Potentials of SMEs cited
Roxas City (20 October) -- "The Capiceņos can."
This was how Provincial Director Rebecca Rascon of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) summed up the strides made by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Capiz through the years even as she commended them for sustaining their operations.
The DTI is the lead government agency that is responsible for the development and promotion of SMEs in the country with the support of local government units, other government agencies, and domestic and foreign funding institutions.
One of the foreign institutions that have been supporting SMEs here is the Philippine-Australian Community Assistance Program (PACAP) that is funded by the Government of Australia through the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID).
Rascon said PACAP has been in the country for 20 years now and will mark the milestone with a Trade Fair/Exhibit and Roadshow in the province starting Oct. 24. The opening activity will be graced by PACAP officials from Manila and the Visayas Area.
The DTI Provincial Director said the event at Gaisano City-Roxas, which will run until Oct. 29, will serve as another opportunity for local products to find more markets.
The agency has been supporting local SMEs break into markets not only within but also outside the country. Some local producers are also set to participate in the regional tourism assembly from Oct. 23-29 wherein the Department of Tourism (DOT) has provided opportunities for entrepreneurs in Western Visayas to promote their products.
The Arroyo administration has included SMEs in the sectors that can help propel the country's economy. Malacaņang said this economic takeoff is within reach and the government has been working overtime on the economic blueprint of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
PACAP recently approved a P12-million grant funding for seven SME groups in the province including an SME Center which will play a support role to all enterprises in the province. (PIA-JSC) [top]
