The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Zambales presented its accomplishments for the first quarter of 2026, showing a strong focus on accelerating economic recovery through MSME support, digital transformation, and investment facilitation toward the “Bagong Pilipinas” initiative.

During the DTI Zambales MSMEs Summer Fair 2026 held at the Harbor Point Ayala Mall here on May 4, 2026, Provincial Director Enrique D. Tacbad said that 65 groceries and supermarkets with a total of 234 items were monitored by the agency.

He added that in terms of supply, supermarket and grocery owners confirmed that their stocks are sufficient to last for three to eight weeks, indicating a strong inventory preparedness.

“Despite the oil price hikes, there are still no reported disruption in the deliveries of supplies especially of basic necessities and prime commodities from Metro Manila and nearby provinces to Olongapo and Zambales. Most of logistic costs are shouldered by the supplier or their head offices,” he said.

The DTI Zambales Consumer Protection Division has also intensified its monitoring and enforcement operations, ensuring that products under mandatory certification in the market comply with fair trade laws and technical regulations.

Division Chief Neil John Fabay said, “73 firms are monitored with Fair Trade Laws (FTL); one firm has been found with uncertified product was issued a Notice of Violation.”

He added that the inspection covered products under mandatory certification such as lighting and wiring devices, ceramic tiles, uPVC pipes, steel products, cement, plywood and other construction materials.

Meanwhile, 84 service and repair enterprises (SREs) have been accredited by the DTI, safeguarding the public against unethical, unfair or incompetent business practices.

138 sales promotion activities were issued permit and monitored their compliance, with the DTI citing that the approved sales promotion activities act as a safeguard against misleading advertisements and fraudulent schemes that might other deceive the public.

82 consumer advocacy and awareness campaigns were also conducted by the DTI, including the DTI Consumer Awareness and Responsiveness Education Seminar; Project Youth Awareness Consumer Advocacy Program (YACAP); and Capacity Building Seminar for Rebuilding Centers.

The DTI has also partnered with various agencies including the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Ecology Department, DepEd Zambales, and Foo Chi Trading and resources in the CashCycled Project: Turn your Plastics into Projects.

The project aims to promote environmental sustainability through proper collection, segregation and sale of recyclable materials in school, create an income generating project to support school activities or environmental initiatives and foster collaboration among stakeholders in sustainable environmental practices.