TACLOBAN CITY- the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in partnership with the city government through Mayor Cristina G. Romualdez, launched the first OTOP (One Town, One Product) Store in Tacloban City on Thursday (January 10).
On behalf of Mayor Romualdez, OIC Tourism Officer Ma. Lumen Tabao graced the launching at the lobby of the Kanhuraw Business Center along with DTI Leyte Provincial Director Desiderio Belas.
The OTOP Store sells an array of local goods from Team Coop Producers – a Tacloban-based Cooperative being supported by the local government unit of Tacloban and the DTI Negosyo Center.
The program provides the platform for Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to develop their branding, Packaging & labeling skills and effectively market their products. (CIO)

TACLOBAN CITY- The Eastern Visayas Collegiate Athletic Association (EVCAA) on Friday (Jan.11) announced the opening of the first season of the region’s inter-collegiate basketball tournament on January 25 at the Tacloban City Convention Center (Astrodome).
Eight of the 10 state colleges and universities (SUCs) in the region will join in the upcoming tournament, said EVCAA’s tournament commissioner Julius Ross Lacaba.
The participating SUCs are Eastern Samar State University (ESSU), Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU), Leyte Normal University (LNU), Naval State University (NSU), Northwest Samar State University (NwSSU), Samar State University (SSU), University of Eastern Philippines (UEP), and Visayas State University (VSU).
Presidents and representatives of the eight SUCs signed a memorandum of agreement on January 11 at the EVSU Graduate School campus in Tacloban.
“The game will start with the West teams. EVSU versus LNU, and NSU versus VSU,” Lacaba said.
Lacaba said the creation of the independent athletic association is patterned around the concept and structure of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), two of the premier collegiate athletic associations in the country.
“EVCAA aims to be the premiere Collegiate Athletic Association in the region and will conduct yearly sports tournaments as well as capacity building of in-house coaches supported by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, the basketball governing body authorized by the country and sanctioned by the International Basketball Federation,” Lacaba said.
He also acknowledged the support of Tingog Sinirangan party -list and Leyte First District Representative Yedda Marie Romualdez for sponsoring the first season of the college basketball games.
“We know that sports is another form of intelligence. Believing that student-athletes have a lot to offer, we have created this opportunity for them to not only showcase but further develop their talents,” said Jude Acidre, the second nominee of Tingog Sinirangan.
Acidre said that aside from supporting the basketball tournament, they are not also closing the option to sponsor women’s basketball and volleyball.
Jude Duarte, LNU president, hoped that the student-players in the region “will have good reasons to stay” with the opening of EVCAA’s college basketball.
However, Duarte said that more incentives, scholarships, and exposure to tournaments are important for the players to be enticed to join in the school rather than playing outside.
According to Duarte, the university will get better players if it has a good sports program.
(RONALD O. REYES)

BORONGAN CITY- The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) – Eastern Samar Provincial Field Office (DTI-Eastern Samar) calls on business owners to renew their registration.
The same appeal is done to new business owners to register their business names as this gives business owners an exclusive ownership to a business of their choice.
Ligaya D. Catuday, senior trade and industry development specialist, said that submitting applications to register business name by starting business owners this January 2019 is timely.
She added that getting a business name in DTI is the first step to secure a mayor’s permit and is also used to register at the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
Catuday added that Borongan City as well as other major trading centers puts up a one-stop shop at the start of the calendar year for processing the mayor’s business permit.
Included in the one-stop shop are the departments of the city or municipal government and some government agencies part in licensing like DTI, PhilHealth, Pag-ibig, BFP, DOH-City Sanitary Inspection.
The LGU one-stop-shop started operation from January 3, 2019 and will end on January 20, 2019.
Those who will not be able to register their businesses in the said dates are advised to just register at the Negosyo Centers.
Fees may differ depending on territorial scope. In the barangay level, one may pay P215; in municipalities and cities, P515; regional, P1,015.; and the national is P2,015.
The permit gets released within 15 minutes or the normal transaction through online registration. But due to slow internet connection and the high volume of applicants, the transaction is finished on the next day
Last year, DTI netted some 1,195 business establishments where most of these are retail trading. (SDC/PIA-E. Samar)