LIVELIHOOD KITS. Personnel unload the livelihood kits for distribution to qualified beneficiaries in Borongan City in Eastern Samar on Oct 22, 2020. The Department of Trade and Industry on Friday (Oct. 23, 2020) said at least 122 micro, small, and medium enterprises in the city have received the PHP5,000 worth of livelihood assistance under its Livelihood Seeding Program - Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay. (Photo courtesy of Borongan City government)
TACLOBAN CITY – At least 122 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) in Borongan City in Eastern Samar have received livelihood seeding kits from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
The initiative under the DTI's Livelihood Seeding Program-Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay aims to mitigate the economic impact of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic to small business owners.
Each beneficiary received hygiene products, grocery items, or kitchenware worth PHP5,000 this week, said DTI provincial director Ruthelma Samonte, in a statement on Friday.
The MSME beneficiaries of the program include sole proprietors, cooperatives, or sectoral associations in different villages.
"This will help them restore or improve their affected businesses. They have also undergone development training to strengthen their entrepreneurial competencies to become successful in restarting their enterprise," Samonte said.
She added that they already distributed a total of 1,051 livelihood kits to different local governments in the province, with more MSMEs expected to benefit from the program under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2).
Aside from the provision of livelihood kits, the DTI also offers other services such as facilitation of business name registration, business advisory, and business information and advocacy.
To date, Borongan, the capital of Eastern Samar, has confirmed a total of 11 Covid-19 cases, including nine recoveries and zero deaths, according to the provincial health office. (PNA)
