THE DEPARTMENT of Trade and Industry (DTI) is aiming to launch the multi-year Tatak Pinoy Strategy before President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) in late July.

“It is almost done; we are just fixing a few things, and then we are going to launch that. Actually, I have already tapped a big ad agency for that,” Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque told reporters on the sidelines of the Wedding Fair on Friday.

“There are just a few tweaks needed… We hope for it to be launched before the SONA,” she added.

According to the Trade chief, the goal is for the Tatak Pinoy Strategy to help drive growth for local industries. She suggested that there be separate categories for small, medium, and large enterprises.

Ms. Roque said the strategy will be implemented in phases to allow adjustments.

“This will be mostly for industries first. And what I made them do is to divide it into phases so that it is not too complicated. So, we can tweak and adjust as we go along,” she said. “But we really need to launch this before the SONA.”

In a Facebook post last week, DTI said that the Tatak Pinoy Council had approved the draft Tatak Pinoy Strategy during its meeting on June 24.

The multi-year strategy is anchored on five pillars, which are human resources, infrastructure, innovation and technology, investments, and sound financial management.

“This milestone affirms our shared commitment to a whole-of-nation effort that will empower domestic enterprises, spur innovation, and reinforce our national identity in the global arena,” said DTI Chief of Staff and Assistant Secretary Englebert Josef G. Chua.

Meanwhile, Department of Science and Technology (DoST) Secretary Renato U. Solidum, Jr. said that the strategy will “ensure that the efforts we are doing in this administration will really make an impact on our micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and industries.”

The Tatak Pinoy Council is targeting to endorse the strategy to Malacañang for Mr. Marcos’ final approval.

“Once adopted, it will serve as the national framework to align government programs and investments with the goals of a resilient, inclusive, and globally competitive Bagong Pilipinas,” the DTI said.

The Tatak Pinoy Strategy is a product of the Proudly Filipino Act which was signed into law on Feb. 26, 2024.

Under the law, the strategy is expected to outline the plan “to incrementally and systematically expand and diversify the productive capabilities of domestic enterprises and empower them to produce and offer increasingly diverse and sophisticated products and services.”

The law also created the Tatak Pinoy Council, which is chaired by the DTI secretary and vice-chaired by the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development and Department of Finance secretaries.

Meanwhile, Ms. Roque said that its partnership with the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) that will help finance small business owners could be launched in July.

“It is almost done. They told me July is the target for the launch,” she said.

The partnership between the DTI and DBP will help provide financing options to sari-sari stores and market vendors through digital platforms.

In an interview early this year, she said the financing will have an initial funding of P500 million and will be piloted in Cebu.

The DTI also launched P1-billion funding for women-owned and -led MSMEs through Small Business Corp. (SBCorp) on Friday.

Under the funding, women-owned businesses can avail of P30,000 up to P20 million loans at a 1% monthly interest rate based on diminishing balance.

It has repayment terms of up to five years, and collateral will only be required for loans exceeding P5 million.

“Women are a vital driving force in our economy. In fact, more than half of newly registered businesses are owned or led by women,” said Ms. Roque.

“By providing accessible loans, we are empowering them further to grow their enterprises and create lasting opportunities for their families and communities,” she added.

According to SBCorp., the agency has already disbursed more than P8 billion in loans to women-led enterprises. — Justine Irish D. Tabile