BAGUIO CITY– Convergence among concerned agencies is being looked into as a scheme to foster the Department of Trade and Industry-led Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay (NSB) among existing and potential micro, small and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs) in poverty-stricken barangays.
The NSB aims to bring government closer to small businesses in the 4th to 6th class municipalities and boost assistance through the establishment of barangay help desks for countryside businesses to flourish. It intends to maximize the entrepreneurs’ potential until they can stand on their own.
DTI has identified a total of 140 priority barangays for the program from among the 45 municipalities belonging to 4th to 6th class regionwide for a three-year period from 2019-2022. The agency is expected to create and develop 700 enterprises in the identified priority barangays.
The idea of convergence of agency efforts cropped up in a recent meeting of the Economic Development Sectoral Committee of the Regional Development Council – CAR. Considering some agencies have their respective programs on entrepreneurial support and development, it would be best to harmonize initiatives and be looped into said program so there would be no duplication.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Tourism (DOT) including the two newly attached agencies under DTI supervision, the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) are among the agencies with community-based programs for entrepreneurs.
DTI Cordillera Regional Director Myrna Pablo suggested that concerned agencies will meet and come up with inventory of MSME community-based projects. These will be looped in to complement but not to duplicate what one agency is doing and further strengthen programs intended for the entrepreneurs in the locality.
“We are there to develop MSMEs because they are big job generators and are providing income to their employees and the community,” Pablo stressed.
DTI had already coordinated with the CDA for the possible conversion of existing associations assisted by their office into cooperatives as they get more income if they join the cooperative sector.
NSB will be rolled out in the region this month. Pablo said the priority barangays for the NSB were evaluated based on inaccessibility, poor delivery of services, potential to have MSMEs in the area, absence of issue on peace and order, among others. **JDP/SCA-PIA-CAR
