DTI envisions harmonized provincial SMED plan
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Provincial Director Diosdado Cadena Jr. said they will be crafting a doable "Harmonized Provincial Small and Medium Enterprise Development Plan" after the series of summits on Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Development in Western Visayas.
Cadena described a Harmonized Provincial Small and Medium Enterprise as a development plan that coordinates or is aligned with the national development program of the government regarding SME.
However, the SMED plan will still be subject for review as it could not be called a harmonized plan when one sector failed to represent itself in the crafting of the plan. All stakeholders should be represented, said Cadena.
The summit is relative to the Small and Medium Enterprise Development for Sustainable Program (SMEDSEP), a development cooperation project between the Republic of the Philippines and the Federal Republic of Germany. The program is also in coordination with the DTI.
The summit carries the theme "One Shared Dream, Our Shared Commitment."
In Iloilo, there are some 3,000 registered SMEs in one year alone. They projected 15,000 registered SMEs in five years time. The 3,000 registered SMEs only constitute 60 percent of the total SMEs here.
Of the some 3,000 registered SMEs, not all availed of any technical programs or financial help from the government or non-government organization.
The summit was participated by local government units and other line agencies such as Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Agrarian Reform and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).