Chapter 3. Competitive Industry and Services Sectors Industry and services sectors of the region contributed about 74 percent of the 2012 MIMAROPA Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP). The two sectors also increased by 4.8 and 6.8 percent respectively over the 2011 level. The growth in the GRDP was triggered by the continued boost of the tourism industry and the growth in Transport, Storage and Communication services. To sustain the growth of the industry and service, there is a need to upgrade the level of competitiveness of the region by improving the business environment, productivity, efficiency and producing globally competitive products. Chapter III focuses on how to increase the contribution of industry and services sector in job generation, provision of livelihood opportunities and increase of per capita GDP. The goals of the chapter are: (a) improved business environment and (b) increased productivity and efficiency.

I. Assessment and Challenges MIMAROPA region is rich with agriculture, fishery and forestry resources but products are traded to neighboring regions as raw materials and at low value. If utilized as inputs for agro-processing and manufacturing as well as support to tourism, these products will optimally contribute to the Region’s faster and more equitable growth.

Establishments The industry and services sector of MIMAROPA is dominated by micro, cottage (21,479 establishments) and small enterprises (1,034 establishments) involved in retail, trading, sari-sari stores, hotel and restaurant businesses, light food processing, handicrafts making, marble quarrying and novelty items (Table 3.1). Table 3.1 Number of Establishments by Size, MIMAROPA, 2009-2011 SIZE OF ESTABLISHMENT Micro Small Medium Large

2009 21,477 999 10 8

2010 21,524 956 10 9

2011 21,749 1,034 24 15

Source: National Statistics Office

From 2009-2012, the number of establishments in the region grew by about 35.45percent. Wholesale and Retail Trade, Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles Industry had the largest number of establishments with 13,015 followed by Accommodation and Food Services and Manufacturing Industries with 3,971 and 3893, respectively.

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MIMAROPA Updated Regional Development Plan 2011-2016

For the same period Palawan registered the fastest growth among MIMAROPA provinces in terms of number of establishments. It overtook traditional leader Oriental Mindoro. Palawan recorded increased number of establishments from 5, 137 in 2009 to 9,983 in 2012. In contrast, the Mindoro provinces showed decreases in numbers of establishment. Romblon has the lowest number of establishment among the provinces. Table 3.2 Number of Establishments, by Category, MIMAROPA, 2010-2012 INDUSTRY Mining and Quarrying Manufacturing Construction Electricity, Gas and Water Supply Transport Communication and Storage Wholesale, Retail and Trade, Repair of Motorcycles and Vehicles Finance Real Estate, Renting and Business Activities Public Administration & Defense, Compulsory Social Security Accommodation and Food Services Other Services

2010 32 3,866 55 95 1,065 10,934

2011 28 3,668 41 94 1,104 10,757

2012 67 3,893 63 142 1,114 13,015

655 71 287

645 183 391

681 397 518

2,374 2,445

2,776 2,558

3,971 2,992

Source: Department of Trade and Industry

Figure 3.1 Number of Establishments by Province, MIMAROPA, 2009-2012

Source: Department of Trade and Industry

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The MSMEs are critical actors in the regional economy considering their numbers and potential as job generators and the region’s current limitation to attract large business operations because of geography. Comprehensive profiling and monitoring of these establishments should be done while enhancing access to credit and technology and skills transfer to produce quality and globally competitive goods and services.

Domestic Commodity Flow The total value of the region’s domestic commodity outflow decreased from Php 12,318,947 in 2010 to Php 9,634,965 in 2011 despite the increase in volume of goods shipped out of the Region. This shows that most of the MIMAROPA goods have relatively low value in the market as the region is known as a raw material supplier for CALABARZON and Metro Manila. The region’s total commodity inflow amounted to Php 13,291,824 in 2011, making it a net importer. The Strong Republic Nautical Highway (SRNH) provided the opportunity for the region to be the gateway to the Southern part of the country. However, based on the records from the Department of Trade and Industry, most of the goods in the region are being traded in the north. The region should look into the opportunity of maximizing the use of the Strong Republic Nautical Highway to expand their market area.

Investments Generated Figure 3.2 Investments Generated by Province, MIMAROPA, 2011-2012

Source: Department of Trade and Industry

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MIMAROPA Updated Regional Development Plan 2011-2016

Figure 3.3 Investments Generated by Province, MIMAROPA, 2011-2012 1,800,000,000.00 1,600,000,000.00

Php

1,400,000,000.00 1,200,000,000.00

Marinduque

1,000,000,000.00

Occ. Mindoro

800,000,000.00

Or. Mindoro

600,000,000.00

Palawan Romblon

400,000,000.00 200,000,000.00 2011

2012

The region’s domestic investment in 2012 registered at Php 3.639 billion, 22 percent higher than that in 2011 with Palawan gaining the highest (Refer to Figure 3.2 and Figure 3.3). The challenge for the region lies in attracting more investments to sustain the growth of the economy.

Competitiveness In support of the national strategy of promoting Competitive Philippines and to instill a culture of excellence through public-private sectors collaboration to reduce poverty and achieve inclusive growth, the region identified six pillars that are expected to boost the competitiveness of the region:      

Dynamism to Local Economy Responsiveness of LGUs to Business Needs Infrastructure and Risk Assessment Cost of Doing Business Quality of Life Human Resources

The Regional Competitiveness Council further identified 37 indicators based on the six pillars enumerated above and conducted a survey on competitiveness in strategic municipalities in the region. Based on the survey, the region’s competitiveness remains to be a challenge because of the limited technological advancement, lack of adequate and appropriate infrastructure support for the innovation system. Relatively, business environment is characterized by higher labor costs, rental rates, transportation costs, electricity and inefficient infrastructure and utilities. The difficulty of doing business can also be observed in transacting with the local and national government agencies in terms of length of time, steps, signatories, costs and other indicators. LGU Services in some municipalities like Gasan, Boac, Puerto Galera and Roxas are not automated requiring a long time of processing business renewal and other services. Corruption also weighs in as an added cost of doing business in some areas in the region.

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Exports of Goods and Services MIMAROPA has been able to recover from the global financial crisis and increase its exports by 40.64percent from US$ 665,711,876 in 2010 to US$ 936,273,584 in 2012.The Region accounts for 1.80percent of the country’s total exports. Most of these export goods (99.98 percent) came from Palawan which consists of mineral products such as nickel ores and concentrates, condensates and crude petroleum oil. Exports from Marinduque and Mindoro which contribute about 0.2percent are mostly electronic machineries. About 35,000 or 1.7percent of the total number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the country are from MIMAROPA. Among the destinations of the OFWs are Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Japan, Singapore, USA and Canada. Lower number of services exports compared to other neighboring regions may be attributed to unskilled workers in the region.

Gross Value Added of the Industry and Services Sector From 2010-2012, the industry and services sectors of the region had an average national contribution of 1.9 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively. In 2012, Services contributed 40 percent of the regional economy, followed by the Industry sector, which accounted for 34.7 percent, and the AHFF sector with a contribution of 25.3 percent. Figure 3.4 GVA Growth Rate, by Sector, MIMAROPA, 2010-2012

Source: National Statistical Coordination Board

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MIMAROPA Updated Regional Development Plan 2011-2016

According to the NSCB, Services improved to 6.8 percent in 2012 from 5.5 percent of the previous year, boosted by Transport, Storage and Communication, which contributed 23.8 percent to the total Services sector of the region. Industry grew to 4.8 percent in 2012 from a slower growth of 0.8 percent a year ago despite the slowdown in Mining and Quarrying, which accounted for 69.0 percent of the total Industry sector. The Services sector was the largest contributor to the over-all regional economic growth of MIMAROPA in 2012, accounting for 2.7 percentage points, followed by the Industry sector with 1.7 percentage points, and AHFF with a contribution of 0.1 percentage point. All the industries in the region except four industries showed accelerating growth rate. There is a slowdown in growth of the following industries: Mining and quarrying (from 8.9 to 2.5 percentage growth); Manufacturing (16.1 to 14.6 percent); Real Estate, Renting and Business Activities (8.6 to 2.9) and Other Services where Tourism is included (from 5.8 to 4.8 percent). Manufacturing sector remains with the highest percentage growth recorded followed by Finance with 12.3 percent from 5.1 percent and Public Administration & Defense, Compulsory Social Security from -1.1 to 9.2 percent.

Mining MIMAROPA’s mining industry although showing decelerating growth has been consistently increasing its value and remained as the highest contributor to national GVA and Gross Regional Domestic Product posted a 2.5 percentage growth which is lower than the previous year’s 8.9percent.The mining industry’s Regional GVA growth rate is nevertheless higher than that of the national level. The slow growth in the industry may be explained by the lack of support to mining activities from the LGUs. The generally hostile attitude toward mining and quarrying industry by the local government units hinders the growth of the industry. Moratoriums on mining activities have been ordered by the provincial governments in the region. The apprehension of people in the region on allowing mining activities can be attributed to the previous mine tailings spill of toxic materials involving the Marcopper Mining in Marinduque and similar incidents in other regions.

Manufacturing Prior to its separation from the Southern Tagalog region, MIMAROPA was part of the highest contributor to the manufacturing industry. When Southern Tagalog was split into Regions IV-A and IV-B, the former remained the top contributor while the latter lagged behind contributing 0.36 percent only to the national GVA for Manufacturing and 4.53 percent to the Gross Regional Domestic Product. MIMAROPA posted a decelerated growth of 14.6 percent from its previous year’s growth of 16.1 percent; but this is nonetheless higher than the national average.

Construction The construction industry in the region which contributed about 1.86percent to the national GVA rebounded from a negative 29.1 percent to a faster pace of 7.4 percent in 2012, a little lower than the national growth rate for the industry. Positive performance of the industry is brought about by increasing number of housing and road construction activities that are visible in the region.

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Electricity, Gas and Water Supply Though Electricity, Gas and Water Supply industry contributed the least to the Gross Regional Domestic Product, this does not mean that it has the smallest role in economic development of the region. Relatively, the industry grew by about 6.6percent which is higher than its national counterpart. Development of these utilities generally entails large capital investment and long construction period. It is also difficult to increase the capacity and supply of these utilities in a short period of time. As we anticipate an increasing demand due to the influx of manufacturing firms and other investments in the region, a plan to increase investments in this industry should be done way ahead of its use.

Transportation, Communication and Storage MIMAROPA region’s Transport, Storage and Communication Industry, though it grew to 8.4 percent, contributed a small percentage of 2.15 to the national GVA for the sector.

Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles The region’s wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles contributed about 0.4 percent to the total national GVA for the industry. Though this sector had small contribution to the national GVA, it contributed 4.7 percent of the Regional Gross Domestic Product. Its growth rate of 7.1 percent from 2011-2012 however, is lower than the national growth of the industry. The growth of the industry can be explained by the growing number of motor vehicles and motorcycles as well as motor parts and accessories businesses. Motorcycles are a common mode of transportation in the region especially in most rural areas.

Financial Intermediation The region contributed 1.02 percent to the total GVA for financial intermediation. Same trend on the growth rate of the industry can be observed in the national and regional settings, with the region’s growth rate higher than the national level. Urban areas of the region recorded an increasing number of banks and financial institutions.

Public Administration and Defense, Compulsory Social Security and Other Services In 2012, PADCSS sector posted a growth rate of 9.2percent which is higher than the national growth rate of 6.1percent. On the other hand, GVA for Other Services Sector dropped to 4.8percent which is lower than the national growth rate for the industry.

Employment Generation of the Industry and Services Sector In 2012, the number of employed persons from the industry and services sectors increased from 74,374 in 2009 to 103,693 with the Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles as the industry with the highest level of employment. This can be associated with the increasing number of establishments in the region and in the said industry.

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Table 3.3 No of Employed Persons by Industry and by Province, MIMAROPA, 2012 INDUSTRY SECTOR

Mining & Quarrying Manufacturing Construction Electricity, Gas and Water Supply Transport, Communication and Storage Wholesale, Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles Finance Real Estate, Renting & Business Activities Public Administration, Defence & Compulsory Services Accommodation and Food Services Other Services

Marinduque

Occidental Mindoro

2

461

1,130

Oriental Mindoro

Romblon

Palawan

MIMAROPA

Philippines

17

90

1,788

2,358

69,710

2,567

3,024

991

4,575

12,287

1,604,716 191,541

97

87

209

16

415

824

381

589

698

303

1,061

3,032

111,158

1,716

1,376

930

657

1,183

5,862

387,521

2,943

6,532

9,930

2,709

15,940

38,054

1,968,386

153

732

1,206

350

3,074

5,515

435,360

42

118

163

3

469

795

87,636

50

121

237

45

1,532

1,985

963,258

790

1,244

3,565

811

9,730

16,140

730,800

1,001

1,603

606

4,655

12,547

1,021,566

4,682

Source: National Statistical Coordination Board

Transportation, Communication and Storage as well as the Manufacturing industries also play significantly in terms of employment generation in all provinces. In Marinduque and Oriental Mindoro, mining industry recorded an insignificant employment of 2 and 17 persons, respectively. Real Estate Renting and Business Activities industry was the lowest contributor to employment in Romblon while the Construction Industry contributed only about one percent (1%) to the total employment of Palawan and Occidental Mindoro.

Tourism Development MIMAROPA’s tourism sector is considered as one of the most promising drivers of growth in the region. The inclusion of the Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR) in Palawan as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature; Palawan being home of the two world heritage sites (St. Paul Subterranean River National Park and Tubattaha River Natural Park); recognition of Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro as the most searched destination in Google, development of eco-tourism areas in Apo Reef, Occidental Mindoro;

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development of Sibuyan Island as an emerging tourism destination and Romblon as the National Heritage Site; and the prominence of Bellaroca in Marinduque as one of the best high-end resorts in the Philippines and the Lenten Capital of the Philippines, are being drummed up to increase tourist arrivals in the region. A total of 389 accredited tourism establishments were recorded in the region as of December 2012. Tourist arrivals increased by 35.6 percent from 901,585 in 2010 to 1,222,833 in 2012 (Refer to Table 3.4). All provinces posted an increased in tourist arrival except Marinque. Marinduque’s decline was due change in source of data collection from ports to accommodation establishments. Palawan got biggest volume in 2012. The increasing number of tourist arrivals can be attributed to the increasing popularity of PPUR due to its inclusion in the 7 New Wonders of Nature promotion of the national government. Table 3.4 Number of Tourist Arrivals in MIMAROPA, by Province 2010-2012 PROVINCES/REGION Occidental Mindoro Oriental Mindoro Marinduque Romblon Palawan MIMAROPA PHILIPPINES

2010 61,679 190,798 58,038 67,198 523,872 901,585 21,808,657

2011 49,888 127,247 71,675 84,005 641,368 974,183 26,235,172

2012 93,837 197,218 2,803 100,879 828,096.00 1,222,833 Not yet available

Source: Provincial Tourism Offices of MIMAROPA Region/Department of Tourism IV

Around 80 percent of MIMAROPA’s visitors are domestic tourists while the rest are foreign tourists who came from East Asia, North America and Western Europe (Refer to Table 3.5). Opportunities to attract more tourists from other countries can be realized especially in ASEAN countries where ASEAN integration is expected by 2015. Table 3.5 Number of Tourist Arrivals by Type of Tourists and by Province, MIMAROPA, 2012 Country of Residence Philippines ASEAN East Asia South Asia Middle East North America South America Western Europe Northern Europe Southern Europe Eastern Europe Australasia/Pacific Africa Others and Unspecified Residences Overseas Filipinos GRAND TOTAL

Occidental Mindoro 47,225 35 231 27 14 285 2 1,361 620 127 240 137 11 224

Oriental Mindoro 175,949 17 875 36 2 409 3 229 40 39 6 166

50,539

Marinduque

Romblon

Palawan

16,802 -

3,857 -

19,447

523

7,045

638,896 5,680 30,756 2,100 2,891 37,034 2,030 35,100 18,435 7,664 5,672 12,499 836 18,987

882,729 5,732 31,862 2,163 2,907 37,728 2,035 36,690 19,095 7,830 5,918 12,802 847 46,226

197,218

17,325

10,902

9,516 828,096

9,516 1,104,080

Source: Department of Tourism IV

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Total

Despite the increase in tourist arrivals, MIMAROPA region is far behind its neighboring regions in terms of tourism industry performance. Only the province of Palawan is wellknown to the local and foreign travelers as a prime tourism destination when in fact all the provinces in the region have equally unique and beautiful destination to offer. The region is facing the challenge of including all the provinces of MIMAROPA in the tourism road map of the country. The availability of roll-on roll-off seaport services in Oriental Mindoro and airports in Palawan made the region’s tourist destinations more accessible to both local and foreign visitors. In 2011, the most frequented destinations visited by tourists are: Puerto Princesa City, Palawan and Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro. Activities undertaken by most tourists during their visits are sight-seeing, scuba diving, beach holiday and visiting friends. Based on the inventory of tourism destinations provided by the Department of Tourism IV, nature tourism destinations dominate the landscape of the region giving indicating its competitive advantage in ecotourism. Table 3.6 provides the priority areas for tourism development in each province. Table 3.6 Priority Areas for Tourism Development Province Oriental Mindoro Occidental Mindoro Marinduque Romblon

Palawan

Areas for Development Naujan Lake, Mount Halcon, Bulalacao, Pinamalayan and Mangyan crafts village and living museum Apo Reef, Pandan Grande Island, BagongSabang River, Ambulong Island, Lubang Island Tres Reyes Islands, Balanacan Bay, PulangLupa, Elephant Island, Bellarocca Resort Mt. Guiting-Guiting, Carabao Island, Alcantara and Sta. Fe as HRD tourism hubs, Marina-Yachting Facility in Looc Bay for Carabao Island Visitor, Sibuyan Island-Romblon Island-Carabao Island and BulalacaoCoron-Carabao Island circuits Tabon Caves, Tubattaha Reef Natural Park, Balabac Island, Coron

Sustainable development of these areas can be aligned into ecotourism development. Declared ecotourism destinations are St. Paul Underground River (Puerto Princesa City), El Nido Marine Reserve (El Nido, Palawan), Tubbataha Reef (Cagayancillo, Palawan), Mt. Guiting-Guiting (Sibuyan Island, Romblon), Tamaraw Conservation Pool and Apo Reef (Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro). These sites are frequently visited by foreign and local travelers. However, these sites need to be supported with appropriate promotions, accessibility, accommodations and basic facilities and utilities to maximize potentials. For instance, the road leading to and from the feeder port in the municipality of Sablayan prior to pump boat services to Apo Reef requires significant improvement to facilitate the movement of people and goods from and within the province. Existing basic facilities in the island of Apo Reef have to be upgraded. In the same way, access through Tugdan Airport in Tablas Island, Romblon must be developed as gateway to Mt. Guiting-Guiting in Sibuyan Island. An efficient database system for tourism statistics should be established in order to monitor the industry performance and for industry planning purposes. While the region

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has many potential destinations, many of these destinations are stand-alone areas and are not connected by an established travel itinerary except for Puerto Princesa. Foreign travelers in Puerto Galera and Northern Palawan hardly explore other destinations even in the mainland provinces, thus limiting the opportunities for economic and employment growth within the island. Map 3.1 Tourism Destination Areas Map, MIMAROPA Region

MIMAROPA though rich in culture needs to develop festivities and cultural activities to attract more tourists. Among the provinces in the region, only Marinduque has the famous Moriones festival that earned the tag “Lenten Capital of the Philippines”. MIMAROPA recorded 43 festivities which mostly are not integrated into tourism activities. Comprehensive strategy for marketing and promotion of festivals should be done in order to attract more tourists in the region. Development and provision of funds to improve how we celebrate these festivals should also be given focus. The role of local government units and local communities is crucial in realizing the development of tourism industry in the region. Local chief executives have yet to provide incentives to develop potential tourist destinations and increase tourism-related establishments which will boost the economy and further contribute to the region’s inclusive growth. The lack of interest in tourism development is shown by the absence of permanent tourism officers in the local governments. Four out of five provinces in the region have established their local tourism councils but those have not been tapped to create opportunities in tourism.

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Inadequate infrastructure in remote destinations has resulted in limited tourists having access to otherwise impressive natural attractions. Basic tourism amenities like information kiosks, road signs, clean and safe lodging rooms, and sanitary rest rooms are not available making it inconvenient for tourists to travel in these areas. Tourist guides, if at all available should be upgraded in their capacity to promote the region’s rich and colorful history, heritage and culture and should be able to highlight the region’s natural and man-made attractions. The region is also facing the challenge of developing tourism products that will increase the interest of foreign and domestic visitors to come, stay longer and further explore the beauty of the region and eventually promote the region through word of mouth by the people who have experienced travelling in our region.

II. Strategic Framework The plan enables the industry and services sectors to achieve its goal of having MIMAROPAns engaged in more broad-based productive livelihood activities while ensuring sustainable utilization of natural resources through various strategic interventions that will allow access to business, investment and job opportunities. Figure 3.5 Objective Tree for Trade and Industry Development Sector

Strategic Interventions Business Environment Improved Improve Governance  



Promote a consistent, predictable and responsive policy environment Streamline bureaucratic procedures and foster transparency through provision of local incentives codes and improvement in the Business Registration/Permits and Licensing System (BPLS), especially in preparation for ASEAN economic integration in 2015; Promote e-commerce and ICT-enabled automation.

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  



Encourage partnerships with private sectors as well as strengthen interagency convergence Strictly implement RA 9593 or Tourism Act of 2009 and craft Tourism development and destination-specific promotion plans for the region and priority tourism areas; as well as create separate DOT MIMAROPA Regional Office; Enhance the role of the local government units as an important partner in improving the business climate. Allow them to actively participate specially in providing safety nets and controls to protect the tourism development areas as well as develop new products and tour packages; and Allow social media networks as an effective tourism promotional strategy

Creation and Promotion of Regional Brand/Identity Regional brand for promotion and marketing will position the region not only as premiere tourism destination but also as an investment hub that provides world-class quality products and services. In line with this, products and services standards should also be developed to ensure customer wellness and welfare. The government in partnership with the private sector should develop dependable, efficient and affordable transport systems to improve accessibility of MIMAROPA provinces and to lower cost of doing business. Since tourism is one of the competitive sectors of the region, a tourism master plan should be initiated to allow long-term strategic directions for the development of the sector. Complementation of agriculture and tourism sectors should also be done to strengthen tourism in the region.

Improve Productivity and Efficiency Higher productivity and efficiency of industry and services sectors shall be achieved through the following: 

Intensify the Culture of Competitiveness With the ASEAN Integration in 2015, there is a need to intensify culture of competitiveness to develop a positive, innovative and creative mindset through training, enhancements, reinforcement of shared values, and emphasis on the matching of skills and employment. Conduct a Tourism Investment Forum for the region to identify possible interventions for the development of tourism destinations.



Innovation and Increase Investments The government shall also pursue innovation as an essential factor in harnessing culture of competitiveness and focus its interventions on key areas that are job generating, where the region has competitive advantage, and with high growth potential. Strategy on how to increase GDP contribution by looking at the gaps and the possibility of attracting more foreign direct investments by monitoring the factors that affect FDI such as tolerance for globalization or foreign investments, enforcement of contracts, infrastructure support, privatization, GRDP per capita, unskilled labor costs and banking system stability should be done in order for the

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MIMAROPA Updated Regional Development Plan 2011-2016

region to increase competitiveness. 

Infusing entrepreneurial mindset to agriculture-related courses in SUCs Complementation of agriculture sector with the ecotourism activities of the region should also be done in order to ensure adequate and preferred food supply for tourists. A value chain analysis for agriculture can be done to guide jumpstart initiatives to support tourism led agricultural development. The conduct of inventory and mapping of the tourism destinations as well as the support facilities available in the region should be done by establishing a GIS-based Multimedia Center which will improve and provide up-to-date tourism information access to stakeholders and tourists.

Increase Access to Job Opportunities There is a need to link technical, vocational schools and SUC with MSMEs to address job mismatch in the region. Capability development on high job generating industries by:  Conduct of basic skills, techno, and entrepreneurial trainings/seminars;  Consultancy services  Aid to exporters;  Providing access to finance activities  MSME Congress;  Training on Project Proposal Preparation Conduct of jobs fair in every province should also be done.

MIMAROPA Industry Cluster Program An industry cluster program should be adopted to strengthen collaborative networks and nurture inter-enterprise linkages among MSMEs of related industries. The program will analyze the local economy and identify initial clusters of the industry that will be relevant to the region. The program will also develop the cluster vision; identify investment leads and immediate action agenda to institutionalize the cluster. Table 3.7 List of Strategies, PPAs and Responsible Agencies Outcome

Strategies

Business Opportuniti es Accessed

Improve business environment through improved governance to promote a consistent, predictable and responsive policy environment

PPAs Review/Formulation of Tourism and Investment Incentives Codes LGU-capacitating Activities, Business Name, and Investment-attraction Projects by facilitating (a) Business Name registration / Philippine

Responsible Agency/Institution LGU/DTI/BOI/DIL G LGU/DTI/RLAs

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Business Registry (b) networking with LGUs for streamlining business processes (d) promotion & facilitation of Credit Surety Fund program (e) facilitating investment/study/ benchmarking missions (f) investment or industry profiling/studies (g) Biodiversity Partnership Project (h) Shared Service Facility (i) convergence projects with other NGAs such as DOLE and TESDA (j) industry and Investmentrelated workshops/seminars

Investment Opportuniti es Accessed

50

Conduct of advocacy activities for the implementation of BMBE Law

DTI/LGU/Private Sector

Promote e-commerce and ICT-enabled automation

E-marketing and IT literacy program

DTI/MSME

Strict implementation of RA 9593 or Tourism Act of 2009

Creation of DOT MIMAROPA Regional Office

DOT

Accrediting the facilities and services of tourism service providers

DOT/LGUs/ Concerned Agencies

Enhance the role of the local government units as an important partner in improving the business climate

Allow LGUs’ active participation specially in providing safety nets and controls to protect the tourism development areas as well as in development of new products and tour packages

DOT/LGUs

Complementation of Agriculture and Tourism Sectors

Conduct of Inventory mapping of tourism destinations and establishment of GIS-based Multimedia Center

DA/DTI/LGUs

Value chain analysis for Agriculture Provide assistance on product development and standards, capacity-building in areas of marketing and promotion for MSMEs

DTI

Improve the Competitiveness of the MSMEs along a) Product Development; b) Productivity;

MIMAROPA Updated Regional Development Plan 2011-2016

DTI/DOST/LGUs

c) Operational Efficiency; d) Market Assistance

Conduct of Tourism Investment Forum;

DTI/DOT/LGUs/ Concerned Agencies

Industry Clustering Program and value chain analysis

DTI/LGUs/MSMEs

Assist LGUs in the formulation of Tourism development and destination-specific promotion and development plans for the region and priority tourism areas

DOT/LGUs

Pursue collaborative partnerships in planning and promoting tourism investments and destinations

Convene the Regional Tourism Council and monitor the existence of Local tourism councils in the provinces, cities and municipalities

REC/DOT/DENR/ LGUs/Concerned Agencies

Pursue the development of protected areas and relevant eco-tourism site

Create more ecotourism sites Assessment of ecotourism sites and formulation of action plan for the priority ecotourism sites Institutionalize and organize tour packages and collaterals Capability Development of MSMEs thru (a) conduct of basic, skills, techno, and entrepreneurial trainings/seminars; (b) consultancy services; (c) aid to exporters; (d) financing for a or access to finance activities; (e) project proposal preparation; (f) MSME Congress; (g) DTI MSMEs assisted database maintenance

RTC/DOT/LGUs/ Tour Operators

Conduct of jobs fair in every provinces

DOLE

Support the growth of priority industries

Job Opportuniti es Accessed

Linking technical, vocational schools and SUCs with MSMEs to address job mismatch

Conduct of jobs fair

RTC/DOT/LGUs

TESDA/DTI/ Concerned Agencies

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