ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 11, 2014) – The Department of Trade and Industry in Zamboanga City has recently conducted a seminar and workshop on the concept of business continuity planning attended by representatives of member agencies of the Zamboanga Peninsula Small and Medium Enterprise Core Group.
Director Rolando Acuna, of the DTI-Zamboanga City, said the seminar aims to capacitate not only trade officials in Western Mindanao, but also those from other government agencies so they can become effective advocates of the program.
Former DTI-Davao Regional Director Marizon Loreto, who was tapped as resource person for the seminar, underscored the rising frequency and ferocity of natural disasters in the Asia Pacific region which she said threaten not only the growth, but the long-term survival of many SMEs.
“To date, SMEs have rarely been addressed as a target group for emergency preparedness despite the fact that they are highly at risk from disasters and are pivotal in economic recovery. They must be encouraged to reduce the on-going risks to their operations. And this is where you in the government can come in. SMEs and the government should work hand-in-hand to make businesses more resilient against disasters – for their own sake, for their community’s sake, and for the prosperity of the whole country,” Loreto said in a statement sent by DTI to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
According to Loreto, the business continuity planning is a roadmap that would help enable a business to prepare for disasters; operate under adverse conditions; identify the critical operations, risks, and impacts; respond and set recovery measures; and maintain operation while avoiding long term disruptions to their business.
“I commend DTI in Western Mindanao under the leadership of Dr. Sitti Amina Jain for spearheading the activity, so far, the first business continuity planning seminar workshop in the country. I therefore, expect you to be among the first advocates of business continuity planning in this part of the country,” Loreto told the participants in the seminar.
“SMES comprise 97% of all private companies in the Asia-Pacific region and employs 50% of the region’s workforce. In the Philippines, they account more than 99% of all registered businesses and employ roughly 70% of the country’s labor force. Needless to say, SMEs play a crucial role to the country’s economic growth, hence the need to help them survive when a disaster strikes,” Loreto added. (Lowell Vallacer)
20