TACLOBAN CITY – An “adopt a business” program has been pushed to help local micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) recover after suffering stunning losses wrought by supertyphoon Yolanda.
Oliver Cam, vice president and chief operating officer of Welcome Home Leyte Holdings Inc., said that some MSMEs have been directly seeking assistance from big businesses based in Manila, Cebu and other big cities to be to able to recover.
“The initial goal was for the small businesses to find a sort of a big brother based in highly urbanized cities. We will try to find a way to help them find access to capital, not just in terms of cash, but support from big companies who provide them inputs like fresh stocks,” Cam said.
Cam has no reports as to how many businesses adopted the approach since many of them directly deal with big businesses.
“Some of the big companies have been responsive like the Proctor and Gamble. They have outright consignment to about 100 stores in replenishing stocks,” he added.
The initiative is a component of a proposed database building for Tacloban-based enterprises. “That database is crucial because it shows basic profile, product and services information, and if they are open to partnership,” Cam said.
The Leyte Chamber of Commerce and Industry pushed for the establishment of business welfare help desk to be manned by the Department of Industry, city licensing office, and city treasurer’s office. The desk is tasked to gather basic information from local business owners.
The business sector tagged financing as the main concern of local businesses. Cam said that many shop owners were barred by lending firms to seek fresh loans given their existing unpaid obligations.
In the city’s business district, commercial spaces occupied by local MSMEs before the storm are now rented by the so called “ambulant vendors.” Among the major shops that have not yet resumed operations but allowed their spaces to be rented by vendors are the Highway Supermart and City Colorlab.
“Their means of income were wiped out. They’re still liable to pay loans. In order to avail new loans, it is quite impossible since second mortgage is not being applied in the Philippines,” Cam said.
He noted that many MSMEs have existing loans since they were motivated to expand due to improving local economy before the storm struck.
The current situation in the city’s business district reflects the magnitude of the disaster that even major shops – Gaisano, Mercury Drugstore, Mister Donut, Three-Sixty Pharmacy – are still closed four months after the catastrophe. These shops suffered losses from strong winds, storm surges, and looting incidents.
Citing reports from the city government, he said only more than 500 business have resumed operations as of last week, a small fraction of the more than 13,000 registered business last year. Some 1,500 applications are now on process.
City Vice Mayor Jerry Yaokasin said the city council approved a resolution extending the deadline for renewal of business permits to June 20, 2014 or five months later than the usual January 20 deadline.(SARWELL Q.MENIANO)

BASEY, Samar- The director general of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO) visited this town on March 10 to assess the progress of the projects implemented for the recovery efforts of the Yolanda affected agricultural areas and the farmers and fishermen who were victims and were displaced by the calamity.
UN-FAO Director General Jose Graziano da Silva who was with the Department Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala distributed rice seeds, fertilizers and farming tools to the farmers.
During the press conference, Silva expressed his satisfaction with the recovery efforts and celebrated the success of the UN-FAO’s Yolanda response program and committed FAO’s supports on the recovery of the fishing and farming livelihoods in the longer term.
Silva said that FAO responded to the appeal of the national government for support to affected rice farmers.
He informed reporters that the recovery program efforts of his agency continues and at present UN-FAO is distributing 4,000 tons of fertilizers to more than 80, 000 families along with 13,000 farming tools on the Yolanda affected agricultural areas “which ensures planted rice seeds can reach full production potential and optimum yield, which in turn, ensures food security and full recovery of the farmers.”(RESTITUTO A. CAYUBIT)

The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) recently opened a one-time condonation program for “Study Now, Pay Later” (SNPL) student-grantees and “Fly PAL, Pay Later” (FPPL) member-borrowers with outstanding accounts. The condonation program will run until July 24, 2014.
SNPL grantees (and their co-makers) and FPPL borrowers who will pay the outstanding balance in full will enjoy 100% condonation of all surcharges.
Under the condonation program, grantees and borrowers should pay in full their outstanding accounts within three months after they have submitted their application form for condonation. If the full amount is not settled within three months, program availees may resubmit their application form before July 24, 2014.
Loan interests, the GSIS said, will be computed up to the month of full payment.
SNPL is an educational program that was implemented in 1976. The program was in compliance with Presidential Decree No. 932, which specifies various schemes in the implementation of the SNPL.
This later evolved into the Educational Assistance Loan (EAL) approved in 1988; and in 1998, the program was amended by RA 8545, an act providing assistance to students and teachers in private education.
A similar credit facility for travel assistance was offered by the GSIS under the Fly PAL, Pay Later (FPPL) Program, which ran from 1978 to 1989.
All SNPL grantees and FPPL borrowers with outstanding accounts have been informed of the condonation program through a letter from the GSIS. Interested borrowers may visit the nearest GSIS branch office or call the contact center at 847-4747 for more details. (PR)

GOVERNMENT CENTER, PALO, Leyte- The departments of labor and employment, agriculture and science and technology and trade and industry have partnered to help victims of the supertyphoon Yolanda.
The convergence of these government offices is in line with the policy of President Aquino to ensure a fast and better delivery of services to the people, said Regional Director Exequiel Sarcauga of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Aside from the DOLE, the Departments of Agriculture, Science and Technology and Trade and Industry, the Visayas State University is also part of the convergence.
Sarcauga explained that the convergence program was crafted by the national government to help address the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in all Yolanda- affected areas.
“If you try to take a look at it, one of the functions of the DOLE is to provide livelihood assistance to both the formal and informal sector. However the livelihood projects of these sectors can be more sustainable if it is prepared in such a way that it becomes viable and feasible” the DOLE director said.
Sarcauga believed that the livelihood projects needs the interventions for them to be sustained.
The convergence is focused in three important things- first, it should be technology driven; second, it should be resource based and third, it should be sustainable.
Under the scheme, the DOST would provide the needed technology with the DOLE providing the needed funding and tools, among others.
The DA would help identify the market and raw materials, Sarcauga said. (LIZBETH ANN ABELLA)