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i) Intensification of information dissemination campaigns and
entrepreneurship education activities. Lending institutions and other
agencies concerned with access to finance shall also ensure that their
front-line officers and conduit banks, if any, have knowledge on promotion
and assistance and initiatives of Local Government Units in the areas
where the MSMEs are located as well as the current Investments Priorities
Plan of the Board of Investments.
j) Availment of and easier access to tax credits and other tax and duty
incentives as provided by the Omnibus Investment Code and other laws;
and,
k) Provision of support for product experimentation and research and
development activities as well as access to information on commercialized
technologies.
In pursuance of the above, the MSMEDC shall ensure that concerns and
issues on the implementation of RA 6977, as amended, shall be addressed
by clustering said concerns and issues relative to the outcomes of the MSMED
Plan, such as access to markets, access to finance, productivity and efficiency,
and enabling environment.
In directing and/or assisting relevant government agencies and institutions at
the national, regional and provincial levels, the MSMEDC shall ensure that
the power to "direct" shall be geared towards harmonizing and facilitating the
creation of appropriate policies/programs and shall consider the autonomy of
each agency or institution to prescribe its procedures and other applicable
actions pursuant to its mandates and thrusts under existing laws. The
MSMEDC shall also initiate the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement with
lead agencies involved in implementing Rules 8 and 9 of this IRR ,which shall
be identified by a MSMEDC Resolution, for the purpose of delineating the
responsibilities of the parties in pursuing the provisions of RA 6977, as amended
and further amended.
Thus, relevant government agencies and other institutions shall coordinate
with industry associations, cooperatives and other concerned agencies in
both the government and private sector. LGUs and provincial offices of
government agencies are enjoined to provide facilities that will cater to the
administrative and operational requirements of the greater majority of MSMEs
in their respective areas.
With regard to capacity building programs, concerned agencies, in cooperation
with industry associations, shall be requested to delineate their areas of
coverage, i.e., geographic, topical/program areas, etc. to ensure that the
programs reach as many existing MSMEs and interested individuals and