BY LEANDER C. DOMINGO
TUGUEGARAO CITY (August 31)—The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 2 now covers 171 barangay (villages) in the provinces of Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya, providing 13,203 information kits as well as livelihood kits to 385 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Lea Pulido Ocampo, DTI-Region 2 director, said this was done under the DTI’s Livelihood Seeding Program-Negosyo Serbisyo sa Barangay, which aims to help MSMEs cope with the effects of the pandemic by providing livelihood kits worth P5,000 to P8,000 to enable them to restart or continue with their business operations.
Ocampo said livelihood and business starter kits vary according to the needs of the identified beneficiaries, namely sari-sari (variety) stores, woodwork shops, beauty parlors and barbershops.
DTI-Region 2 partners with local government units in implementing the DTI program, Ocampo said, adding that with 171 villages now covered, the department exceeded its target of 167 for the year.