NOVEMBER 2017 DUMAGUETE CITY -- The president of the internationally-renowned Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (NOCCI) on Monday said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the province needs more staff to provide better service.
NOCCI president Edward Du explained that right now, the FDA only has one staff assigned here and this slows down the processes, such as the acquisition of the Certificate of Product Registration (CPR).
The CPR is a requirement for bigger stores before a particular product could be displayed for sale on the shelves, Du explained.
According to him, it takes “forever” to obtain the FDA-CPR because this has to be processed elsewhere.
And this is not good for the local entrepreneurs who are edged out by the bigger businesses, Du stressed.
One example that Du cited is the Sukang Tisoy brand of businessman Danilo Cabahug. The brand has not acquired up to now an FDA-CPR, such that the grocery store of a shopping mall here ordered the bottles of spicy vinegar taken down from the shelves.
“That’s why Philippine food products cannot succeed (because) all are colorum. No FDA-CPR," Du pointed out.
If the Philippines has to be at par or at least competitive with the neighboring countries in South East Asia, or even beyond, government agencies should also do their share in improving their services, the NOCCI executive pointed out.
The FDA has to cater to the needs of the MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) and yet it’s the other way around, Du said.
“NOCCI has been fighting FDA since 2010 but up to now, “deadma” (indifferent),” Du added.
Du is hoping that with the recent Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit held in the Philippines, all concerns would now be given attention.
The NOCCI has been cited as the 2nd Best Chamber in the World, among other awards it has received. (PNA)
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Topic: Business chamber exec demands better service from FDA (Read 220 times)