RTWPB-XI is proud to announce that three (3) out of the 23 proclaimed national finalists to the 2017 Productivity Olympics hail from Davao Region. These three lucky Davao-grown enterprises were able to hurdle the rigid requirements and tough qualifications of a national finalist, considering that only 23 national finalists were picked from a total of 117 MSME-entries from 15 different regions nationwide.

These three companies all belong to the small-industry category of business and these are: the Association of Differently Abled Persons (ADAP), Artes de San Vicente, and Woodworks Kiln Dry Products. Although this would mean that the three MSMEs may be competing with each other for the trophy in the national finals, a more optimistic outlook brings inspiration that their being in the roster of national finalists actually raises the statistics, that is, the higher probability that one of the winners for this category may be from Davao Region. There were only four national finalists in the small-industry category, one of which is the small-industry enterprise from Cebu (Region VII).

The fact remains that it is not that easy to obtain the prestige of being a national finalist after a thorough and meticulous screening by the pool of national evaluators. Being declared a national finalist is indeed an honor and a victory in itself. Facing the National Judging Panel (NJP) for a live and extemporaneous interview last September 15, 2017 at Hotel Jen was another experience that will make our MSMEs even tougher and more confident in showcasing their best practices in quality and productivity.