NERBAC Kick-off Conference and Workshop

"Minimizing bureaucracy in acquiring licenses and permits will not only improve the country’s business climate but will also reduce corruption."

This was what Trade and Industry Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya stressed during the One Business Permit and Licensing System Seminar at the Parklane Hotel in Cebu City last Friday.


Streamlining business registration procedures is one of the major programs of the newly established National Economic Research and Business Assistance Center (NERBAC).

NERBAC aims to improve the business and investment climate in Cebu and reduce bureaucratic costs in the business registration process (BRP).

Maglaya said since NERBAC will serve as a “one-stop” processing and documentation center for all documentary requirements in running a business, any form of corruption will be eliminated.

Last week, LGus in Cebu had a workshop and conference with the NERBAC dubbed “Towards One BPLS for CEBU” at the Parklane Hotel Ballroom, Cebu City.

The conference-workshop was a joint effort of the Department of Trade and Industry Central Visayas Office and the German Technical Cooperation known as Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ).

The NERBAC conference and workshop aimed at streamlining and harmonizing the Business Permit and Licensing System (BPLS) in Cebu.

Another purpose of the activity was to find ways for NERBAC to work in tandem with LGU leaders to invigorate further the investment climate in the province. The end-goal is to ease the way for more entrepreneurs to invest and do business in Cebu.

The Unforgettable 12th ASEAN Summit

A month has almost passed since Cebu took the responsibility of hosting the 12th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) yet many Filipinos are still talking about it to this day.

Not a few have said that the holding of the Summit in our country proves that as long as we all put our hearts together, Filipinos can achieve success beyond expactations.

As emphasized by Manny Osmeña, owner of Hilton Cebu Resort and Spa, the recently concluded ASEAN Summit held in Cebu tells us three things: one, it proves that as long as we all put our hearts together, we can do it.


Two, it gave us the opportunity to show the world what the Philippines can do as well as it also gave us the chance to showcase to the world our country and our people. Three, with the success of the peaceful Summit, the amount of interest in investments and interest to visit the Philippines is unquantifiable. Businessmen and tourists, who would not normally consider Cebu or the Philippines as a destination, will now have us in their minds as a choice.

Towards One Business Permit and Licensing System

My agency is again busy preparing for another big event: The NERBAC Kick-off Conference and Workshop, bannered "Towards One BPLS for CEBU”.

The NERBAC conference and workshop aims to streamline and harmonize the Business Permit and Licensing System (BPLS) of all Local Government Units (LGUs) and National Government Agencies (NGAs) in Cebu province.

Knowing the different cultures and priorities of LGUs and NGAs here, this is one gargantuan task. If we can pull this off than it would be one for the Guinness Book of World Records.

Another purpose for our activity is to find ways for NERBAC to work in tandem with LGU leaders to invigorate further the investment climate in the province. Our end-goal is to ease the way for more entrepreneurs to invest and do business in Cebu.

At this point, invitations are still being drafted. What makes everything a bit more complicated today is that we are moving some of our staff to the new NERBAC and rearranging our furniture and equipment at the regional office to fill a vacated space.

For those not in the know, the National Economic Research and Business Assistance Center (NERBAC) was created In line with Republic Act No. 7470 to facilitate business transactions in the province and fast track investment entry in the region. It houses representatives from different government agencies that are tasked to process business permit and licenses.

The NERBAC is a one-stop action center that facilitates the processing and documentation of all paper requirements necessary for the establishment of a business enterprise in the country including credit services. It provides prospective entrepreneurs/ investors basic information on various business options that are open to them in accordance with the government’s IPP (Investment Priorities Plan).