• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Mayor Greg Gasataya assured the full support of the city government in helping startups and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), noting that Bacolod’s development should not just focus on real properties, but also in supporting budding entrepreneurs and innovators.
At the opening of the permanent home of the ALPHA Bacolod Accelerator Hub at the fourth floor of Ayala Malls Capitol Central Nov. 12, Gasataya stressed the need to intensity support to MSMEs and those with innovations that will benefit Bacolodons and Filipinos.
He noted the five startup founders assisted by the Hub – Spring Valley, Plantsville Health, IF Green Technologies, Biomed Technologies, and Bioflyt Agriventures – that received funding from the Department of Science and Technology, and mentorship and business development support from the city, through its Department of Local Economic Development and Investment Promotions (DLEDIP).
DOST Negros Occidental OIC director Glady Reyes, meanwhile, said the ALPHA Bacolod Hub is a vital bridge between scientific innovation, local governance, and market opportunity.
“With LGU Bacolod’s forward-looking business environment, we are ensuring that our local tech innovators, green agri-tech ventures, and micro-entrepreneurs have the resources they need to scale,” Reyes stressed. “We are shifting our paradigm so that science and technology are not abstract concepts, but everyday tools felt and lived by our communities—Agham na Ramdam.”
She emphasized the importance of sustaining higher-value growth, and “moving from traditional service consumption into technology generation, high-value manufacturing, and scalable digital solutions.”
Reyes urged the startup founders and visionaries to “take bold risks, leverage our mentor networks, build solutions for our local value chains, and aim for regional and global markets.”
The ALPHA (Accelerating Leadership for Philippine Startup Advancement) Hub, managed by DLEDIP, began operations at the Bacolod Express Service Office (BESO) on the 3rd floor of the mall on Feb. 6 last year.
“Its transition to a dedicated space marks a significant step in expanding the Hub’s capacity to provide support and opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage startups in Bacolod,” the DLEDIP earlier said.
The Hub’s establishment and continued development form part of the city government’s broader commitment to positioning Bacolod as a competitive center for entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology-enabled business development, it added.
Guided by the tagline, “Accelerating the Future, One Founder at a Time”, the ALPHA Bacolod Accelerator Hub looks forward to supporting more local entrepreneurs, fostering innovative solutions, and helping build the next generation of businesses that will contribute to Bacolod City’s economic growth, the DLEDIP stressed. | CGC
