Region 12 SMEs hold caravan with DTI Secretary

By BEVERLY PAOYON

ALABEL, Sarangani (July 28, 2011) - Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory Domingo lauded Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for their significant contribution to the economy as hundreds of SMEs, micro finance institutions, and businessmen from all over SOCCSKSARGEN area joined him Wednesday (July 27) at the country’s 13th SME caravan held at the Capitol gymnasium.

Domingo said the SME caravan was designed to “encourage the growth of SMEs.”

Domingo credited SMEs for significantly contributing to the economy of the Philippines as he reported that 99.6 percent of the total business sector nationwide were SMEs. SMEs, he said, also generated employment to more than 60 percent of the manpower resources.

The Secretary said that free-trade agreement would challenge Philippine products to “compete with imported” goods and this is an opportunity for SMEs to improve their products to be at a “right quality at a right price.”

The caravan, he said, was DTI’s first level intervention to help interested individuals to engage in business. While another specialized intervention was for those who already have improved their business capacity like packaging and financing.

“Every economy should not be dominated by only one product. There should be diversified resources,” Domingo stressed. He cited the current situation of the tuna industry which has slowed down.

The caravan was aimed at “improving access of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to government and private sector services particularly to areas where the provision of business development services may be limited, and to increase awareness of micro, small and medium enterprises on business development services provided by the government and private sector entities,” said Engr. Nenita Barroso, DTI provincial director.



This caravan, conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry XII, is part of the month-long celebration of the business month here dubbed as “Pinoy SME, Business Tayo!” (Beverly C. Paoyon/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)