ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula) said it is stepping up efforts related to the Regional Recovery and Rehabilitation Plan (RRP) to cushion the effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis.
DTI-9 Director Ceferino Rubio said Saturday the RRP focuses on the implementation of its various projects, activities, and programs that would redound to enterprise recovery and rehabilitation.
Rubio said the initiatives include the conduct of the Kapatid Mentor Me Program (KMMP); establishment of Negosyo Centers; Livelihood Seeding Program – Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay (LSP-NSB); Pangkabuhayan sa Pagbangon at Ginhawa (PPG); One-Town, One-Product (OTOP) Next Gen; Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso (P3) Enterprise Rehabilitation Fund (ERF); establishment of the Regional Inclusive Innovation Center (RIIC); Shared Service Facility (SSF) Projects; and Diskwento Caravan-Rolling Stores.
He said the KMMP would help scale up micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by capacitating them through the fundamentals of entrepreneurship to eventually spur economic activity and generate employment.
Negosyo Centers, meanwhile, aim to promote the ease of doing business and facilitate access to services for MSMEs, including the processing of business requirements, such as business registration, business license, and technical, financial, and management assistance.
The LSP-NSB has been aiding the marginalized sectors of society, such as the indigenous people and individuals displaced by war and natural and human-induced calamities, including health disasters arising from epidemics and pandemics.
One of the objectives of the LSP-NSB is to provide entrepreneurial training and livelihood kits to help them get back on their feet and stimulate economic activity immediately, according to Rubio.
He said the PBG would bring in assistance package to MSMEs that are victims of fire and other calamities, including armed conflicts.
The OTOP Next Gen, Rubio said, would continue to enable the localities and communities to determine, develop, support, and promote products or services that are rooted in their local culture and competitive advantages.
Meanwhile, the enterprise rehabilitation fund (ERF) is a PHP1-billion enterprise rehabilitation financing facility under the Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso to support the micro and small businesses affected by the economic impact of Covid-19 on the country, he said.
Rubio noted that the RIIC would build and develop a Start-up Ecosystem in the Zamboanga Peninsula where new business opportunities would emerge specifically for the creative and digital industry.
He said SSF projects aim to improve the competitiveness of MSMEs by providing them with machinery, equipment, tools, systems, skills, and knowledge under a shared system of resources. A total of 11 SSF projects will be established in the region this year.
Diskwento Caravan-Rolling Stores, on the other hand, is where consumers would get access to basic necessities and prime commodities at reasonable and discounted prices.
Rubio said he hopes that MSMEs affected by the enhanced and the general community quarantine brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic would still be able to cope with their losses with the assistance coming from DTI and other government agencies. (PNA)
