DAVAO CITY, – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in the Davao Region will jointly conduct the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) Road Show on Sept. 6 at Grand Menseng Hotel, this city.

DTI regional director Marizon S. Loreto said the event would be part of its advocacy campaign in the countryside billed as ”Public Private Partnership Towards Competitiveness”.

Loreto said first half of the forum would be the presentation and discussion on NCC’s vision, programs and milestones and Best Practices of LGU (local government units) intended for replication.

Thus, she said the participation of the local chief executives (LCEs) would also highly be encouraged.

The second part will focus on the Nationwide Business Permits and Licensing System (BPLS) Streamlining Project.

Loreto said aside from LCEs, officials from the business groups, non government organizations (NGOs), small and medium enterprises (SMEs), exporters (indirect and direct) and relevant government agencies were the preferred participants for this forum.

The activity hopes to initiate a meaningful dialogue with the private and public sector stakeholders and hopefully provide an opportunity for the NCC to generate cooperation tie-up with them on how to push forward the NCC priority action agenda for governance and competitiveness, as well as provide pertinent information to the LCEs on the BPLS Streamlining.

The activity is also intended to get the LCEs’ commitment to reform their existing BPLS, as provided in the DTI-DILG Joint Memorandum Circular No. 01 signed by Sec. Gregory L. Domingo and Sec. Jesse M. Robredo last Aug. 6, 2010.

Loreto said NCC, at the behest of the private sector, was formed in October 2006 as a Public Private Sector Task Force on Philippine Competitiveness by virtue of E.O. 571. It is amended under E.O. 44, signed by Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III, to pursue and promote competitiveness of Philippine enterprises by implementing the priority action agenda for improved governance and competitiveness.

Through a more dynamic PPP approach, it aims to improve the country’s global competitiveness from the bottom third to the top third of competitiveness rankings by 2016, she said.