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.

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

One of which is Elvie Umnas who hails from the Cordillera and sells handwoven Kalinga habi or traditional woven clothes. Umnas explained that the three-day bazaar would be a great opportunity for her business as many people buy her products during this season.

"Mabili po ngayon. [Pinakamabili po] yung patches (It's been profitable. Our most popular products are the patches)," she told DAILY TRIBUNE.

Umnas said that the handwoven clothes from her store Rovies range from P3,500 to P6,500. She added that she also accepts made-to-order "abel" or traditional Kalinga kimono patches.

Fruit of AIF

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

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," Fernandes 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 have 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 added.

"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 expansion into a physical marketplace, allowing it to connect with and serve more people.

The bazaar will take place until Sunday, 15 December.