SMALL and export-oriented businesses in Davao Region are among the priorities in a pandemic plan being worked on by the Department of Science and Technology in Davao Region (DOST-Davao).
DOST-Davao director Anthony Sales bared in virtual presser that they are currently drafting a pandemic plan, a manual that outlines actions of the government in responding to epidemic and pandemic in the future.
“Here in Davao, we initiated this pandemic plan because we need to be strategic in addressing the problem kasi hindi natin alam kung kailan mangyayari ulit itong epidemic or pandemic (because we do not know when will an epidemic or pandemic happen again),” he said.
“Palaging reactive yung mga initiatives natin. (Our initiatives this time are mostly reactive). So, this time, with the pandemic plan, alam natin prior, during, and after the pandemic kung anong gagawin (we will know what to do prior),” he added.
Sales said among the initiatives that will be included are geared towards facilitating micro, small and medium businesses to adopt the “new normal”.
He said with the Pandemic Plan, they will intensify the use of the agency’s One-stop Laboratory Services for Global Competitiveness (OneLab), an online platform that allows the public to access testing services from a network of laboratories in the country.
“You just have to log-in to our OneLab portal and then submit your samples, have this delivered to the laboratory, and have it tested. Even the results can be sent electronically para hindi na pupunta yung mga tao,” he said.
He said this will be helpful to businesses engaged in exports since they are required to provide novel coronavirus (Covid-19) test results.
“Marami tayong banana chips factories dito sa Davao na nangangailangan ng test results along with their export documents before they can export. Through the OneLab, we can immediately transport samples and analyze them in what we call our Fast Lane and they can get the results electronically or online, and have their products exported,” Sales said.
Aside from that, Sales said they will also be making the calibration of containers and equipment for petroleum businesses more accessible.
“Anytime in the new normal, [petroleum] companies can come to us and have their trucks, lorries, buckets, and volumetric containers are calibrated by our laboratories,” he said.