Amid the global pandemic, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Davao Region successfully delivered its 2020 targets and intensified its assistance to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to help them cope up in these trying times.
The agency’s planning unit revealed that it assisted a total of 23,627 MSMEs in 2020. This is 107 percent of its annual target of 22,018 MSMEs.
Part of last year’s breakthrough was the assistance for MSMEs in far-flung barangays in the region through the Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay (NSB) and Pangkabuhayan sa Pagbangon at Ginhawa (PPG).
The NSB is designed to help maximize the potentials of barangays to become economically independent and make them more effective partners in the attainment of the national goal. With this goal, the NSB has been reinvented to include barangays with recovering MSMEs affected by the current health and economic crisis.
The agency reached 115 identified barangays in the region and assisted 10,942 clients, 6,029 of which were MSMEs. Various DTI services such as business registration assistance, business consultations, lecture on entrepreneurial mind-setting, livelihood, and skills training were provided during the said caravan. Livelihood kits worth P5,000 were also distributed to 1,191 identified beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, the PPG was intended for MSMEs affected by fire incidents and other calamities. In 2020, 101 identified barangays in the region were reached, and served 3,173 MSMEs. Livelihood kits worth P5,000 were also distributed to 1,722 identified beneficiaries.
In the meantime, DTI-Davao Region’s mentorship program continued through the Online Kapatid Mentor ME Program. It produced a total of 80 graduates out of 84 mentees who enrolled for last year.
The agency likewise extended its assistance to 154 investors in the priority industries. These industries include cacao, coffee, banana, coconut, rubber, information, and communication technology (ICT), seaweed, rubber, wearables, and homestyle, and processed fruits and nuts. It is worth noting that the majority of these investors belong to the banana industry.
Trade promotion activities in the “new normal” were pushed through virtual trade fairs and online product displays. The agency facilitated 16 virtual fairs and online offerings allowing 320 exhibitors to showcase their products. These generated total sales of P72.64M, with cash sales of P1.71 million, booked sales of P1.37M, and sales under negotiation of P69.56M.
On consumer protection, the agency strengthened its monitoring and enforcement activities, with 833 price monitoring activities conducted, covering 357 establishments region-wide. Likewise, 1,531 workplaces were monitored to ensure of their compliance with the prescribed guidelines during the new normal. These workplaces were composed of 676 dine-in restaurants, 304 barbershops and salons, eight business process outsourcing (BPO) companies, and 543 other establishments.
To aid consumers during these challenging times, the agency partnered with the local government units (LGUs) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) in carrying out several Presyo Diskwento Caravans. A total of 221 caravans were conducted region-wide, covering 94 barangays, and participated by 53 retailers. These benefitted 27,751 consumers and generated sales amounting to P20.15M.
Further, the agency successfully resolved 100 percent of consumer complaints through mediation and arbitration within the prescribed time of 10 days and 20 days respectively. Also, its provincial offices have successfully processed a total of 24,516 permits and licenses. This earned a regional client satisfaction rating of 99 percent.
DTI-Davao Regional Director Maria Belenda Q. Ambi attributed the success of the agency to the sustained spirit and dedication of its team despite the uncertainty brought by the pandemic. “We will continue with our resiliency. Rest assured that DTI will still be at the forefront in providing serbisyong higit pa sa inaasahan, which has been our commitment all these years,” Ambi said, adding that the cooperation of the agency’s partners also helped them achieve their objectives.
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