Canadian project aims to support more SMEs

Potential small businesses could have an opportunity to expand or save their trading operations, as the Canadian Executive Service Organization Business Advisory Project Phase 2 (CESO-BAP) extends to help more industries in the Philippines.

CESO-BAP2 is a bilateral project between the Philippines and Canada that started in 1999 and is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). It aims to increase the operating effectiveness of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Visayas and Mindanao.

Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Sutherland said the program is still on the lookout or accepting applicants for individual companies to take advantage of the help, as well as cluster industry groups, especially in agri-business, small manufacturing, and tourism.

Unlike the Pearl-2 program, another project also funded by CIDA, which focuses on helping Business Support Organizations (BSOs), the CESO-BAP on the other hand, is extending technical, marketing, organization and management system, technology, to individual companies, and cluster industries.

Now, on its sixth year of implementation, the program has involved into a sustainable assistant arm of small companies in Visayas-Mindanao, as the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) has entered into the project, and together created the Corporate Volunteers for Enterprise Development (CVED).

After the CIDA fund to this particular project will expire in 2008, Sutherland said the program still continues with the absorption of CVED.

According to Timothy Moiket country project manager for CESO-BAP, there were 212 companies and 16 clusters, which were given support assistance by the program last year, 62 percent of which are industries, and companies being ran by women.

Early this week, the program launched its film documentary dubbed "Empowering Enterprises: Rising Above Poverty, mainly to spread the good news that small companies in the Philippines are given attention.

"We want the people to know of what we have done and encourage other communities to take advantage of the program," Sutherland said.

In Cebu, the program has been able to help some individual companies and cluster organizations such as the Gifts Toys and Housewares (GTH), furniture export firms, and some hotels. In tourism industry, CESO-BAP program extended help to Diplomat Hotel, and Grand Hotel.

Moiket said interested companies, or cluster organizations may indicate their need for assistance, and they have to go through a process in the application.

The program will identify the key problem of an organization, or company and recommend getting experts from Canada to visit to beneficiary company.

CESO-BAP has been supporting the 1,500-member of the Garment Manufacturers Association of Negros Occidental (Gamano), which membership is dominated by women. It also helped the formulation of Negros tourism masterplan, among others.

In Bohol, the program has assisted different industries, as well as individual companies like the food processors like the "Ube" food processing group, Loboc floating restaurant.

More small companies and cluster groups will be able to get similar support from the program, as long they will indicate their interest to take advantage of the support via www.pbsp.org.ph