OVER P5 million worth of equipment were turned over by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to Kapampangan micro, small and medium and entrepreneurs under its Shared Service Facilities program.
DTI-Central Luzon Director Leonila Baluyut and Pampanga Director Elenita Ordonio led the turnover of facilities to recipients, namely, Sikap ng San Luis Credit Cooperative, Pampanga Furniture Industries Foundation (PFIF), Strong Union Multi-purpose Cooperative of Apalit, Pampanga and the local government of San Luis, Pampanga.
The facilities turned over to the cooperators include food processing equipment such as oven, slicers, coconut graters and kitchen equipment.
The DTI also turned over equipment used for making the well-known metal craft of Apalit town, as well as furniture making equipment for bamboo and woodworking such as rip saws, jointers and grinders.
The turned over equipment amounted to some P5.37 million, Baluyut said.
To formally turn over ownership and accountability previously lent by DTI Pampanga, DTI officials and the representatives of the SSF cooperators signed the Property Transfer Report and Receipt for the Property.
In her message to the SSF cooperators, Baluyut praised the Pampanga cooperators not only as partners of DTI in managing the SSF facilities for more than six years but also in continuing to produce quality products despite the pandemic.
Baluyut emphasized that during the pandemic, DTI continued to support MSMEs through different programs notably online based programs such as webinars and online trade fairs.
She also stressed that the major challenge for MSMEs at present is to adapt to the modernization and digitalization of the commerce around the world. She noted that MSMEs must have online presence to survive in today's business.
Alexander Garcia, president of the PFIF thanked the DTI for the support to SSF cooperators by providing them with more modern equipment that have improved their production and product quality.
He assured DTI that they will continue to support worthy government programs such as the SSF program, and that they will take care of the equipment that have been given to them.