Speech transcript of Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina A. Roque | Department of Trade and Industry Philippines

Media Launch Section G Job Blueprint

16 June 2025, 11:45 AM | Tres Restaurant, SM North

Good morning everyone. I’m happy to be here. I was just a little bit late because we came from the Kadiwa ng Pangulo where we consistently and aggressively check the prices of the school supplies, especially now it’s pasukan.

So, we must be within the range of the prices set by the DTI. Although it’s not mandated, but the President wants us to check to make sure that the prices are within the prices set by the DTI. But ang ganda because we went to Baclaran yesterday. We went to Baclaran and then Divisoria pala yesterday. And all the prices are below actually prices set by the DTI.

So it’s really encouraging kasi now we really encourage the parents to really actually go to these places, very clean, very neat, to find school supplies for them. We also started engaging them to ask, bakit last minute kayo bumibili? Apparently the main reason is sahod. So that’s the reason. It’s not because they want to buy last minute or what. It’s because when they get their salary, that’s the only time they really buy.

So again, good morning President Bobby Claudio and Deputy Secretary General Mayan Sangil of the Philippine Retailers Association, President Dennis Llovido, Vice President Pierre Carlo Curay, Secretary Sharon Musngi-Ngo, of course, Treasurer Jennifer Alcano and Marketing and Communications Director Henrik Battalones of the Supply Chain Management Association, USec. Jean Pacheco, Professor Ronilo Balbieran, former USec Ed Sunico, Mike Dimagiba, Martin Penaflor, Mr. Jojo Ajero, to our partners from SGV, Atty. Alden Labaguis, and Atty. Karen Kaye Constantino, and of course from SM, Royce Cabahug.

Thank you. Nice to see you. Every time I see Royce, good news. Malakas ang benta namin sa SM. Every time we have any activities in SM, the full support of SM. It’s not just for the Department of Trade and Industry, but also for the MSMEs. Our sales have grown tremendously, 49% in the last, and we’ve also increased our number of guests or people going. Actually, ang ganda talaga ng tandem naming sa SM so again, Royce Cabahug is the main guy.

He also helps find avenues for the products of the MSMEs. It’s not just the trade shows. I text him, bombard him with text messages to help the MSMEs, and he’s really found places for them, which they are forever grateful. So, Royce, thank you for wearing that.

Today marks a pivotal moment..and of course the press. To the beat media reporters, thank you for always covering me. I have my shortcomings, but they’re very patient with me. So, thank you so very much. Yeah, I really appreciate them in truth.

Today marks a pivotal moment for the Philippine retail and supply chain industry. We are launching the Section G job print, our concrete action plan to generate employment support businesses and future-proof one of our economy’s most dynamic sectors, the Section G. Section G is the heartbeat of our everyday economy, connecting producers to consumers and creating jobs in and for every community. Millions of Filipinos rely on it for livelihood, from sari-sari stores to massive logistics facilities.

This sector deserves a bold and inclusive vision. Sari-sari store. Actually, I’ve asked a consulting firm to actually check on the sari-sari store’s success in other countries, and the most successful one is in India.

So we hope, actually I discussed this with you already the last week, when we met, we hope to follow their business model, which is to diversify. A lot of the sari-sari stores in India were given funds to diversify. And DTI, through SB Corp, has money for diversification and has funds for this.

So they must take advantage of this. They must diversify, meaning if they’re not selling products, they can sell, let’s say, services. Kasi, with the competition of Dali and all of that, it’s hard to go head-on. It’s impossible. It’s challenging to go head-on with them. So we have to be creative. So we can sell services, let’s say haircuts. We can sell rebond. We can sell other services that they can get training from TESDA. They can also sell siomai. They can also sell cold cuts. There are so many other things.

So I’m going to be meeting with your group, USec Ed, and I want to actually really busisiin na talaga ‘to how we can diversify, at least pilot in some sari-sari stores. And we visit intently, engaging in focused discussion and collaborating with PRA and SCMAP to understand the real needs on the ground. The result is a blueprint that puts people at its core and workers, MSME, and also the consumers.

Supply chain and logistics is very important because we are 7,600 islands. It’s impossible for us to move our goods without a serious look and how we can really move this through the supply chain and logistics. So DTI will be opening a supply chain and logistics center, hopefully by this year, just to teach, actually, and to educate the MSMEs especially how to be able to move their goods.

Kasi sa…may order sila eh. I’ve got goods, let’s say, suka, so mabigat. If I send it through the usual supply chain that I know, paano na? Later, the shipment of the goods is more expensive, actually, than the product itself. So, we need to take this supply chain and logistics into serious consideration.

We’re proud to unveil flagship programs under Section G. But again, I always tell them, can we be specific? Wag na yung sobrang hirap bago ma- achieve? Let’s start simple and then as we go along, we can always tweak, we can always add phase one, phase two, phase three. Kasi sometimes pag nakikinig ako, sobrang hirap eh. We need the Section G to be able to get these things going. Let’s start simple. Kasi goods na minu-move natin are MSME products, kasi hindi naman products naman ng tycoons eh.

So let’s try to be simple in our business model. Shop Filipino, which we’re most proud of Filipino-made products. The Sari-Sari Store Empowerment Program.

Like this word, empowerment. Hindi ito maiintindihan ang mga may-ari ng sari-sari store. You need to use words na “Ay puede ako dito. Ano kaya ito? Di ba?” Let’s try to go down to the ground. Para alam talaga natin kung ano. Then the rollout of digital business registry. Like this, rollout digitally. Let’s try to use words na ano ba natin sa common tao. And then also this is in partnership with LGUs and efforts to boost nationwide logistics coordination through the DTI supply chain and logistics.

Trabaho para sa tao. This is an important mandate of our President PBBM. We need to get jobs out there. I mean, we need to provide jobs. How do we provide jobs? It’s by getting more benta. Kasi now, if the sales is this way, then the jobs is also this way. But if we increase our sales, then of course, we need people to be able to move and to encourage the sales. So negosyo para sa bawat Pilipino. Again, mandate ito ng ating Presidente.

And then mas malawak na oportunidad para sa lahat. Our President PBBM has instructed me that we must get this done. The DTI will be here to support all the businesses, especially the businesses of the MSME. Kasi sila yung actually that needs the help. The businesses of the big, they know how to move. They can do it. But when the businesses of the big thrive, the businesses of the small will also thrive. So, we need to support each other here.

To our industry leaders, thank you for your partnership.

To the job seekers here today, may you find a career that empowers you and a career na pang-long-term.

I would also like to say good morning to ASec. Patrick Patliwara of the DOLE, Department of Local Employment. ASec Patliwara is actually representing Secretary of the President. Good morning.

And then, of course, to the job seekers today, may you find a career that empowers you and a career that’s for long-term. Pag ano tayo ng career, let’s also look for something na medyo pang-long-term.

But if we’re in urgent, or something that’s medyo level up na yan. So the DOLE is here to really make sure that we have all the different kinds of career paths that we can avail of. And of course, and to every Filipino working behind the counter, behind the wheel, or behind the scenes, this blueprint is for you.

And the Philippine government is here to support you as best as we can. So we’re already taking a whole government approach. Really, lahat ng cabinet secretaries are all working together, bonding together, to make sure that we get things done.

Maraming salamat, and let’s continue to work together for stronger, smarter, bigger than the logistics center under the Bagong Pilipinas. Thank you. ♦

Date of Release: 16 June 2025

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