towards Almira Louise S. Martinez, Reporting
Tiktok Shop Philippines said it intends to partner with many local government units (LGUS) under its ambitious program to equip micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with digital skills.
“It is natural for us to go directly to the source. And to go directly to the source to partner with a different LGUS,” Thiktok Shop Philippines Marketing Lovel Franco S. Aligaen told reporters in a press conference.
“We hope to create a safe ecosystem for both buyers and sellers,” he added.
The Nonlid Lokal Roadshow Caravan, in collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), aims to train entrepreneurs on how to use the tools available on the platform and reach their market.
“We want to be able to pass on information on how to get the platform, how the content, how to broadcast live,” said Mr. igaen. “It’s just transferring information to them, and then they can use that information for their business.”
For businesses in rural areas, the CEO of the Tiktok store noted that the training program will be available in both webinars and on-site.
“For people who have limited access to communication, we hope that the cooperation with the LGU will solve that,” said Mr. Aligaen.
“Besides that, our other option is for more people to have access to online webinars that we will conduct with each Lus,” he added.
Apart from digital skills, this program aims to teach small businesses how to get business permits and register on the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) page.
“They are not sure how to navigate the system, and sometimes people convince them to go online,” DTI Division Chief for NCR EMFAIDI 2 Rowena DB San Jose told reporters at the event.
“But then, since they don’t really know, they’re not sure if those people are honest or not,” he added.
According to the 2024 Philippine MSME statistics, 99.63% or 1,236,908 of the registered business establishments in the country are MSMEs, while 0.57% (only 4,568) are large enterprises.
Among registered MSMEs, 90.66% are micro enterprises, 8.60% are small enterprises, and 0.37% are medium enterprises.
Participants of the Upskilling program will receive assistance from LGUS in obtaining permits.
“Many small businesses are afraid to register for fear that there may be fines or money of the city mayor Maria Laarni” Lani “L. Cayetano said, highlighting the launch of the partnership of the platform with the city.
“After the training, they undergo a financial education session … After that, they are taught how to secure permits in the city, especially in relation to food, the aspect of food safety,” it added.
The online platform said the program, launched in March, has trained more than 17,000 participants across the municipalities of Manila, Pampanga, Naga, and Cavite.
It intends to explore the relationship with the LGUS of Bacolod, Baguio, and Davao within a year, until next year.
