DTI sets up 112 shared facilities for small Eastern Visayas bizmen

PALO, Leyte, Sept. 8  – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has already invested PHP40.84 million for the establishment of 112 shared service facilities (SSF) in Eastern Visayas region as of end of July this year.

DTI Regional Director Cynthia Nierras said putting up SSF is a banner project of the government meant to improve the products of micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and raise their production volume.

"We celebrate the success that we have in the implementation of this program. We were able to establish various projects with 4,722 beneficiaries,” said Nierras, during the first SSF regional summit here Thursday night.

SSF aims to improve the quality and productivity of MSMEs nationwide through the use of standard and quality machines. It also prioritizes the industry and clusters within the poor 609 towns in the country.

The country has 2,217 SSFs with a total budget of PHP1.18 billion. The government launched the project in 2013.

The SSF project is being implemented with project partners termed as cooperators, which include non-government organizations, people’s organizations, cooperatives, industry/trade/business 

associations, local government units, state universities and colleges, technical vocational schools, and other similar government and training institutions.

The projects address processing and manufacturing bottlenecks of the industry cluster brought about by the absence of the needed facility, lack of capacity of an existing facility, cost of services of an existing facility is not affordable, lack of inadequate technical and administrative services for MSMEs.  (SQM/with reports from Patricia Salvo and Reynadel Costillas, OJT/PNA)