THE provinces in Central Visayas have called for the national government to extend the right assistance to the heavily affected micro, small and medium enterprises.
Central Visayas governors, during the the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 7’s online forum dubbed, “Ready to Recover,” tackled the different plans they have to help their own MSMEs, whose businesses were crushed by the Covid-19 pandemic and government-imposed lockdowns, to gradually recover.
For Cebu Provincial Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, small businesses were enjoined to submit a proposal.
“This is so we can help them whether in cash or in kind, to a certain extent, for them to jumpstart their operations. It has now started in the third district and I hope to partner with the DTI so it could be adopted in the other six districts of the province of Cebu,” Garcia said during the discussion.
The Cebu Province recently opened the tourism activities in the countryside to resuscitate and reinvigorate the struggling tourism industry.
In Bohol, Gov. Arthur Yap said they are leaning on the Department of Tourism’s plan on establishing travel bubbles to selected parts of the country.
Yap said the local and national government should have a symbiotic relationship to further guide MSMEs during these tough times.
“Give them a chance to stabilize their operations under the new normal,” he said.
He said this can be done through strong and strategized support from government banks by restructuring their loan systems and giving MSMEs at least a year to rebuild their businesses before they start paying.
Yap said they are also working on a P250 million grant program to capacitate small businesses.
In Negros Oriental, Gov. Roel Degamo said they are focusing on food production and the tourism industry revival.
Degamo said both the local government and the businesses are working together to make it happen.
Siquijor Gov. Zaldy Villa, on the other hand, said they are hoping to also continue their tourism efforts by promoting safe tourism activities as Siquijor continues to be the only Covid-free province in Central Visayas.