IN AN aim to better equip micro, small and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs) in the province, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Thursday, March 14, launched its first Shared Service Facility (SSF) for this year in Barangay Sampaloc, Apalit town.

The 5K Multi-purpose Cooperative received eight machineries including high-speed, and manual sewing machines, embroidery, and etching machines worth P200,000 under the said program.

DTI Central Luzon director Judith Angeles and DTI Pampanga director Elenita Ordonio led the launching of the SSF program which falls under the Wearables and Home Industry Cluster.

DTI-Pampanga Division chief officer-in-charge Emil Paulo Galang disclosed that the new equipment sharing facility is the 59th to be unveiled in Pampanga since the program was first launched in 2013.

“These new facilities are expected to increase productivity and improve efficiency of MSME-members of 5K Multi-purpose Cooperative, and hopefully generate additional funds for the cooperative,” he said.

“At the same time, members who are formerly housewives can now use their idle time to become productive and have another source of income,” Galang furthered.

5K Multi-purpose Cooperative general manager Cecilia Bautista, meanwhile, expressed gratitude to DTI for granting and expediting their request for additional machineries that would be beneficial for their 651-member cooperative.

“DTI is very efficient in responding to our request. We actually sent our application late November and we received response by December and now we can already use the machines that we asked for, and we cannot be more grateful for this assistance they granted us,” she said.

Bautista added that the machines will be used in sewing curtains and uniforms of their clients ranging from school faculty, government offices and private households.

“For 14 years, 5K MPC has withstood the challenges that we faced and we have continued to grow with our members from all over the province. And with these brand new machineries, we can surely better aid our members in their businesses and livelihood,” she said.