DESPITE the significant increases in domestic fuel prices, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque said they have yet to receive requests for price hikes in basic necessities and prime commodities.
“So far, we have no requests yet for the basic necessities and prime commodities. So the prices of food are stable,” she told journalists Monday, Sept. 28, 2026.
Roque said consumers may check the prices of basic commodities through the lists issued by the DTI, which grocery stores and supermarkets are required to display in their premises.
She said the list is also accessible online through social media sites.
Loan facilities for MSMEs
Meanwhile, Small Business Corporation (SB Corp.) president and chief executive officer Robert Bastillo said demand for the government lending arm’s various loan programs for micro, small and medium enterprises
(MSMEs) has increased significantly this year.
Bastillo attributed the surge largely to the impact of the Middle East conflict and greater awareness among MSMEs that they can tap government loan programs.
Without giving figures, he said the P2-billion OFW Negosyo Fund, which was launched last March, is almost fully utilized.
The loan facility is intended for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), including those who lost their jobs due to the Middle East conflict.
Bastillo said almost all of SB Corp.’s loan programs have been utilized more this year compared to last year.
“(The demand is) too much. As in more than five times the usual requests from us (last year),” he said.
He said SB Corp., the DTI’s lending arm, has been requesting additional funding to ensure that Filipinos who want to start or expand their businesses can be accommodated.
The government financing institution has a P12.9 billion budget for this year. Roque earlier said they are requesting an additional P5 billion for next year to cater to more MSMEs.
On loan repayment, Bastillo said the past-due rate among micro-enterprises, or those able to obtain loans of up to P300,000, is high at more than 10 percent compared with bigger businesses.
He noted, however, that this level has improved, citing the roughly 30 percent past-due rate recorded during the coronavirus pandemic.
Bastillo said SB Corp. is therefore seeking to work more closely with cooperatives, as borrowers from cooperatives “have discipline because they’re members.”
“That’s why the return to us is almost 100 percent,” he said. / PNA
