ILOILO CITY — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is now working on major interventions to cushion the impact of the temporary closure of Boracay to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and their workers in Aklan and in the island.
DTI Regional Director Rebecca Rascon said they are just waiting for the response of the central office of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) regarding their request to display Boracay products at the Iloilo International Airport. The request was coursed through Efren Nagrama, CAAP manager for Visayas.
“If that happens we will find Boracay and Aklan products in the airport,” Rascon said.
Also, there is a plan to hold a “Boracay Festival” in Manila to showcase “products of the island minus the beach.” This is part of the intervention under the Go Local program established in malls for continuous exposure and sales of products.
Another intervention is to display Aklan and Boracay products at the Bureau of Domestic Trade -Department of Trade and Industry (BDT-DTI) showroom alongside Bangon Marawi products.
A product selection was done during the April 23-28 Aklan Fiber Festival graced by top officials of the department.
Rascon said the idea is to look into the production capacity of MSMEs in case of big orders.
Friday last week, Rascon met with MSMEs in the province to discuss the concern. So far, she said that there is no problem in terms of food production but the concern is on crafts.
The solution is to tap workers in Boracay to work on smaller items, she said.
Right now DTI has offered skills training in the island ranging from screen painting, “siomai” and “kakanin”- making, crafts-making and waste recycling, skills upgrading on screen printing, and online marketing.
Rascon said that with the help of e-commerce, MSMEs can sell their remaining stocks online.
The training is being offered free. However, for proposed programs outside of Aklan, participants may have to shell out for their food and accommodation. (PNA)
