Success Stories

Constructing a wharf in San Isidro is only one of the investment opportunities, which will benefit local entrepreneurs and businesses that Davao Del Norte–along with four other LGUs–pushed for during the BIMP-EAGA Investment Forum on 5 October 2015.

6 October 2015, Davao City—The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Government of Canada through their Local Governance Support Program for Local Economic Development (LGSP-LED) is co-presented theBrunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Trade and Investment Forumwith the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Davao Region and the Mindanao Business Council (MinBC).

LGSP-LED is a cooperative program between the government of Canada and the Philippines, through DILG, that aims to enable and support local government units (LGUs) in creating local business environment that are conducive to investments and job creation.

BIMP-EAGA Trade and Investment Forum—an avenue for its members and partners to find valuable partnerships and grow local businesses—was held at the Marco Polo Hotel yesterday, October 5, 2015 in Davao City, where the economic cooperation organization was first established in 1992.

The Provinces of Palawan, Zamboanga Del Norte, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, and Davao Del Norte pitched local viable business opportunities in property and real estate, retail, transport construction, energy, tourism accommodation facilities, restaurants, tour operations, and other supply services at the said Trade and Investment Forum.

Davao Del Norte Governor Rodolfo Del Rosario himself was present to pitch investment opportunities for Davao Del Norte while Local Economic Investment Promotion Officers (LEIPOs) from each province who were trained under LGSP-LED the led the business-matching sessions with private sector representatives.

To support LGUs, Stephen Weaver, Head of Cooperation of the Embassy of Canada in Manila, encouraged the private sector to invest in the Philippine local tourism industry by sharing about Canada’s innovative work with DILG through LGSP-LED that make Palawan, Zamboanga Del Norte, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, and Davao Del Norte ripe for investments and desirable places to do business in.

Canada and DILG, through LGSP-LED, are helping 134 partner-LGUs attract over PHP 17 billion new investments by 2016 through streamlining local business permits and licensing systems, updating local incentive investment and revenue codes, creating local economic and investment promotion offices, and strengthening their engagement with private sector for investment promotion, tourism product development, and destination marketing.

At present, partner-LGUs have so far attracted over PHP 8 billion new tourism investments. But, through intensified participation in trade fairs and investment forums such as BIMP-EAGA—as well as with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry as the investment promotion lead of LGSP-LED—LGUs hope to fast track the achievement of half of their targets come next year.#

For more information contact:

Alfred Allaga
DILG Region 11
58 McArthur Highway, Matina, Davao City
Tel: (082) 296-2724
Fax: (082) 297-2600