Senator Bong Go lauded the increase in the 2023 budget of the Department of Trade and Industry to provide funding for its Pangkabuhayan sa Pagbangon at Ginhawa (PPG) program which seeks to aid micro, small, and medium enterprises in crises and provide livelihood opportunities to more Filipinos.
Earlier, Go successfully appealed for the budget allocation for the PPG program during the deliberations on the 2023 budget of the DTI.
“Marami pong nawalan ng trabaho, maraming nagsara na negosyo dahil po sa pandemya kaya naman napakahalagang maipagpatuloy ang programang ito,” the legislator said.
“Sana po ay mas maraming Pilipino pa pong matulungan ang inyong programa.”
“Kaya naman nagpapasalamat po ako sa mga kapwa ko mambabatas at sa DTI para sa kanilang Pangkabuhayan sa Pagbangon at Ginhawa Program. Sana po ay mas maraming Pilipino pa pong matulungan ang inyong programa,” the lawmaker added.
Meanwhile, the senator reiterated that MSMEs play a crucial role in the recovery of the country’s economy and local communities.
“Kung mabibigyan lang sila ng tamang tulong at training, hindi malayo na mas lalago pa ang mga negosyo nila.”
“According to data, 99.52% of the total enterprises operating in the country are MSMEs. Backbone ng ating ekonomiya ang mga MSMEs. Masisipag at madiskarte sa buhay ang mga Pilipino. Kung mabibigyan lang sila ng tamang tulong at training, hindi malayo na mas lalago pa ang mga negosyo nila,” he said.
Go has already filed several legislative measures to support this economic sector.
These include a bill which seeks to institutionalize the Department of Trade and Industry’s “One Town, One Product” (OTOP) program, and the proposed Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery (GUIDE) Act.
His Senate Bill No. 424 shall adopt the OTOP as a government stimulus program to encourage the growth of MSMEs in the country through the utilization of indigenous raw materials, local traditions and cultures across the country.
It seeks to assist and capacitate MSMEs in developing new, innovative and more complex products and services through significant improvement in the areas of quality, product development, design, packaging, standards compliance, marketability, production capability, brand development, sustainability, and securing licenses, product registration and other market authorization, among others.
Furthermore, the bill seeks to support MSMEs in coping with the adverse effects brought by the ongoing pandemic.
SBN 1182 or the proposed GUIDE Act which Go also filed, on the other hand, aims to strengthen the capacity of government financial institutions to provide the needed financial assistance to MSMEs, and other strategically important companies.
Go has also been consistent in advocating for sustained government support for MSMEs. At the height of the pandemic, the lawmaker successfully advocated for the implementation of the Small Business Wage Subsidy program.
It provided eligible workers who were unable to work or get paid during the enhanced community quarantine period with two tranches of financial assistance.
