RP’S 1ST MSME EXCHANGE

Sun.Star Cebu <> Friday, Aug. 28, 2009

By Nancy R. Cudis, Sun.Star Staff Reporter

TO provide the micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) sector in Cebu an organized market for business financing and enterprise support linkages, the Cebu Provincial Government set up the country’s first MSME Exchange.

Called Growth Enterprise Market (GEM), the program is designed to be a “nurturing ground” for “unlistable” MSMEs, enabling them to become “listable” in the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Board.

“The (selected) MSMEs for the program will hopefully become the San Miguel Corp., the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) or the Globe Telecom of the future and become models in their own industries,” said Jose Fernando Alcantara, head of GEM’s technical management group (TMG) that is composed of public and private sector representatives. READ MORE...

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15M FOR ECO-TOURISM

Sun.Star Cebu <> Friday, Aug. 21, 2009

By Nancy R. Cudis, Sun.Star Staff Reporter

BEFORE the end of this year, Cebu will have a new adventure and eco-tourism facility that will serve as source of funding for reforestation projects in the province.

The facility, which is yet to be named, will be located on a 13-hectare timberland area in Barangays Gaas and Magsaysay in Balamban, Cebu. It is targeted to be operational by November.

The Canton family secured a Special Use Agreement in Protected Areas for the area for 25 years. The Cantons have allocated P15 million as start-up capital for the eco-tourism facility. Read the full story here.