THE Department of Trade Industry (DTI) is expanding this year a project that aims to enhance the competitiveness of small businesses through helping them adopt climate-smart and environmental friendly strategies.
Jerry Clavesillas, director of the DTI Bureau of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development (BMSMED), said it is replicating the Promotion of Green Economic Development (ProGED) to all DTI regions or provinces.
Clavesillas said ProGED has already been implemented in Pampanga, Tarlac, Laguna, Cavite, Palawan, Occidental Mindoro, Albay, Camarines Sur, Negros Occidental, Capiz, Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, Agusandel Norte and Surigao del Norte.
The project, a joint undertaking of the DTI-Regional Operations Group and Deutsche Gesellschaft fur InternationaleZusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, began in January 2013.
Clavesillas said ProGED assists the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) cope with climate change adaptation and mitigation requirements through the implementation of environment-friendly, climate-smart and inclusive strategies and measures.
Interventions include information and awareness on green economic development, green service facilitation and match making, and green framework conditions.
Citing the country's MSME Development Plan, Clavesillas noted that adopting "green growth" strategies leads to greater resource efficiency, thereby making the MSMEs more competitive.
To strengthen the disaster resilience of MSMEs, he said the government is also slated to undertake other activities in 2016.
These are mainstreaming business continuity planning (BCP) and GED in the SME Roving Academy, publishing and disseminating ProGED/BCP knowledge management products through the Negosyo Centers and making GED the theme of the National MSME Summit. (PR)