LAMBAYONG, Sultan Kudarat–Presidential bet Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. says that micro, small, and medium enterprises should be given financial aid (ayuda), a “tax holiday” to cushion the economic burdens of the Covid-19 pandemic, and microfinancing from private investors to help Filipinos keep their jobs.

“Kulang tayo sa trabaho... kaya ang dapat talaga natin bigyan ng pansin ay ang 99.5 percent na negosyo sa Pilipinas na MSMEs (We are short on jobs... that is why we need to give attention to the 99.5 percent of businesses in the Philippines that are MSMEs),” Marcos told sectoral representatives during a town hall meeting in Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat on Monday, March 28.

About 62.66 percent of all workers in the country are employed by MSMEs according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

He first suggested mass distribution of ayuda to MSMEs as a way to help them recover amid the pandemic.

“Kaya sa aking palagay, dapat ang gawin meron tayong ayuda, gumawa rin tayo ng ayuda para sa maliliit na negosyo para pwede naman silang umahon ulit (I think that we should distribute financial aid to MSMEs so that they can recover),” he explained.

He then suggested a “tax holiday" or allowing MSMEs to not pay their taxes while they recuperate their losses.

“Ang maaring gawin ng pamahalaan ay bigyan ng tax holiday na sasabihin ‘OK, lubog kayo, wag muna kayo magbayad ng tax, babalik kayo, wag muna kayo magbayad ng buwis ng tatlong buwan anim na buwan hanggang maka-bawi kayo kahit konti’ (What the government can do is implement a tax holiday in which they go ‘OK you’re not doing well, don’t pay taxes for now up to three or six months until you can recover a little’),” Marcos said.

“Sige na, give na yan, amnesty na yan. Dahil kahit anong gawin mo di mo yan makokolekta dahil walang kinita yung negosyo (Let them keep it as amnesty. You can see that no matter what, you can’t collect those taxes because the businesses didn’t earn),” he added.

Lastly, the presidential bet proposed microfinancing from private investors as well as educating MSMEs on how to operate more efficiently.

“From the private side, marami naman akong nakausap na willing sa microfinancing. Maliliit lang, sampung libo (P10,000) hanggang limampung libo (P50,000), malaki na yung isang daang libo (P100,000). Turuan pa nila kung paano ang recovery, yung bagong teknolohiya, papaano ang bagong technique, ano ang mabenta (A lot that I have spoken to are willing to microfinance. Small amounts from P10,000 to P50,000, P100,000 is already big here. Teach them how to recover, new technologies, what sells well),” Marcos concluded.