DTI backs San Enrique bamboo furniture MSMEs

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The Department of Trade and Industry in Iloilo is strengthening support for local micro, small and medium enterprises in the bamboo furniture sector through direct field engagement in San Enrique, Iloilo.

On March 10, 2026, DTI Iloilo officials, including Engr. Jonathan T. Tejida, supervising TID specialist and officer-in-charge division chief, and Engr. Florenda Octoberiana C. Abian, senior TIDS, together with Winnie Grace Sugatan, JBC of the DTI Negosyo Center San Enrique, visited five MSMEs in the barangays of Cubay and Bantayan.

The visit aimed to profile the MSMEs, monitor their business operations, provide advisory services, and identify possible assistance to strengthen the local bamboo furniture industry.

The officials also discussed opportunities for product improvement, marketing strategies, and access to DTI programs that could help the enterprises expand their market reach.

DTI Iloilo said “the bamboo furniture industry holds great potential for local economic growth.”

It added, “By supporting these MSMEs, we aim to enhance their skills, improve production quality, and open doors to broader market opportunities.”

The initiative forms part of DTI Iloilo’s continuing effort to support entrepreneurship and develop sustainable local industries.

Through the intervention, the agency hopes to empower community-based businesses, generate jobs, and help preserve traditional craftsmanship in San Enrique.

The push aligns with broader efforts in Iloilo to develop the bamboo sector as a source of livelihood, value-added manufacturing, and green enterprise, with provincial and national agencies in recent years expanding training, trade exposure, and shared service support for bamboo-based MSMEs.

Bamboo has remained one of the featured product clusters in Iloilo trade development programs, underscoring its growing role in the province’s enterprise and sustainability agenda.