Small businesses based in Boracay were assured they will make it through even as the popular tourist site was closed in April, as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) vowed to launch trade fairs that will showcase products from the shuttered resort island.
In a statement on Tuesday, the DTI reported it rolled out programs and projects aimed at assisting Boracay-based micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), following the island’s closure on April 26. Boracay was closed to the public for half a year to allow the government to implement its rehabilitation plan on the usually crowded tourist spot.
According to Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez, the DTI had already consulted with provincial and local government units, as well as with local business leaders, business owners and workers, to see how the agency can serve the residents.
“We had taken measures and interventions to assess and address the needs of the residents, especially our micro entrepreneurs and local workers, even before the actual closure of the island,” Lopez said.
Respondents, on the other hand, requested the DTI to help them in online marketing, accessing new markets for their products and in finding a relocation for their businesses. While some asked for skills training in cooking, baking, food processing and handling, a number of the respondents also inquired about the government’s loan programs and
financial assistance.
The DTI also took part in the Aklan Piña and Fiber Festival by holding a trade fair in Kalibo, Aklan. The trade fair, which featured products of MSMEs affected by Boracay’s closure, gathered 121 exhibitors and generated total sales of P15.20 million, of which P1.56 million is actual cash sales and P13.64 million is booked orders.
The trade department also brought to Manila various goods sold by eight affected MSMEs from Caticlan and Kalibo, and promoted them at the showroom of the DTI’s Bureau of Domestic Trade and Promotions.
The products featured include banana chips, crispy shrimps, biscocho (biscuit), cinnamon toast, toasted crunch, ampao (puffed rice cake), ugoy-ugoy (toasted bread), butter toast, otap (puff pastry cookie), assorted bags, wallets, coin purses, eyeglass cases, pencil holders, cell-phone holders, wood and crochet ball bracelets, abaca envelope packaging material and piña silk shawl.
“We are on the lookout for more ways to assist our MSMEs and those affected by the closure,” Lopez said. “We are also planning more trade fairs and allocating spaces to promote Boracay products not just in other provinces, but also in big cities and tourist destinations.”