SAN JOSE, Antique, Philippines (PIA) — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is urging local officials to set up an investment promotion unit in their respective municipalities.

This was the main focus of a two-day seminar workshop on Capability Building on Investment Promotion held recently in San Jose, Antique.

The workshop provided participating local officials and planning officers of municipalities in the province with ideas on how to encourage new investment and businesses to grow in the towns.

An offshoot of the workshop was seeing participants agree to set up investment promotion units to handle programs that identify and promote investments in their locality.

Jocelyn Perez, Senior Trade and Industry Development Specialist DTI-Antique said some municipalities here need to review their existing Investment Code even as others still have to craft out a code of their own.

“Present times see investors wanting to see ready and accurate information about investment opportunities offered in a specific place and that means an LGU must make maximum use of available information technology,” she said.

Director Dennis Miralles of the Board of Investments stressed that LGUs can better benefit if it institutionalizes an Investment and Promotion Center, allocated an annual budget and designated a regular Investment and Promotion Officer.

He pointed out that there is a “growing number of local and foreign investors in the province with various business interests making made the local economy vibrant.

”Also among promising investors are the many overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Antique who, working hard abroad, can very well be encouraged to use some of their earnings in investing into worthwhile gainful endeavors in the province.