KORONADAL CITY, SOUTH COTABATO – President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr, together with DTI Secretary Fred Pascual, personally handed over a total of P4.5-M worth of business assistance packages to the MSME beneficiaries of DTI’s Pangkabuhayan sa Pagbangon at Ginhawa (PPG) Program and Shared Service Facility (SSF) in a turnover ceremony held on Wednesday, June 14, in Koronadal City, South Cotabato.
The endowments consist of PPG sari-sari store livelihood kits amounting to Php 112-K, which were given to nine beneficiaries, and SFF equipment worth P4.6-M, provided to six MSME project cooperators.
Said distribution of various government assistance was facilitated through the presence of key cabinet officials from DTI, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
The PPG is a post-disaster response livelihood seeding and entrepreneurship development program of DTI, which aims to assist individuals and families affected by fire incidents and other calamities in recovering and/or starting their businesses.
On the other hand, the SSF project aims to enhance the productivity and efficiency of small enterprises by providing eligible cooperators with machinery, equipment, tools, accessories, and other auxiliary items under a shared system, thereby granting them access to improved technology.
In addition, Secretary Pascual participated in the opening of the Kadiwa ng Pangulo at the South Cotabato Gym and Cultural Center, which aimed to sell affordable and quality products to the general public while promoting the DTI-assisted MSMEs to a wider market.
President Marcos also visited the booths of the exhibitors for an opportunity to personally talk to entrepreneurs and purchase some of their featured local products.
Among the products that caught the interest of President Marcos were the T’nalak cloth, uniquely and artisanally woven by the members of the Tboli people of Lake Sebu, and the chili sauces made from the hottest chili pepper in the world.
In an interview, DTI 12 Regional Director Flora Politud-Gabunales stated that President Marcos’ visit to South Cotabato is proof of his commitment, as expressed during the election campaign, to strengthen assistance for MSMEs and develop local products to be market competitive. Aside from T’nalak production and value-adding, among the leading industries of Region 12 are coffee production, with the region being the country’s top coffee producer, and tuna, which has earned the region the title of tuna capital. ♦
Date of release: 16 June 2023
