QC BUSINESS PERMITS PROCESSED IN 1 HOUR

THE Business One Stop Shop ( BOSS) of Quezon City now processes business permits in one hour. Small business owners in the city were happy to discover that their business could be registered in record time. First- time entrepreneurs unfamiliar with the process who brought with them complete documentary requirements were met by a concierge at the One Stop Shop and assisted. Aside from the concierge, BOSS also houses the evaluators of the Business Permits and Licensing Office, Zoning for the locational clearance and the Bureau of Fire Protection for the fire safety inspection. Mayor Herbert Bautista said: “The business permit application is processed while the applicant comfortably waits. So there is no need for applicants to go from one office to another.”

GROUPS VOW TO PURSUE ZERO WASTE

ENVIRONMENTAL health groups affirmed their commitment to engage other sectors to promote non-incineration, Zero Waste strategy for solving the country’s garbage woes. At a conference on Friday commemorating the 17th anniversary of Republic Act (RA) 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, the EcoWaste Coalition and other partner groups of No Burn Pilipinas reiterated the benefits of enforcing the groundbreaking waste and pollution law that complements and strengthens the incineration ban under RA8749 or the Clean Air Act. RA 9003 requires the “adoption of best environmental practices in ecological solid waste management, excluding incineration.” It was signed by former president and now Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on January 26, 2001 following the Payatas garbage slide which resulted in the deaths of residents near the dumpsite.

2 SEAFARERS KILLED IN CEBU BAR

AN unidentified gunman shot dead two brothers, both seafarers, inside a bar in Barangay Punta Princesa, Cebu City before dawn on Saturday. Police investigation showed Nick Benzen Ong, 25, died from gunshot wound on the head while his brother Neil Brian, 28, sustained a gunshot wound in the chest after he ran after the fleeing gunman. Senior Police Officer 1 Winston Ybañez, of Cebu City Police Office Homicide Section, said the Ong brothers with their cousin Rodel Mancao and friend Christian Tabada, 29, were drinking inside Sportster Cafe when the assailant approached and fired at Nick. He immediately fled outside to waiting cohort in motorcycle when Neil jumped over him. the gunman fell off the motorcycle and fired shots at Neil. Witnesses said the assailant was a tall man with huge built wearing a grey hooded jacket and was also drinking in the bar. Nick was supposed to board a ship as crew months from now while Neil just arrived from overseas.

DTI TRAINS 17,322 CL ENTREPRENEURS

TARLAC: A total of 17,322 entrepreneurs in Central Luzon benefitted from training sessions organized by Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) under its Small and Medium Enterprises Roving Academy (SMERA) Program in 2017. DTI Regional Director Judith Angeles disclosed that the agency’s seven provincial offices and its numerous Negosyo Centers were able to conduct 430 SMERA training sessions. Nueva Ecija had 96 sessions with 4,141 participants; Tarlac – 93 sessions and 3,444 partakers; Pampanga – 54 trainings with 2,900 participants; Bulacan – 60 sessions and 2,212 attendees; Bataan – 50 sessions with 2,158 participants; Zambales – 48 trainings with 1,644 attendees and Aurora – 29 sessions with 823 participants. SMERA topics include Product Development and Brand Management, Visual Merchandising, Digital Transformation, Putting Business Online, Business Opportunity Seminar, Analyzing Brands and Buying Behavior, Project Management, Customer Relations, and Good Manufacturing Practices. For Central Luzon, 1,851 entrepreneurs have benefitted from SMERA training sessions and have since graduated in stages from start up to market readiness to export readiness, Angeles added. Interested entrepreneurs who want to attend the SMERA sessions are advised to visit the nearest Negosyo Center in their locality to inquire on the schedule. In Tarlac, DTI provincial director Agnes Ramirez said their office is strengthening its programs, especially in mentoring and coaching for business opportunities and entrepreneurial mind- setting where training sessions are maximized.