MALOLOS CITY (PIA) — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has recognized the vital role of the Bulacan Food Fair and Exposition (BUFFEX) in keeping the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the province vibrant and excellent.
In her keynote message during the opening of the BUFFEX 2025, DTI Undersecretary Blesila Lantayona emphasized that national government agencies and the private sector in Bulacan are united, collective and always in high spirits in pursuing MSMEs to be more competitive in the local and international market.
Lantayona has also reiterated the DTI’s expanded programs for MSMEs such as strengthening its facilitation to make loans, market, technology and innovation more accessible.
BUFFEX was first conceptualized during a meeting of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Council in 2012 to help MSMEs in Bulacan to leverage and be more competitive.
The Bulacan Chamber of Commerce and Industry has taken charge of conducting the BUFFEX annually through the support and partnership of the DTI and the Provincial Cooperative and Enterprise Development Office (PCEDO).
DTI Regional Director Edna Dizon also cited this initiative as a showcase of the agency’s success in making more MSMEs are qualified in the high-quality standards under the One Town, One Product Next Generation Program.
She emphasized that the BUFFEX is more than a trade fair but a combined output of creativity, resiliency and product development while keeping the traditional way of food preparation.
On the part of the Provincial Government of Bulacan, Governor Daniel Fernando is pursuing to increase the loan amount to be made available to MSMEs.
PCEDO Head Jayric Amil said the P50,000 minimum loan amount for MSMEs will be P100,000 and the P150,000 maximum loan amount will become P200,000.
For cooperatives, the maximum loanable amount of P300,000 will be P500,000. (CLJD/SFV, PIA Region 3-Bulacan)
