DTI 4-A’s SSF for Garments Production Manufactures PPE Coveralls for Healthcare Workers

The Department of Trade and Industry-Regional Operations Group (DTI-ROG) and DTI-Region
4A, through its Shared Service Facility (SSF) for Garments Production, collaborated with Reliance
Producers Cooperative in Carmona, Cavite, in manufacturing laboratory gowns, jump suits, and
face masks for the country’s healthcare workers.

The initiative is in response to the call of the Department of Health (DOH) to work closely with the
DTI, industry associations, and private firms to produce personal protective equipment (PPEs)
locally.

Established on April 4, 2017, the Reliance Producers Cooperative is a member of the
Confederation of Wearables Exporters of the Philippines (CONWEP), which has been tapped by
the DOH to produce 10,000 PPE coveralls daily. The Cooperative is the first and only Philippine
Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) registered and authorized to engage in garment manufacturing
and exporting in the Philippines. It has 2,300 member-workers catering a wide range of products
to international customers with distinguished brands.

Since April 8, 2020, Reliance Producers is manufacturing 600 lab gowns, 500 jump suits, and
1,000 face masks per day with 300 member-workers. Upon the arrival of additional raw materials,
they are targeting 5,000 pieces of PPE per day with added workforce.

The DTI 4-A provided ten (10) units of single needle-lock stitch needle feed machine, six (6) units
of over lock five-threads machine, six (6) units of cover stitch machine, four (4) units of buttonhole
machine, and four (4) units of bar tack machine to the Cooperative on June 1, 2016. Presently,
these machines are used to manufacture the PPEs, using raw materials that have met
international standards for waterproofing and resistance to contaminants.

“In this very difficult time, it is vital that we have enough PPEs for our healthcare workers to ensure
their safety in this fight against COVID-19, and we are happy with the support that we are getting
from different sectors. The use of our SSFs to produce more PPEs is our way of helping and
protecting the healthcare workers and other frontliners since they are the ones who are most
exposed to dangers,” said DTI-CALABARZON Director Marilou Toledo.

The SSF Project is a major component of the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME)
Development programs to improve and develop competitiveness among the entrepreneurs by
giving them access to energy efficient technologies and more sophisticated equipment.
Beneficiaries of the project are the actual and potential users of the SSF, which should be
predominantly cooperatives, associations, or groups of MSMEs including individual entrepreneurs
who may not be members of cooperatives, associations, corporations, or organizations.

DTI Grants P50-M Worth of SSF Lab to Ilocos Norte’s State University

Contributing to the needs and addressing the bottlenecks in the value chain of priority industry clusters, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), spearheaded by the Regional Operations Group (ROG) Undersecretary Blesila Lantayona, granted the provision of Shared Service Facility (SSF) laboratory equipment to Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU). The ceremony transpired during the inauguration of the state university’s National Bioenergy Research and Innovation Center (NBERIC) in Brgy. Quiling Sur, Batac, Ilocos Norte last January 23.

The P50-M SSF consists of machineries for Bioenergy Innovation, Incubation Hub and Product Testing Center for Renewable Energy stored in the NBERIC Building.

“We are happy for being part of this project. DTI has already provided the equipment so they can start the activity. Now, DTI still owns the equipment, but if the cooperator, which is MMSU, can operate it optimally and can show us that all the equipment are being used, then, in a span of two years, these equipment will be awarded to the MMSU. During the 2-year period, ano man ang mangyari sa mga makina, sagot ‘yan ng DTI,” said Usec. Lantayona.

As DTI’s cooperator, MMSU will regulate the utilization of the SSF for the beneficiaries, such as the researchers, innovators, teachers and students, stakeholders, and especially, the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) where they could tap a better and wider market share, and be integrated into the global supply chain.

“The equipment will serve two purposes: for continuous research to form the innovative ideas of young researchers, scientists, in the development of the technology; and at the same time, this is going to be a training facility for the farmers and even entrepreneurs whom we are developing as scientists in the village,” MMSU President Dr. Shirley Agrupis explained.

The bestowed SSF apparatuses will contribute to the research center’s goal as to capacitate all the key players and stakeholders in bioenergy for countryside development through bioenergy research, training, extension, and techno-preneurship.

Furthermore, aiming to improve the competitiveness of MSMEs, the SSF Project is being implemented nationwide with project partners, which may be any juridical entity such as but not limited to non-government organizations, people’s organizations, cooperatives, industry/trade/business associations, local government units (LGUs), state universities/colleges technical vocational schools and other similar government and training institutions.

To date, DTI has already established 2,528 SSFs nationwide mounting up to P1.6-B expenditure since 2013, and 220 of it were launched in Ilocos Region with 3,225 beneficiaries and 4,539 jobs generated. Most of the SFFs granted are designed for food processing, loomweaving and furniture industry.

Treasures of Eastern Visayas at “Bahandi” Regional Trade Fair 2019

Around 150 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from Eastern Visayas converged to bring the treasures of the island to Metro Manila.

The Megatrade Hall of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City turned into a festivity area as the 22nd “Bahandi” Eastern Visayas Trade Fair formally launched last October 3.

During the opening ceremony, DTI Undersecretary and Chief-of-Staff of the Office of the Secretary, Rowel S. Barba delivered the keynote message on behalf of DTI Secretary Ramon M. Lopez. In his message, Secretary Lopez, through Undersecretary Barba, reassured that DTI firmly supports trade fairs like the annual Bahandi Trade Fair because it serves as a marketing platform where big buyers do business with regional producers. Undersecretary Barba also associated “Bahandi” to MSMEs as they serve as treasures of the Philippines. The opening ceremony was also graced by key officials from the local government units in Eastern Visayas and other key officials of DTI Region 8 lead by OIC-Regional Director Celerina T. Bato.

“Bahandi” Trade Fair features the treasures of the provinces of Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Samar, Leyte, Biliran, and Southern Leyte in the form of fashion accessories, housewares, decors, furniture, and artisan food. The 150 participating MSMEs came from the Wearables and Homestyle and Processed Food sectors assisted by the different programs and projects of the Department.

This annual trade fair aims to provide a trade venue for producers from the region, link the producers with institutional and walk-in byers, and showcase the programs and projects designed for the MSMEs such as Shared Service Facilities (SSF), OTOP Next Generation and CARP. The five-day trade fair aims to generate at least Php 35M total sales for producer-exhibitors.