DTI grants PHP 5.1 million aid to Bago City MSMEs

BAGO CITY, Negros Occidental — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) committed more than PHP 5.1 million in support to local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) during the Lab for All Caravan held here Tuesday, Nov. 25.

Through its financing arm, the Small Business Corporation, the DTI awarded PHP 2.45 million in approved loan assistance to 15 MSMEs representing sectors such as food carts, cafes, sari-sari stores, meat shops, piggeries, and commercial space rentals.

Loan amounts ranged from PHP 100,000 to PHP 300,000 per business to help recipients secure working capital and support expansion efforts.

The financial assistance served as a highlight of the caravan’s ceremonial turnover and underscored the DTI’s push to provide direct, community-based support to small business owners.

In addition to the loan packages, the event showcased the DTI’s Shared Service Facility Program, which offers MSMEs access to processing and production technologies that are often too costly for individual enterprises.

A key feature was the Coffee Processing and Toll Packaging shared service facility valued at PHP 2,675,400, developed in partnership with the Bago City government.

The facility will be formally turned over to the local government to enhance its capacity to support local coffee processors and related enterprises.

DTI Secretary Cristina A. Roque said the program reflects the national government’s goal of bringing essential services to the grassroots level.

“Dito sa Bago City, nakita namin na kailangan ng maliliit na negosyo ang sapat at tamang tulong para umunlad. Kaya dinala ng DTI ang Negosyo Center services, SBCorp loans, at suporta sa product development, packaging, at trade fairs upang matulungan silang lumago, kumita, at magkaroon ng stable na kabuhayan,” Roque said.

DTI Negros Occidental Provincial Director Engr. Lynna Joy Cardinal highlighted the agency’s combined approach of financing and technical assistance.

She said the DTI “continues to support the entrepreneurial resilience and inclusive growth through access to finance and technology development,” noting that MSMEs require both capital and capacity-building to grow sustainably.

The DTI’s participation in the Lab for All Caravan enabled local entrepreneurs and stakeholders to directly engage with the agency’s programs, from financing options to product innovation and trade fair participation.

With strong turnout and immediate fund releases, the event signaled renewed momentum for Bago City’s local economy and strengthened the DTI’s ongoing commitment to MSME development across Negros Occidental.