The Department of Trade and Industry – Region 12 (DTI-12) has turned over garment production equipment worth P928,000 to the Calumpang Youth for Empowerment (CALYE), a  group of youth entrepreneurs in General Santos City, through the Shared Service Facilities (SSF) program of the agency.

The provision of the cutting and sewing equipment is aimed to increase the production capacity of CALYE as the cooperator of the said SSF together with the other beneficiaries.

CALYE, a civic group of young individuals, focuses on social and economic empowerment of youth through their production of t-shirt and silk screen printing with local government, flea markets vendors, private institutions as its primary product outlets.

According to DTI-R12 Regional Director (RD) Jude Constantine S. Jaugan, the  equipment will still be under the name of DTI but will be transferred to CALYE should it show proof that it can maximize the use of the SSF.

“It is an opportunity for DTI to work with these young empowered entrepreneurs. We believe that they can be a good steward of these facilities and shall operate it with passion and perseverance. We hope that  as the SSF cooperator, they will continue to extend their hands to other beneficiaries for the full utilization of the said project,” said Jaugan in a message during the launching program on Monday.

As the cooperator, CALYE will be responsible for the provision of the facility to other beneficiaries, including its maintenance.

Present during the launch of the SSF were GenSan Mayor Ronnel Rivera and key city officials who extended their support to the advocacy of the youth group. SSF is one of the programs of DTI that aims to improve competitiveness and innovative techniques of the micro, small and medium enterprises by providing machinery, equipment, tools, systems, accessories, and other auxiliary items, skills, and knowledge to increase production capacities and improve product quality under a shared system. ♦

Date of Release: 5 Aug 2021