LIKHA NG CENTRAL LUZON 2008

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, May?p a y?bak pu

It is my great pleasure to be with you today for the opening of Likha ng Central Luzon Trade Fair. Let me start by congratulating DTI Region 3 led by Regional Director Bles Lantayona, DTI Provincial Directors and Caretakers, PhilExport, members of the RDC, representatives from the various Central Luzon chambers and of course the local government officials of the seven provinces. Because of your collective effort, I am certain that this fair would be a phenomenal success.

Masayang Masaya po akong makasama sa okasyon na ito. Hindi lingid sa inyong kaalaman ako po ay Kapampangan. And I say this with much pride and emphasis because the defiant spirit of my fellow Cabalen and those of Central Luzon would see us through during these hard times.

We from Region 3 see business opportunities when others see difficulties. We turn lahar into construction material and home accessories; grass into hats, bags and baskets; water lilies into slippers and placemats. And of course, we still welcome Christmas, (despite the rains and massive floods) with bountiful produce and fish, with bright and colorful parols.

And of course, due to our innovativeness, we found 100 ways to cure pork and 100 ways to cook and re-invent sisig.

This resilient and innovative spirit led Central Luzon to becoming 2nd in job creation this year, sharing 17% of the total new jobs created nationwide (applause). Region 3 is also among the top 5 regions in investments generation. And most notably, Region 3 bagged the highest domestic sales nationwide. Congratulations!

At this point, DTI-RODG would like to assure you of our continued support as we intensify our efforts to open up windows of opportunity for our entrepreneurs in the region, seek collaborative partnership with more organizations for developmental undertakings, and conduct more marketing activities through One Town One Product (OTOP) project, Propel and through trade fairs such as Likha.

To the 142 exhibitors this year, particularly the 29 MSMEs who joined us today for the very first time, do take full advantage of the opportunities presented by Likha. Do not easily be disheartened by bad news or politicking. There are thousands of inspiring stories arising from this great region. On a macro level, cutting of red tape, heavy investment in logistics and infrastructure (such as Clark, opening of SCTEX, DMIA) are in place that would surely benefit businesses.

Allow me to share an interesting story of how Brgy. Parista in Nueva Ecija rose from decades of armed conflict with enterprising diligence. The impressive implementation of a mushroom-growing project, led by Parista Barangay Defense System Multi-Purpose Cooperative helped the community to slowly regain its socio-economic footing. Maximizing the support given them, in just less than a year, their production more than doubled, and more importantly their 200 members are now able to earn a living that enables one to support 2-3 children. With its preliminary success, the cooperative is now poised to embark on more challenging undertakings.

So continue to evolve products, improve packaging and labelling, upgrade personal financial skills and explore other markets.

With optimism, resilience and creativity (masikan a lub), we should be headed towards seeing our MSMEs compete head to head with other global players.

DACAL A SALAMAT. I wish you good sales and a pleasant morning

Other Speeches :

• SPEECH DURING THE 3rd CALABARZON OTOP CONGRESS
• Speech at the COMDDAP General Assembly
• Speech on DTI-NCR's Launch of Anti-Red Tape Projects
• Keynote Speech at the Parañaque Business Conference
• Short Message at the ICT Investor's Forum