NEGROS Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. has called on National Government agencies like the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to provide more support to micro, small and medium enterprises in the province, specifically additional capitalization.
Marañon on Thursday, June 29, said the province really has potential entrepreneurs especially in the food sector.
Even the visitors from the Northern Territory, Australia who signed partnership agreements with the provincial government last Tuesday were amazed by the local delicacies like chicken inasal, he said.
Aside from the strong entrepreneurial spirit of the Negrenses, Negros Occidental also has abundant resources of fresh raw materials mainly organic thus, culinary is one potential industry which the provincial government supports, the governor added.
“What our entrepreneurs need is capitalization, the national government should further work on this,” Marañon said, pointing out that the provincial government has been providing financial support to local MSMEs, but its resources are not enough.
The governor asked if it is possible for the DTI to provide more financing by linking enterprises to various financial institutions like the Land Bank of the Philippines for loans.
“Banks should not have many requirements,” Marañon said, adding that many entrepreneurs are not yet equipped for making project study and business plan as required from them to avail loans.
Trade and Industry Assistant Secretary for Regional Operations Group Blesila Lantayona, who was also present at the launching, said the DTI already has programs addressing the “gap” identified by the provincial government in its business improvement plan.
In terms of financial support, Lantayona said among the interventions of the DTI include the Small Business Corporation and the recent Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso (P3).
These low interest rate financing programs are geared toward developing and creating more enterprises nationwide, she added.
In terms of P3 program, which has an interest rate of only two percent, the agency is still finalizing the conduits that will help in the delivery of credits to identified recipient-enterprises in the province.