BUSINESS leaders in Cebu welcomed the plan of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to encourage retail giants to allocate a space for the products of micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) and at the same time help raise funds for drug rehabilitation centers.
“That’s a laudable idea. That would give a venue for small and medium-sized enterprises to showcase their products and at the same time augment the need for rehabilitation centers,” MCCI president Glenn Anthony Soco. “The idea can be expanded by providing the MSMEs more marketing support,” he added.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez was quoted in a news report that he will reach out to mall retailers like SM, Rustans, Puregold and Robinsons to allocate a space for the products of MSMEs, to help this sector gain more market exposure.
However, a portion of retailers’ proceeds from the sale of MSME products will be allocated for the construction of rehabilitation centers in anticipation of increased demand.
Lopez said that they are looking to allocate three to five percent of the proceeds from the sale for the rehab center fund. DTI, he stressed, will only act as the facilitator for the project.
“Supporting MSMEs and providing them a venue to sell and showcase their products is a great way to help increase job creation and promote livelihood development. If DTI will allocate proceeds from this arrangement for construction of rehabilitation centers, it might be good also to incorporate livelihood development in the arrangement,” said Melanie Ng, president the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI).
Ted Locson, CCCI’s vice president for external affairs and the chamber’s committee chair on peace and order, said the chamber is yet to discuss how to help the government in its program to support the drug surrenderees but stressed that eventually, the chamber will meet now that the government is reaching out to private sectors to help them in the nationwide drub rehabilitation program.
Two weeks ago, Locson said Cebu City already recorded 69,700 drug surrenderees.
Locson admitted that the country is facing a strange case on its war against drugs, where drug-related killings have divided the nation.
“We are also surprised because in the past, when you have killings, people will shy away; investors will shy away but not this time. It is opposite. People will even want to invest in areas that before they didn’t want to go. So it’s too early to really say this is it, if the government can sustain it. But we really have to help. If we really want to succeed to stop the drug problem in this country, each and everyone must help,” said Locson.