The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) and Small Business Corp. (SB Corp.) established a ₱7-billion financing facility to support small businesses grappling with elevated fuel costs and inflationary pressures.

The partnership, formalized through a memorandum of agreement, positions the PCCI as a primary conduit for the state-run SB Corp.’s lending services.

Under the framework, the PCCI will utilize its nationwide network of local chambers to validate and endorse loan applications from members in good standing, according to PCCI President Perry Ferrer.

The initiative, spearheaded by the Department of Trade and Industry, targets three specific priority segments: women-led enterprises, export-oriented businesses, and returning overseas Filipino workers. The financing package is designed to alleviate capital constraints for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, which represent the vast majority of the country’s corporate landscape.

Ferrer noted that the credit facility offers highly competitive terms to encourage participation from the informal and recovering sectors. Some loan programs under the agreement may provide a grace period of up to 12 months and are available without the traditional requirement for collateral.

Eligible enterprises can access funding through the Resilient, Innovative, Sustainable Enterprises, or RISE UP, initiative.

According to the PCCI, individual loan amounts under the program can range from ₱30 million to ₱50 million, depending on the scale of the operation and the specific needs of the borrower.

To qualify for the facility, applicants must be at least 60 percent Filipino-owned in the case of partnerships or corporations.

Eligibility is also capped at enterprises with an asset size of no more than ₱100 million, excluding the value of the land on which the business stands. Furthermore, borrowers must demonstrate a proven track record of at least one year and maintain a clean credit history with SB Corp., free of major negative ratings or past-due accounts.

The PCCI’s national office will oversee the secondary validation of documents submitted by local chapters before forwarding them to SB Corp. for final processing.

Ferrer emphasized that the private sector must collaborate with the government to find innovative solutions for MSMEs, which he described as the backbone of the Philippine economy.

Beyond direct credit, the chamber is also exploring additional measures to mitigate the impact of energy costs on small-scale operations.