1. Shared Service Facilities (SSF)

2. SMERA

3. Negosyo Center

4. Trabaho Negosyo at Kabuhayan

5. ProGED

6. Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP)

In 1988, the government launched the CARP through Republic Act (RA) 6657, seeking the distribution of some 10M hectares of agricultural lands to farmers and regular farm workers. The government also directed specific agencies to provide the required support services and other factors needed to ensure socio-economic upliftment of the lives of the beneficiaries through Executive Order (EO) No. 229.

The DTI’s participation in the CARP was formalized with the establishment of the Small and Medium Industrial Technology Transfer Development Program (SMITTDP) in 1989.  SMITTDP is primarily supportive of the government’s focus on countryside development through setting up of rural industries.

More specifically, SMITTDP promotes entrepreneurship and enterprise development among the farmers and affected landowners and provides the services necessary to ensure the success of their projects.

SMITTDP’s objectives:

• To tap the idle manpower of farmers and their families for income-generating projects, thereby increasing their household incomes and stimulating industrial activity in their communities
• To utilize the newly acquired liquidity of the landowners through investments in agro-industrial projects providing local employment opportunities

Programs and Services

Program assistance is directed to Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs) nationwide. DTI-CARP provides support services to farmers and affected landowners and their families.  Particularly, it assists cooperatives/associations of farmers, landowners, women, and youths, who are capable of managing micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

The program provides comprehensive package of support services to stimulate agro-industrial activities in the ARCs. These services are in the form of:

• Trainings/Seminars. Productivity improvement, managerial, basic and upgrading skills trainings/seminars guiding thebeneficiaries with right values/attitudes toward entrepreneurship;
• Studies. Preparation of pre-investment studies, feasibility studies, market studies and research, and other relevant studies generating investments in MSMEs in the ARCs;
• Market Development Assistance. Market development through trade fairs, market matching, selling missions, market information services/promotional collaterals and product development, which includes designing, prototyping, packaging, labeling, and product/quality improvement; and
• Consultancy Services. Providing expert advice on areas related to planning, development, management, and operation of MSMEs.

The Republic Act 9710, the Magna Carta for Women, aims to eliminate discrimination against women, especially those in the marginalized sector. The General Appropriations Act (GAA) requires government agencies to allot 5% of their total budget for the formulation and implementation of their respective GAD plans.

DTI 4-A has conducted the following activities to support GAD:

1. Orientation on the New Harmonized GAD Guidelines, which was facilitated by Ms. May P. Cruz, Senior Trade and Industry Specialist from the Resource Generation and Management Service

2. Women’s Month Celebration – GAD awareness by distributing promotional shirts promoting women’s month (March)

The Gender-Responsive Economic Actions for the Transformation of Women (GREAT Women) Project is a governance and capacity development project that aims to promote and support a gender-responsive enabling environment for women’s economic empowerment, particularly those in microenterprises.

Through the project, DTI, its bureaus and attached agencies, harmonized their programs and services in support of women microentrepreneurs in the local project sites and developed the Gender-Responsive Value Chain Analysis (GR-VCA) to determine women and men’s roles, profits, opportunities and constraints in the value chain of subsector enterprises. DTI likewise mainstreamed gender in its organization through influencing the National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Plan 2010-2016, strengthening its GAD Focal Point System and GAD Plan, among other initiatives.

Sales Promo

Securing DTI permit before conducting a sales promo is a legal requirement under Republic Act No. 7394, the “Consumer Act of the Philippines” and especially under its Section 116. The protection of consumers against deceptive, unfair and unconscionable sakes acts and practices as one of its objectives. Implementing rules and regulations (IRRs) were subsequently issued for proper implementation of RA 7394 and the latest of which was DTI Department Administrative Order (DAO) 10-02, Series of 2010 that added to and strengthened DAO No. 2, Series of 1993 more specifically the rules on sales promotion.

Bagwis

The DTI Bagwis Program (formerly known as the DTI-Certified Establishment Program) was launched on 26 July 2006. The program aims to give due recognition to establishments that uphold the rights of consumers and practice responsible business where consumers get value for money.

Business establishments – to create an environment where entrepreneurs uphold fair and honest business practices through voluntary self-regulation

Consumers – to ensure that quality and safe goods, products, services at affordable prices are available at DTI- certified establishments.

Diskwento Caravan

The project aims to bring discounted goods particularly basic and prime commodities to the consumers. In partnership with local manufacturers and retailers. The participants will offer their products at a discounted rate of 10-20%. This will enable public to buy goods at reduced price.

Tanghalang Pangmamimili

The contest was able to provide an informative and entertaining vehicle to disseminate basic and current consumer information. In one concerted effort, the contest was able to educate not less than 500 participants per year through its audience from the academe and the mall goers as well. It is interesting to note that the audience were able to identify themselves and were able to relate to funny/current consumer situations/issues presented. As such, consumer related laws were easy for them to recall, had made them more conscious of their consumer responsibilities and vigilant of their consumer rights.

Price Monitoring / Updates (E-Presyo)

DTI “E-Presyo” is the Online Price Monitoring System where consumers can check for the prevailing prices of basic necessities and prime commodities that are being monitored by DTI

Fair Trade Law

Products displayed & sold should bear the following:

-Compliance to Price Tag Law

-Product Standard (PS)/International Commodity Clearance (ICC) marks for mandatory products

-Warranties (as applicable)

-Product under mandatory standards sold are genuine/original

-Reasonable prices

-Comply with the provisions of “No Return, No Exchange Policy”

-Do not practice deceptive, misleading & unconscionable, fraudulent, misleading sales act and practice

-Monitoring and Enforcement of Fair Trade Law

PS Certification

Governing the licensing of local and foreign companies to use the Philippine Standard (PS) Quality and/or Safety Certification Mark are hereby promulgated for the guidance of all concerned.

Truck Rebuilding

To assure the public that all rebuilt trucks are safe and roadworthy and meet the standards on exhaust emission. Department Administrative Order No. 08 Series of 2003 which mandates that all truck rebuilding establishments must be accredited by DTI before they can legally engage in the business of truck rebuilding.

PETC

Pursuant to Section 9.11 of DAO 03, Series of 2002 (Rules and Regulations Concerning the Issuance of DTI Accreditation of Motor Vehicle Private Emission Testing Centers), surveillance visits of accredited PETCs shall be conducted to check the consistent conformance to the accreditation requirements.

PNS Seminar

PNS Caravan will be an activity to educate the retailers and dealers through the conduct of the seminar and the mentoring via DAO 2. Quality and safety of consumer products is everybody’s concern, with the help of the different industry associations, retailers are expected to have a better understanding of the law which hopefully will curtail the proliferation of substandard products in the market.

The following Industry associations to conduct Information Campaign Program

1. Steel Angels, Shapes and Sections Manufacturers Association of the Philippines Inc. (SASSMAPI)

2. Philippine Association of BI & GI Pipes & Tubes Manufacturers Inc.

3. Ceramic Tiles Manufacturers Association.

4. Philippine Electrical Wires Manufacturers Association

5. Philippine Iron and Steel Institute

6. Philippine Steelmakers Association

7. Flat Glass Alliance of the Philippines, Inc.

Consumer Education

Consumer Advocacy / NSTP/DILG-DTI-Academe

The Department of Trade and Industry IV-A CALABARZON initiated the concept of introducing the idea of adding a component to the National Service Training Program at UPLB that will include the topic of consumerism. This would help in involving the youth in the dissemination of information relating consumer education and protection while they themselves gain practical knowledge on how to protect themselves from unfair and deceptive trading done by vendors and other components in the chain of distribution. Project aims to:

1. Conduct information advocacy on consumerism to selected barangays or communities of Region IV-A.

2 Empower communities and individual households to product liabilities of vendors, service providers and other components of the chain of distribution.

3. Educate the student constituents of the University of the Philippines on their rights and privileges as consumers to become active participants in the information advocacy of the Department of Trade and Industry.

4. Promote Consumerism at the household level and overcome the information dissemination barrier between the government agencies and individual citizens of the country.

Animated Infomercial

To instill into the minds of young adults (college students) the important role of consumers in our community in safeguarding the public from unfair trade or business practices.

With the use of animation, special effects, colors and sounds audience’s tendency to get bored in listening is reduced if not eliminated. It arouses audience interest on what to see next. Play of visual effects contribute much to relaying and much more, understanding the information. This infomercial may range from three to five minutes only to achieve retention and higher memory recall rate. Hence, competition among college level students.

IDD Programs and Projects:

1) BUSINESS PERMITS AND LICENSING SYSTEM (BPLS) 

The national government has continuously laid down strategic initiatives and devised developmental mechanisms to ensure that good governance, transparency and improved public services are cascaded across all local government units in the country.

The cities included are as follows:

The municipalities included are as follows:

The Department of Trade and Industry Region 4-A, in partnership with the European Union- Trade Related Technical Assistance (EU-TRTA) Project 3, conducted the Media Training for DTI’s regional, assistant regional, and provincial directors, information and planning officers, as well as selected private sector stakeholders.

The objectives of the training were to review communication process vis a vis audit of current practice, to enable designated spokespersons to convey messages of the organization to the public effectively, and to equip key officials and stakeholders with the framework to sustain communications in the region including strengthened good practices in the region and increased collaboration with DTI-Knowledge Management and Information Service, DTI-Public Relations Unit, and stakeholders.