NEGROS Occidental is getting a share of about P100 million allocated for the implementation of the Shared Service Facility (SSF) project in Western Visayas this year, the top official of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the province said.
Lea Gonzales, provincial director of DTI-Negros Occidental, confirmed to SunStar Bacolod that the agency under its regular fund has apportioned almost P6.2 million for various SSFs in the region including the coffee processing in Silay City.
This project along with engineered bamboo production in Capiz and loom weaving in Iloilo are already evaluated, DTI Western Visayas Regional Director Rebecca Rascon earlier said.
Gonzales said SSF project aims to help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by a provision of machines and equipment mainly to improve quality of their products as well as increase productivity and income.
“There are enterprises which cannot afford to buy equipment thus, they are being grouped with cooperators to avail of the SSFs,” she said, adding that the coffee processing project in Silay City worth about P350,000 is seen to enable farmer-producers of Barangay Patag to improve the quality of their products and demand better market price.
Aside from the P6.2-million fund, Western Visayas was allotted P93 million from out of the P800 million that was apportioned to the DTI through Senator Loren Legarda.
Rascon said projects to be funded using the budget include research and extension programs of state university and colleges (SUCs), school of living traditions to preserve the culture of indigenous people (IP), those managed by the youth sector, and other projects proposed by non-government organizations and local government units (LGUs), among others.
Of the figure, the big chunk is for Antique with P61 million while Iloilo has around P18.5 million. The remaining funds will be shared by other provinces in the region, she added.
For Negros Occidental, Gonzales said three SUCs are among the recipients of the fund. These are Technological University of the Philippines (TUP), Carlos Hilado Memorial State College (CHMSC), and Central Philippine State University (CPSU).
Gonzales said TUP will be getting equipment for metal works while SSF projects for CHMSC and CPSU are for food processing and engineered bamboo production, respectively.
“It would be a big help to these SCUs particularly in their respective extension works,” she said, adding that these SSF projects are already pipelined for implementation this year. (with reports from PNA)