5 December 2020 via Facebook live
[Acknowledgments]
Good afternoon! Let me join in congratulating everyone on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) family.
This is really a happy gathering. I’m always happy to join ang ating community in really giving support and helping each other help others as well, in supporting our MSMEs especially during the pandemic, lalo pong mas kailangan ngayong pandemic. Gaya nga ng sabi ni Ms. Jenny Wieneke, the BUYanihan program—started by President Jorge and the Association of Filipino Franchisers, Inc. (AFFI) family with Ms. Jenny—is really finding opportunities, pagtutulungan, amidst the pandemic. This is really difficult time and once in a hundred years, as they say, since the last pandemic was in 1912 or 1918.
The good thing about what’s happening amid the pandemic, as mentioned, is the opportunities. We’ve seen how PLDT partnered with AFFI and MSMEs in coming up with virtual trade expos. We believe that ito ‘yung mga innovations coming out and beyond the virtual trade expos, nanganak pa—nagkaroon ng virtual Resellers’ Expo.
What we’re seeing here is how business models are pivoting. This is what’s really needed as we look for opportunities and continue to innovate. Na-inspire po tayo sa ating mga kasamang MSME community dito sa AFFI dahil dyan po natin naririnig “laban lang”.
Of course, at the start of the pandemic based on our survey of over 3,000, mga April,38% ang nagsara tapos noong mga two or three months after, bumaba na ito sa around 10%. Ngayon po, bandang November sa huling survey, lumalabas po 5%. Marami parin po ‘yang 5% pero at least po in totality, kumakaunti na po ‘yang mga sarado. I’m sure marami po dyan sa mga nagsara ay nag-pivot na, nag-iba na ‘yan ng negosyo. Maaring sinara dati pero hindi pwedeng forever silang sara. I’m sure nag-iba na sila ng business model.
Sa mga activities ng ganito, nagkakaroon ka ng idea, nagkakaroon ka ng channel o opportunity kung saan ka pwedeng pumasok ulit sa makabagong negosyo. Once again, we congratulate ang ating mga partners dito na nag-initiate ng programa na from virtual market place, ngayon ay virtual Resellers’ Expo. This is definitely a big help to those MSMEs and franchise models in finding ways to have a reselling channel. At the same time, ‘yung mga nasa reselling naman, finding ways to diversify their products.
I always hear this from Jorge na as a reseller, usually nagkakaroon ng fatigue—kung isa lang ang binebenta o dalawang klase, but now with a platform like this, nagkakaroon ng maraming sources of products to resell and everyone helping each other. Iyon po ang maganda dito and I’m here really just to give our big support dito sa undertaking ng AFFI at ni President Jorge and Chairman Eric.
From the DTI side, we continue to reopen the economy as part of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infection Diseases (IATF), we continue to push for more sectors to reopen. We’re still pushing for the widening of age na papayagan. Kaunting tulak nalang, hopefully mapayagan na ‘yung ibang younger age segment with the proper precautions and health protocols to be observed. Iyan po ang winowork out natin ngayon.
But as we were reopening the past months, I think ang magandang nakikita po nating lahat, medyo unti-unting sumisigla ‘yung economy. We’re not at pre-COVID levels of course, mahirap pong balikan ‘yun. Siguro 50% or 60% palang po tayo pero maganda na ‘yun kaysa sa 20%. Talagang unti-unting nagrerecover: ang GDP natin bumababa ang pagka-negative niya from -16.5% to -11.5%.Unemployment from 17.7% naging 10% ngayon ‘yung huling record, the other day, naging 8.7%. ‘Yung exports natin, nangalahati noong April 50% down, ngayon positive 2% naka-recover ang exports. So, may mga signs po na bumabalik na. ‘Yung Philippine Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) na ang 50 ang benchmark, bumagsak po iyan ng 30 nung April; ngayon po ay nag-50, nag-48, at nag-49. So doon na po ulit naglalaro sa ganung level. It’s a benchmark at 50;anything above 50 would be a growth and anything below would be a contraction. The latest numbers show 49.9, nandoon na sa 50. These are really good indications.
We will continue to support MSMEs, definitely. Ang Bayanihan II naririnig po natin iyon at isa pong pondo sa Bayanihan II ay ang CARES (COVID-19 Assistance to Restart Enterprises) ng Small Business Corporation (SB Corp.) or the lending program of DTI through the SB Corp. I must say, sabi ho ng SB Corp. ngayon, compared to Part I na oversubscribed, ngayon naman naghahanap pa kami ng mag-aapply, so we really encourage everyone na mag-apply pa kayo dahil online na po and we made it a lot easier. Kung kayo po ay MSME na may track record na more than one year registered and nag-file ng income tax return ng 2018 or 2019 ay halos automatic ang approval. May grace period ito ng six months to one-year depende rin sa length ng loan term, pwedeng one year to four years at 0% interest. Service fee can be as low as 2% average per year so napakaliit po. It’s really halos bigay na at ngayon po ang hinahandle ng SB Corporation. Feel free to take advantage of this program.
May dalawa lang akong announcements: ‘Yung recent IATF Resolution po natin, we’ve adopted StaySafePH—iyan po ang ating digital contact tracing app. All business establishments, all private enterprises pati opisina, workplace, branches of your operations, businesses, and mga stores, instead na nagfifill-up ‘yung mga pumapasok ng papel, digital contact tracing na po tayo. Companies and individuals should just download, StaySafePH. The company can register there, you’ll print your company QR para ito ‘yung ipapaskil sa entrance so that lahat ng papasok iyan lang po ‘yung iniiscan. Ang maganda po dito, it’s government-owned, ginawa ng private sector, dinonate sa government, and it’s government-run. It’s integrated with the Department of Health (DOH)data system; integrated kung ‘yung individual ay nagpatest sa any 160 laboratories nationwide, naka-connect na ‘yun sa database ng DOH at lalabas rin ‘yun sa StaySafePH, ‘yung taong papasok sa inyo ay positive sa recent test or in good condition. This is really a good contact tracing app.
Moving on, basta naka-download na po nito, ang susunod na po nating ilalabas ay ang bawat establishment ay magkaroon ng safety seal. This is a sticker that will be placed sa entrance as an indication na “safe dito sa store natin, you are welcome, pumasok po kayo, safe dito.” We are drawing up the guidelines right now and all establishments will a “Safe Dito” sticker. We will soon present the mechanicsbut for now, mag-download po muna ng StaySafePH because this will also be a requirement kapag tayo ay kukuha ng safety seal o ng “Safe Dito” na sticker, kailangan na naka-connect dito sa StaySafePH. Ang maganda dito ay it’s a good marketing program narin that will increase the confidence ng tao na “safe ‘yung papasukan ko” at that may StaySafePH app diyan at may contact tracing capability na lahat ng pumasok diyan is in good condition. So, this isone of the programs that we’re trying to institute to increase consumer confidence dahil alam po natin na as we open the sectors, bukas na ang tindahan pero kaunti ang tao at natatakot po paring lumabas, hindi rin naman po natin masisi but this is one way that we are able to invite people na it’s safe lumabas, kumain po tayo, mamili ho tayo. We have to “spend, spend, spend” at “buy, buy, buy” local at “Go Local” tayo at safe po. That’s what we are trying to do right now.
Iyon po ang ating kaunting contribution sa community. I always admire po ‘yung MSME community lalo na po sa inyo sa AFFI at sa leadership ng AFFI na talagang nandiyan ‘yung mindset na “laban lang”, we are one with you.
Maraming salamat at congratulations po! ♦
Date of Release: 07 December 2020