LGUs: Pro-dole out, anti-progress

In every election cycle, during the campaign period, in just listening to the candidates' speeches and supposed programs, you can feel that the economic and social ills besetting the country will all be gone.

- Fidel O. Abalos

The truth though, as we all know, has always been the opposite. Consequently, most of our countrymen are still in dire straits, in abject poverty. In the meantime, the winning candidates and their minions are living in filthy abundance.

Notably though, every administration has its own set of poverty alleviation program. Enabling laws were passed too. Yet, it seems that nothing has changed. If there was, well, for the worse.

For instance, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) launched several years ago a good poverty alleviation program dubbed Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay (NSB). Unknown to most of us, through this NSB program, the DTI conducted information campaigns on the Go Negosyo Act, Business Name Law, financial literacy and Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso (P3). It also offered, among others, entrepreneurship seminar, bookkeeping/accounting for non-accountants, product development and related skills training.

Since the NSB platform will bring in the system of Negosyo Centers down to the barangay level, the DTI emphasized that those who have started or will start their small businesses can easily get their pre-requisite requirements like business permit, business name, among others, without having to go to their respective cities or towns.