Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are encouraged by Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon to take advantage of the soft loans offered by the local government unit, as well as the national government, to elevate from micro to medium entrepreneurs.

In an interview during the opening of “Tindahan ni Tarsee” in Festival Mall in Alabang on Friday, Biazon said the LGU’s Muntinlupa Entrepreneur Financing Division (MEFD) has been consistently providing financial aid through soft loans to MSMEs.

“We are providing funding for MSME capital, interest-free, starting from P5,000 for as much as P150,000. More business owners became successful because of that project, especially those who lost jobs right after the pandemic. Most of them did not return to their jobs and became full-pledge entrepreneurs already,” he said.

Biazon said most of the business owners that the MEFD has assisted are engaged in food businesses and sari-sari stores.

The number of MSMEs in Muntinlupa City is pegged at more than 30,000, an increase from the 15,708 registered businesses in 2019 or before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country in 2020.

“We can see that our MSMEs are very successful, especially in our city, as they propped up the local economy and provide jobs even at a minimal number of two to three per entrepreneur. Yung mga hindi nakakapasok sa mga malls at ibang companies, sa mga MSMEs they have the chance to have jobs,” he said.

Biazon urged aspiring business owners to take advantage of the MEFD program, which will restart next year on 2 January, as the division’s funds for this year have already been fully utilized.

Launched in December 2020, “Tindahan ni Tarsee” initially thrived as an online initiative, serving as a vital platform for local MSMEs to stay afloat amid the pandemic’s challenges.

Following the government’s approval of face-to-face gatherings in 2022, DAILY TRIBUNE expanded “Tindahan ni Tarsee” into physical spaces within malls.

This year, Tindahan ni Tarsee runs until 7 December in Festival Mall, with a total of 74 merchants participating.