Thank you, Usec. Gani, for the kind introduction and congratulations to you, Asec. Rosvi, Director Mavoc, and the Go Lokal! Team for formally launching the Go Lokal! Store in one of the leading e-commerce marketplaces in the country today.
Allow me to extend my sincere appreciation to our distinguished guests and partners from Shopee Philippines headed by its Director Mr. Martin Yu, the General Manager of the Go Lokal! store in Shopee Mall, Mr. Ted Sogono of N-Squared E-Commerce Philippines, our Go Lokal! MSMEs, and Loyal Lokalistas. Magandang gabi po sa inyong lahat.
Since its inception in 2016, Go Lokal! now has 20 retail partners, 137 stores nationwide and has generated sales amounting to close to P400-M. The program has assisted 788 MSMEs, 352 of which are already mainstreamed and have become regular suppliers of our retail partners.
Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the retail sector, we pursued alternative market access channels for MSMEs by partnering with different online platforms to help the MSMEs sustain their business operations and widen their market reach. The digitalization efforts of Go Lokal! brought 123 Go Lokal! companies and their brands online.
We are grateful that Shopee has collaborated with the DTI in facilitating the digital migration of our MSMEs and bringing new ways of promoting Go Lokal! as a brand as well as its growing roster of homegrown suppliers.
This is another breakthrough in President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for collaborative effort between the government and the private sector to provide continuous market opportunities for our local MSMEs.
We are formally launching the Go Lokal! official store in Shopee Mall featuring an initial batch of 28 Go Lokal! suppliers and their 347 products. Our online buyers can now get their favorite snacks, healthy drinks, artisanal food products, gifts, and souvenir items from the Go Lokal! store in Shopee Mall.
Mga kababayan, inaanyayahan ko po kayo na patuloy na suportahan ang mga maliliit na negosyante at manggagawang Filipino. Our Go Lokal! MSMEs and their communities are tirelessly working amidst the series of lockdowns brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Let us show our appreciation to our local entrepreneurs and craftsmen by supporting the Go Lokal! program.
Tangkilikin po natin ang saraling atin. Let us encourage our MSMEs to uphold the entrepreneurial spirit— to continuously excel in their craft, to help more communities, and provide them employment opportunities, creating a ripple effect towards recovery that reverberates throughout the country.
To our retail partners, especially to Shopee, maraming salamat po for opening your doors to Go Lokal. I call on the other retail establishments and e-commerce platforms to support the Go Lokal Program so we can have more pop-up stores, whether physical, online retail spaces, food kiosks, gondolas, and microsites for local and small businesses.
Sa ating mga MSMEs, we are humbled by your dedication in keeping the economy going. Saludo po kami sa inyo at laban lang po tayo. Maraming salamat po! ♦
Date of Release: 2 October 2021