DTI to maximize use of online platforms for MSME assistance

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will maximize the use of online platforms in assisting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Central Luzon amid the COVID-19 crisis.

DTI Regional Director Judith Angeles said they will continue to promote business development in the countryside even with the pandemic by instituting technology driven support to MSMEs such as online learning tools and w ebi nar s.

“We are also promoting contactless trading through the Bagsakan trade fair system where selling is done online,” she shared.

“Because of the community quarantine, physical registration of business name (BN) has been hindered. As such, DTI created a platform for BN Registration System where it can be fully done online. Payment for BN certificate can be done through

GCash, Paymaya and other online payment services,” Angeles furthered. For April, when the entire region was under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), DTI only had 182 registrations that were all done online. From the figure, 170 were new BNs while 12 were renewals.

For May, as restrictions were gradually eased under Modified ECQ and General Community Quarantine (GCQ), these numbers have significantly risen to a total of 1,498 BN registrations.

Nueva Ecija has the most number of BN registrations during the period with

378 followed by Pampanga with 322, Tarlac- 268, Bulacan- 214, Zambales133, Aurora-104 and Bataan-79.

And in June, as several provinces in the region shift to Modified GCQ while others remain in GCQ, initial figures show about 182 BN registrations. (Carlo Lorenzo J. Datu/ PIA-3)