The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 2 and the Mindanao Microfinance Council (MMC) formally inked a Memorandum of Understanding on 20 January 2022 to develop and promote initiatives in rural development particularly in the area of capacity development of multipliers, specifically trainers.

Under the signed MOU, both parties will contribute to the initiatives in strengthening the professional skills and the financial entrepreneurship literacy of micro, small and small enterprises MSMEs in Cagayan Valley through a project entitled, “Training of Trainers for Micro-Enterprise Development.”

DTI Regional Director Leah Pulido Ocampo was elated to this undertaking and expressed her gratitude to the MMC for choosing DTI R2 as a pilot partner in fostering financial literacy among entrepreneurs in the region, within the framework of the Regional Project in Rural Development in Indonesia and in the Philippines.

“Through this MOU, we will collaborate to undertake programs that will maximize opportunities not only for our MSMEs but also for our workers and internal teams. By enhancing the skills and competencies of our workers, we will be able to deliver our services better and become even more effective in providing support and guidance to our clients,” said RD Ocampo.

Likewise, the shared mission of both parties and the partnership objective, in line with its implementation, were echoed by DTI-Assistant Regional Director Winston Singun.

Jack Lord Rubillar, Executive Director of MMC, expressed their commitment and support in enhancing the skills of MSMEs especially in this time of the pandemic.

“As it is one of the MMC’s advocacies to promote and develop micro-enterprises in our country, we are fully committed to working together with DTIR2 on this project,” said Director Rubillar.

On the other hand, Dr. Carla Virtudazo, Country Representative & Principal Adviser of Regional Project in RDIP shared the overview of the project, how it started, and its background.

Further, the project components, timelines, targets, and background of the partnership from the perspective of DTI R2 were presented by the DTI-SME Development Division Chief, Mr. Ramil Garcia.

The ceremonial signing, which was witnessed by the officers and staff of DTI R2, partners from MMC, RDIP, and the Deutsche (German) Sparkassentiftung fur Internationale Kooperation (DSIK) Philippines, was conducted virtually via Zoom and live-streamed on the official Facebook page of DTI R2. ♦

Date of Release: 24 January 2022