Some 1,306 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and budding entrepreneurs have benefited from the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Livelihood Seeding Program (LSP) for the first half of 2022.

In an interview on Monday, DTI Pangasinan provincial director Natalia Dalaten said of the total number, 1,175 were beneficiaries under the program’s Pangkabuhayan sa Pagbangon at Ginhawa component.

“This is a program of DTI wherein MSMEs affected by flooding, fire, typhoon and pandemic, among others, were given aid. We help them restart their businesses through the business starter kits,” she said.

Dalaten said the beneficiaries came from 20 local government units (LGUs) in Pangasinan.

The other component of LSP is the Negosyo, Serbisyo sa Barangay with 131 beneficiaries from 13 LGUs in the province.

Dalaten said the program aims to encourage entrepreneurship in the community by providing business starter kits.

“The business starter kits amount to PHP7,500 to PHP9,500 each,” she said.

She added the starter kits vary from rice selling, sari-sari store, bakery, canteen, barbershop, or salon packages.

Dalaten said more budding entrepreneurs will receive business starter kits in the second half of the year.

“Although, some of our funds were diverted to Abra and Ilocos Sur provinces whose MSMEs have been affected by the earthquake,” she said.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines will also adopt the project that would benefit some 80 MSMEs and would-be entrepreneurs in San Manuel and Sta. Barbara towns, Dalaten said.

“We will do the profiling of the beneficiaries and they are set to receive PHP10,000 worth of starter kits each,” she added. (PNA)