ACTING Baguio Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. has issued Administrative Order (AO) 26 creating a special project group to operationalize the establishment of a toll packaging and design center (TPDC) in the city.

The TPDC is envisioned to provide expertise in the development of attractive packaging materials and designs for finished products of micro, small and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs) in the area to increase their competitiveness in the global market.

This aims to promote livelihood and enhance MSMEs in Baguio City and nearby municipalities and is expected to boost the tourism potentials of Baguio with products that are of quality, appealing and competitive in the market.

As per the terms and conditions, the city would send two trainees to undertake a two-month training on graphic design at the Packaging Research and Development Center (PRDC) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in Bicutan, Taguig City. Their re-entry plan after the training would lead to the establishment of the TPDC.

A space would also be reserved at the Baguio Convention Center as the initial site of the TPDC. Eventually, the packaging center would be situated at the third floor of the Tesda Building at the Quezon Elementary School, Military-Cut Off.

The establishment of the TPDC is an offshoot of various activities conducted by the Regional Development Council (RDC) SeCom on economic development to address identified needs of MSMEs in the Cordillera region on the lack of expertise in the development of attractive packaging designs and the high cost of securing packaging materials to enhance shelf life, quality, aesthetic appeal and competitiveness of their products.

Since a research center is needed to cater to the needs of the toll packaging center, a group composed of Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) governor Delfin Balajadia, National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Director Juan Ngalob, DOST Regional Director Ben Ladilad and Trade caretaker Carmelita Usman, was tasked to talk with Benguet State University president Rogelio Colting. The same group earlier met with the Baguio mayor to explain the importance of the TPDC.

The Secom on EconDev also endorsed a resolution to the RDC Execom urging the DOST-RDC to extend training on packaging and design services in Baguio to make these accessible to interested entities in the region.

The PCCI and Neda entered into a memorandum of agreement in February 2005 to advocate and advance the vision and strategies of the medium term Philippine development plan, particularly the interest of SMSEs in Cordillera.

To operationalize this, they tapped the SeCom on EconDev, which organized a series of fora with experts from various organizations to talk on topics to increase the competitiveness of the local entrepreneurs. The establishment of a packaging center was one of the identified needs that cropped up during the fora.

Meanwhile, the DOST regional office is extending invitation to local government units, state universities and regional line agencies to send their candidates for training on graphic design.

The candidate should preferably be a Fine Arts or Industrial Arts graduate.

Source