Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid filed on Monday, November 14, Senate Bill No. (SBN) 1499 which pushes to provide support services for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in online spaces, providing mechanisms for their integration into the formal economy.
SBN 1499, which shall be known as the Support Services for Online MSMEs Act, seeks to incentivize the registration of the MSMEs by providing support services that will aid in the efficient and effective operation of their businesses.
“Dapat nating kilalanin ang kahalagahan ng e-commerce sa pag-unlad at sa pagbangon ng ating ekonomiya sa mga naging epekto ng pandemya. Kaya marapat na bigyang pansin ang potensyal ng maliliit na online businesses kapag pormal at nakarehistro na upang mabigyan sila ng sapat na mga serbisyo ng suporta,” Lapid said.
Under the said measure, Lapid cited that among those who helped to mitigate job losses during the pandemic were the so-called “self-employed without any paid employee”. About 28.7% of workers in April 2020 were from this class of worker, which primarily consists of those with new online businesses in the social media and other digital platforms, but only a fraction of the micro enterprises were registered.
The bill acknowledges the effort of Filipino workers to find decent employment through online entrepreneurial activities, and seeks to provide them with the support services they need to become formal, duly registered, and taxpaying businesses that create dependable employment for their operators and others, and generate value in their communities.
“Layunin rin ng panukalang ito na makapagbigay ng sapat na kapital at credit access sa mga nagnanais magtayo ng online business, at magkaroon ng isang online one-stop portal para sa lahat ng mga support services upang mabigyan ng sapat na kaalaman at updates sa mga developments at technological advancements,” Lapid added.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) shall establish an online portal consolidating all available government support services for online MSMEs. Such services may include, but shall not be limited to, loans from government financial institutions, regulatory relief and extensions, technical training, product development services, marketing assistance, and logistics support.
The DTI shall also establish an “Online Negosyo Center” within the portal, which shall be an information and assistance center dedicated to serving the needs of online MSMEs, and to assisting informal businesses and other interested individuals and businesses transition into online MSMEs.
Source: http://www.senate.gov.ph
