By: Riza T. Olchondra 12:17 AM November 16th, 2015
SENATOR Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino
IV said the Department of Energy (DOE) must be tapped to help spur the growth
of the micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) sector.
Aquino, who has championed
micro-finance back when he was still with the private sector, is among those
spearheading the Apec SME Summit 2015 in Makati City next week.
Recognizing the need for MSMEs to
have reliable power supply in growth areas such as Mindanao, which has been
suffering from a power crisis for years now, Aquino said it is best to include
DOE in the coordination of MSME development efforts.
“We will try to include them in our
next discussions,” Aquino said in a briefing.
Currently, the agencies involved in
MSME development planning and implementation are: the Department of Trade and
Industry as the lead agency; the departments of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform
for agro-industrial enterprises; the Department of Science and Technology,
which has programs for MSME technology and equipment; the Department of Social
Welfare and Development, which banners livelihood programs under the
Conditional Cash Transfer program; the Department of Labor and Employment,
which offers training options; and the National Economic and Development
Authority, which leads the country’s development planning in order to open
windows for credit.
The MSME sector is the largest
source of employment in the country.
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