By Emmanuel D. Taghoy
IPIL, Zamboanga Sibugay – Some five rubber cooperatives here in Zamboanga Sibugay will receive equipment from the Shared Service Facilities (SSF) Project of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on March 6, during the launching of the said project in this municipality.
This was disclosed by Provincial Director Edito B. Lumacang of DTI Sibugay Provincial office in an interview with the media.
The five (5) beneficiaries are ARBEMCO, which is situated in Kalawit town, Zamboanga del Norte; GARBEMCO, situated Kabasalan town, Zamboanga Sibugay; TARBEMCO, situated in Naga, Zamboanga Sibugay; SARBEMCO, situated also in Naga town; PZSRFA, situated in Ipil town, Zamboanga Sibugay; and KAMPIL, Inc., which is also situated in Ipil town, this province.
ARBEMCO will receive five Abaca Spindle Machines and one rope Making Machines, with a total cost of Php784,000.00.
GARBEMCO will receive three abaca stripping machines, two rope making machines, and one centrifuged rubber processing facility, with a total cost of P1.3 million.
TARBEMCO will receive one centrifuged rubber processing facility worth P816,000.
SARBEMCO will receive five abaca stripping machines and one rope making machines with a total cost of P784,000.
ZSRFA, which is composed of three barangays, will receive six coagulating tanks, six concrete aging tanks and three digital weighing scales with a total cost of P2,157,000.
KAMPIL Inc., will receive five sewing machines and one rope making machine with a total cost of Php179,000.00.
Lumacang said the total project cost is P6,114,000.
It can be recalled that DTI has earmarked P46 million for SSF projects in region 9 for the year 2014, with an increase of roughly 70% over the P27.12 million allocation in 2013.
In a press release issued by the DTI-9 on the SSF Project, Regional Director Dr. Sitti Amina Jain said that the SSF Project would be able to help more small and medium enterprises in Region 9, which are needful of government support in acquiring needed equipment, tools or machinery to improve their production.
“Let me clarify again, though that SSFs are not given to individual persons or businesses, but as its name implies, are given to registered associations of SMEs, farmer groups, etc. fro their shared or common use,” said Dr.Jain
The SSF Project is said to have been possible with the help of the private sector through Public-Private Partnership initiative.
The said initiative aims to improve the productivity and quality of rubber products and the capacity of micro-enterprises and SMEs in the region.
The SSF project is also a collaborative effort of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) and the Department of Agriculture (DA).