The proposed budget of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the 2023 National Expenditures Program (NEP) has been reduced by 10 percent to P22.196 billion from P24.596 billion in 2022 with the budget for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) being slashed by 35 percent.
Rep. Edcel Lagman noted at the hearing that the total budget for the MSMEs development program was cut by P1.226 billion or 35.2 percent reduction. “How can DTI fully achieve the full development of MSMEs with reduced budget,” said Lagman, who cited zero budget for shared services facilities and P3 (Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso) programs.
DTI Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual, however, told Lagman that DTI will harness private public sector partnership to extend assistance for some of the MSME programs.
“Money can come from the private sector if there is no government support,” said Pascual. For instance, he said, the Go Negosyo Center is supported by many big companies and the training centers are being supported by big industries.
“We can do it with difficulty, but we will still be able to bring MSMEs to bring to the next level of development with the help of the private sector,” he said citing potential public private partnerships.
Pascual, however, said that it would be better if the budget can be augmented so they could accelerate programs for upscaling of MSMEs.
Under the proposed DTI budget, allocation for the Office of the DTI Secretary and attached agencies was reduced by 9 percent to P19.998 billion from P21.945 billion with the Office of DTI Secretary getting the biggest cut of 22 percent to P5.216 billion from P6.684 billion while the Board of Investments, the country’s premier investment promotion agency under DTI, had its budget cut by 14 percent to P345 million from P400 million in 2022.
Budget for the Cooperative Development Authority was also decreased by 11 percent to P653 million from P733 million in 2022. The CDA was batting for additional P170 million budget for next year.
The biggest budget went to the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority with P13.470 billion, although this was P343 million lower than the P13.813 billion allotted in 2022.
Attached DTI agency Center for International Trade Exhibition and Missions will have higher budget allocation of P165 million from P153 million for 2022.