MANILA, Philippines – Inaprubahan sa ikatlo at huling pagbasa ng Senado ang isang panukalang batas na magbibigay ayuda sa kaunlaran at paglago ng micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) sa bansa, ayon kay Senador Edgardo ”Sonny” Angara.
Sa pahayag, sinabi ni Angara, chairman ng Senate committee on finance, na mabilis na inaprubahan ng Senado nitong Martes ang pagsasabatas ng Shared Service Facilities (SSF) project ng Department of Trade Industry na malaki ang maitutulong sa pagsuporta ng pamahalaan sa MSMEs.
Umabot sa 22 boto at walang tumutol o abstention ang pag-aapruba ng Senado sa Senate Bill No. 2021, na may layunin na amendahan ang Republic Act No. 6977 o ang Magna Carta for Small Enterprises.
Bilang principal author at sponsor ng panukala, sinabi ni Angara na matitiyak na ngaon ang pagopondo sa programa sa pamamagitan ng awtomatikong paglalaan sa General Appropriations Act sa pagpapatupad ng SSF project na mabebenepisyuhan ang halos lahat ng MSMEs sa buong bansa simula nang likhain ito noong 2013.
“There were years when the SSF project was not funded and this is what will be addressed with this bill. Malaki ang naitutulong ng mga SSFs sa mga maliliit na negosyo na hindi kayang gumastos para bumili ng mga kagamitan tulad ng mga makina upang mapalago ang kanilang operasyon kaya dapat lang na siguraduhin natin na tuloy-tuloy ang implementasyon nito,” ayon kay Angara.
Sa pamamagitan ng SSFs, maaari nang gumamit ang MSMEs ng makinarya, kagamitan at tool na kailangan upang mapaunlad ang kanilang produksiyon, proseso at pangkalahatang competitiveness.
“The SSFs are managed by “cooperators” that are usually cooperatives, people’s organizations, industry associations, local government units, and state universities and colleges, for the common use of the MSME beneficiaries,” paliwanag ng awtor.
“These could be as simple as sewing machines to more complex machines like 3D printers that are housed in SSF fabrication laboratories (Fab Labs) that MSMEs can use usually for a small fee. Through these SSFs, the MSMEs can scale up their production, improve on their packaging, and introduce innovations to their products,” dagdag ni Angara.
Sa ilalim ng panukala, inaatasan ang DTI na magtayo ng SSF Fab Lab sa bawat estratehikong lokasyon sa bawat lalawigan na bibigyan ng prayoridad ang lalawigan na walang umiiral na Fab Labs.
“The Fab Labs were showcased at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when they were used for the manufacturing of face shields, face masks, medical gowns, aerosol boxes and ethyl alcohol to cater to the huge demand while the importation of these supplies was still undergoing,” ayon sa paliwanag ng panukala.
Aabot sa mahigit 3.484 SSFs at 43 SSF Fab Labs ang naitayo sa buong bansa base sa datos mula sa DTI.
“We want more of our small businesses to succeed and it is the responsibility of the government to help them in whatever way that it can. The SSF project is one such intervention that has been proven to work and benefit the MSMEs,” ayon kay Angara.
“This is all part of our Tatak Pinoy (Proudly Pinoy) advocacy that seeks to improve the capabilities of our industries to help them produce more goods that are complex and sophisticated so that they would grow and become more competitive and consequently, produce quality, high-paying jobs for our people,” dagdag niya. Ernie Reyes
