Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) once again took center stage at the third edition of DAILY TRIBUNE’s “Tindahan ni Tarsee” at the Festival Mall in Muntinlupa City.

Over 40 merchants converged, each offering unique delights from culinary specialties to handcrafted goods.

One was Elvie Umnas who hails from the Cordillera and sells handwoven Kalinga habi or traditional woven clothes.

Umnas said the three-day bazaar would be a great opportunity for her business as many people would buy her products during this season.

“Mabili po ngayon. [Pinakamabili po] yung patches (They are selling. But our most sellable product are the patches),” she told DAILY TRIBUNE.

Umnas said the handwoven clothes from Rovies, her store, ranged in price from P3,500 to P6,500. She also accepts made-to-order “abel” or traditional Kalinga kimono patches.

Junalie Cabral, the owner of a Pasig City-based ready-to-wear business, said that bazaars like Tindahan ni Tarsee help small shop owners take their businesses to the next level.

“I usually participate in bazaars like this because I can showcase my products and meet future potential customers,” Cabral said.

The 52-year-old business owner sells scrubs-like uniforms that range from P400 to P500.

Since starting her business in 2009, Cabral said she was able to buy a car, and she currently has two physical stores in Greenmeadows in Quezon City and in Makati.

‘Fruit of AIF’

During her speech, Bettina Fernandez, DAILY TRIBUNE’s executive vice president, said, “Tindahan ni Tarsee’s” success is the fruit of its very own Asian Innovation Forum (AIF).

The AIF is a collaboration among government agencies, private companies, and local entrepreneurs.

“This is our third year. I know it has been three long years for us,” Fernandez noted. “But this is the fruit of our Asian Innovation Forum.”

Meanwhile, Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon stressed how MSMEs thrived during the Covid-19 pandemic and expressed his desire to make the city a hub for further business development.

“As you know, part of the agenda of the city government of Muntinlupa is to revive the economy after we came out of the pandemic... so we’re looking at our administration as the pandemic recovery administration,” Biazon said.

“We know the impact of the pandemic was heavy on big businesses, many had closed. But surprisingly, what we have observed is that small and micro enterprises thrived during and even after the pandemic and we believe that this is going to be the foundation for us to recover fully,” he said.

Joms Ramirez II of Maya and Jaynie Pajarillaga of SBCorp encouraged the MSME business owners to facilitate their loan applications for expansion.

SBCorp is a government-backed financial institution that prioritizes assistance to small and medium business enterprise.

“Tindahan ni Tarsee” is an initiative launched by DAILY TRIBUNE in 2021, beginning as an online platform dedicated to supporting local businesses.

Its success paved the way for its expansion into a physical marketplace, allowing it to connect with and serve more people.

The bazaar will run until Sunday, 15 December.