DTI-Iloilo to launch more SSF sites for MSMEs

By Mariela Angella Oladive

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Iloilo announced the launch of three new Shared Service Facilities (SSF) this year, bringing the province’s total to 36 once all are completed.

Engr. Jonathan T. Tejida, supervising trade-industry development specialist and OIC–division chief, said the SSFs are designed to support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that cannot afford to invest in high-cost equipment.

“The SSF is one of DTI’s projects that has a visible impact,” he said during a press conference on Friday, September 5.

The first SSF launched this year was in Leon last June, supporting pandan weaving for the Baje Weavers Association.

Two more SSFs are planned for Maasin and New Lucena.

Tejida said bamboo processing equipment has already been delivered to two sites in Maasin, where the local government provided land for both a processing center and a pasalubong center.

The facility will be inaugurated once the showroom is completed.

Meanwhile, the coconut processing SSF in New Lucena is still awaiting delivery.

DTI records show that about 300 to 400 MSMEs in Iloilo have already benefited from the SSF program.

“The focus of the SSF is on industries with strong potential but without the capacity to invest in equipment,” Tejida said.

“This is a huge help.”

For 2025, DTI-Iloilo has proposed six new SSF projects, three of which have received conditional approval from the Regional Technical Working Group (RTWG).

These include a peanut processing facility in San Joaquin, a batwan processing facility in Batad, and a cookie enterprise that could meet high demand—especially in markets like Boracay, which requires up to 5,000 packs.

A proposed mushroom processing facility in Dumangas is also under consideration due to increasing demand.

However, Tejida noted that the SSF budget remains limited.

For 2025, DTI-Iloilo was allocated PHP 3.5 million, which will be shared among the six proposed projects.