35
The right to social security of the workers in the informal economy/ sector
Moreover, 79 OTOP fairs have been conducted wherein 1,015 MSMEs have been assisted and
Php 25,814,820.87 sales have been generated. Lastly, the overall OTOP Next-Gen has assisted
5,384 MSMEs, developed 710 products/ prototypes, and generated sales of Php
429,602,855.90.98
The Diskwento Caravan provides markets for MSME manufacturers of basic
necessities to sell their products as well as assists consumers by providing their products at
discounted prices. During the pandemic, the DTI scheduled the rollout of its caravans per area
in order to minimize the crowd in the market. According to the presentation of ASec. Tolentino,
65 diskwento caravan runs have been conducted as of 31 March 2021, wherein 515 barangays
have been served with a total of 24,734 household beneficiaries. Furthermore, 440
manufacturers and exhibitors have participated in the said program and 5-50% discounts were
offered. Thus, Diskwento Caravan has generated a total of Php 19, 820, 453.15. 99
Under the Buy Local! Go Lokal! program, products from different regions are brought
to business establishments such as supermarkets, malls, as well as showrooms of DTI to help
MSMEs enter the mainstream market.100 Similar to this would be the Bagsakan Special Project,
which ensures the availability of food products and helps MSMEs sell their products and
support the economy during the pandemic.
DTI conducts the Virtual National Trade Fair through a catalog type e-commerce
platform catalog type or in a virtual environment where the MSMEs can virtually showcase
their products and services and share information to their old and potential buyers and the
general public with the use of powerful chat tools to respond to queries. 101
Lastly, ASec. discussed the Libreng Mask para sa Masa program of the DTI during the
pandemic, wherein 32,395,915 cloth masks had been distributed nationwide as of 10 June 2021.
This project is being done in coordination with the Department of Heath for the budget, the
Department of Social Welfare and Development for the distribution of the masks in the country,
and the Department of Science and Technology for the materials used. ASec. Tolentino also
shared that they hire women consolidators from informal families and informal business
economy sectors to make the masks. 102
Consultation with the representatives of the national government agencies, supra note 40.
Id.
100 Id.
101 Id.
102 Id.
98
99