TABUK, City Kalinga – Fifty entrepreneurs in the city received livelihood kits today from the Department of Trade Industry-Kalinga (DTI) under the latter’s Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay-Livelihood Seeding Program (LSP-NSB).
The beneficiaries are owners of food processing, fruit wine production, wearable and homestyle, and other homegrown micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The livelihood kits were composed of tools and equipment tailored to each beneficiary’s need to boost their business.
DTI-Kalinga Provincial Director Renie Ramos said that from the word “seeding”, the livelihood kits were given to the entrepreneurs to help them grow their business, adding that there will be continuous monitoring and evaluation in partnership with the city government to ensure that the kits are used as intended.
“Hopefully, makita tayo dagituy negosyo yu nga ag-develop in the coming months or years,” Ramos told the beneficiaries at the turnover ceremony at the Davidson Hotel.
Meanwhile, Josephine Daliyong, senior trade and industry development specialist of DTI-Kalinga, said the livelihood kits were only the “tip of the iceberg” in terms of the assistance that MSMEs may avail from the DTI.
Daliyong said the DTI helps MSMEs through its various assistance and services in all aspects of business development – from capacity building, product development, financing, to marketing of the product.
In a message, Mayor Darwin Estrañero through his representative, Henry Gupaal, thanked DTI-Kalinga for its support to the city’s MSMEs, noting the latter’s resilience during the pandemic.
The mayor assured the city government is doing its part to prop up small businesses in the city, citing the Cooperative Assistance for Rural Enhancement or CARE program wherein a grant of Php 100,000 is given to qualified micro and small cooperatives to help them through their first five years.
Mayor Estrañero said he hopes that more MSMEs in the city will become beneficiaries of the LSP-NSB next year.
Apart from the 50 beneficiaries from Tabuk, 17 other entrepreneurs from Rizal, Pinukpuk, Tinglayan, Lubuagan, and Balbalan also received livelihood kits.
Also present during to turnover were Governor Ferdinand Tubban, Placido Alsiyang who was representing Congressman Allen Jesse Mangoang, and Tabuk City Information Officer Aurora Amilig.
By Iryll Sicnao
