By Freddie Velez
Bulacan Governor Daniel R. Fernando and the Provincial Cooperative and Enterprise Development Office (PCEDO) received the prestigious Presidential Recognition for Outstanding Development Partner for Northern Luzon on Improving Business Climate Category during the 2024 Presidential Awards for Outstanding MSMEs and Presidential Recognition for Outstanding Development Partners in Malacañang Palace, Manila on Wednesday, July 10, for implementing the program Invest Bulacan and supporting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
Bulacan Capitol photo. (Freddie Velez)
PCEDO Head Atty. Jayric L. Amil said that for almost three decades, Invest Bulacan has been considered one of PCEDO’s most notable, institutionalized, and sustainable programs, focusing on building and enhancing Bulacan’s stature as a viable location for local and foreign investments, accelerating economic growth, developing and strengthening industries, and raising the quality of life of its citizenry.
“Under the leadership of Gov. Fernando, we, at PCEDO, have spearheaded transformative initiatives aimed at fostering a conducive business environment. We are committed to promoting a vibrant local economy and to helping provide jobs for every Bulakenyo, thus the upgrade of Invest Bulacan to Invest Bulacan Plus which revolutionizes economic strategies by promoting, leveraging, upscaling, and synergizing the efforts across stakeholders to propel Bulacan’s economy to unprecedented heights,” Amil said.
Building upon the gains of the program Invest Bulacan Plus, the province has achieved significant improvement in its competitiveness ranking, dramatically moving up from the 49th spot in 2018 to the 8th spot in the 2023 Annual Ranking of the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI). This milestone is a clear indicator of the success contributed by concerted efforts by the Provincial CMCI-Technical Working Group (TWG) and the remarkable improvements of 18 LGUs (75% of the total LGUs) to the 2023 CMCI Ranking.
"Maraming salamat po sa pagkilala sa aming dedikasyong isulong ang economic and investment promotion sa aming lalawigan sa pamamagitan ng aming Invest Bulacan program. Patuloy na nagbubunga ang ating pagsisikap dahil mayroon na tayo ngayong Invest Bulacan Plus. As I always say, Bulacan is the next global investment destination. Kaya naman sinisiguro po nating handa ang ating lalawigan, lalo’t higit ang mga Bulakenyo, sa pagyakap sa mga oportunidad na paparating,”(Thank you so much for recognizing our dedication to promoting economic and investment promotion in our province through our Invest Bulacan program. Our efforts continue to bear fruit because we now have Invest Bulacan Plus. As I always say, Bulacan is the next global investment destination. That's why we are making sure that our province, especially the Bulakenyos, are ready to embrace the opportunities that are coming)," the governor said.
The 2024 Presidential Awards for Outstanding MSMEs and Presidential Recognition for Outstanding Development Partners are organized by the Department of Trade and Industry and the MSME Development Council to recognize and celebrate exceptional MSMEs and their development partners.