely wood carving and water lily product manufacturing demo for Central Luzon, empanada making for Ilocos region, fruit and vegetable carving for CALABARZON, bayong weaving and pinangat cooking for Bicol, magic cooking for Cordillera, health and wellness for Metro Manila and cultural performances for Cagayan Valley and MIMAROPA.

Carbonell added that the Best Seller, Most Innovative and Best Dress booth shall be named from among the exhibitors at the conclusion of the exposition. (Philippine Information Agency)

PNoy launches public-private partnership program in November

Tacloban City (November 1) -- A proof that the President is really serious about the promotion of public-private partnership is the announcement by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima that the public-private partnership program will be launched in the month of November.

In a press conference held at the sidelines of the 17th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit held at the National Convention Center in Hanoi, Secretary Purisima said the conference will be held from November 18 to 19.

The public-private partnership program which aims to accelerate the financing, construction and operation of key government infrastructure projects, is part of the program of the President to really address the three main issues that has held back the economic growth of the Philippines in the past 20 years, Secretary Purisima said enumerating the issues as the infrastructure gap, corruption and bureaucracy policies.

Secretary Purisima said that they have looked back at over 15 years of experience in PPP in the Philippines and they are making adjustments to ensure that moving forward, some of the problems that were faced in the past years will be avoided.

He mentioned that principally the changes will be on: focusing more on solicited projects that are more transparent compared to unsolicited projects; guaranteeing regulatory risks, when possible; and creating a financing environment that will allow proponents to get funding up to 25 years.

The PPP program was created through President Aquino's issuance of Executive Order Number 8 transferring the Build-Operate-Transfer Center under the helm of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) in a bid to hasten the implementation of public-private partnership programs.

The center, which was re-named Public-Private Partnership Center of the Philippines, aims to accelerate the financing, construction and operation of key government infrastructure projects.

(Source: Philippine Information Agency)