The president of the internationally-renowned Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Inc. on Monday expressed the need for more staff for the Food and Drug Administration in the Province.
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.
The CPR is a requirement for the bigger stores prior to a particular product being displayed for sale on the shelves, Du further 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.
One example that Du cited is the Sukang Tisoy brand of businessman Danilo Cabahug. Until now, the brand has not acquired 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, the NOCCI executive points out that government agencies should also do their share in improving their services.
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 talks held in the Philippines, that even the smallest concerns will be given attention.
The NOCCI has been cited as the 2nd Best Chamber in the World, among other awards. (Judy Flores Partlow/PNA)
