DAVAO CITY – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Davao Region has capacitated its business counsellors as well as several local entrepreneurs to help them adapt and thrive under the current circumstances. 

Keen on the changes in the business climate and how things are done amid the pandemic, the agency conducted a webinar on business etiquettes and values recently. 

The virtual training was not only aimed at equipping them with the necessary skills in doing business in the new normal. Likewise, it was anchored on the need to promote their overall mental health wellness in order to remain responsive to organizational needs and maintain a high level of productivity amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. 

With the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affecting some people’s mental health, such as anxiety, stress, fear, and worries, DTI-Region 11 (DTI 11) thought of an intervention that promotes health and wellness. 

Fr. Erwin Rommel C. Torres of the Archdiocese of Davao shared helpful insights as the resource speaker. Being a businessman himself, he provided inputs based on his actual experiences, including his struggles to keep his business going. 

“It is important to consider change because change may be detrimental to many, but if you look at it, change also provides opportunities. And if you are not willing to change, you will be stuck to one form. And if you’re stuck to one form, that will be your death,” he said, adding that if people want to improve themselves, they need to pass through a number of changes. In summary, they have to re-invent themselves for them to realize the change they have been dreaming of. 

As for DTI-Davao Regional Director Maria Belenda Q. Ambi, being innovative is the kind of change that the agency has been adopting. These changes are crucial to meet the varying needs of both entrepreneurs and consumers.  

“We want to serve our clients according to their needs; that’s why, we try to be as responsive as we can, especially in crafting our interventions and initiatives. It has always been our mantra to serve beyond what is expected and understand by heart the value of service, which is much needed now that we are facing a pandemic,” Ambi said.  

A total of 95 Negosyo Center business counsellors, DTI 11 staff, and micro and small enterprises (MSEs) from all over the region attended the one-day training.  

“We’re very glad about this training because 100 percent of the participants expressed that they were satisfied with such an intervention. When we reviewed their feedback after the training, all of them said that they learned a lot from it,” the DTI 11 top official noted. DTI 11 has been extending a tailor-fit package of assistance to its clients. In 2020, it assisted a total of 23,627 MSMEs throughout the region. ♦

Date of Release: 08 April 2021