ILOILO CITY — The towns of Mina and Tubungan in Iloilo province were named the “Most Business-Friendly” local government units in the country, under the 3rd to 6th class municipality category, by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).
The two towns received their plaque of special citation during the 44th Philippine Business Conference and Expo on Friday at the Manila Hotel. This year’s conference is anchored with the theme, “Infrastructure and Digital Economy: The Game Changers.”
Mina town assessor Dory Emelo said this is a repeat of their success last year. “We are so happy for the award and we hope to do more so we could be a grand slam winner next year,” she said in an interview Saturday.
Emelo said the PCCI awards have various essential indicators that determine the delivery of business services to fuel inclusive growth in their localities.
Among these are their competitiveness, exercise of ease of doing business, and promotion of a business-friendly community through the implementation of various programs.
She said one of their programs is the establishment of one-stop-shop, which provides “all-in” services among businessmen and investors.
This shop is manned by representatives from the Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO), municipal health office for sanitary permits, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and Philippine National Police, among others.
“They no longer need to go these offices wherever they are located because the one-stop-shop is already a total package of what they need,” she said.
Former town mayor, now municipal administrator Lydia Grabato, the wife of incumbent mayor, Rey, said the shop started during her administration in 2010.
It will only take 10 to 20 minutes for businessmen to process their requirements if they use the services of the shop, she added. (Cindy Ferrer/PNA)