DTI launches Tindahang Pinoy stores

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has launched in Cebu, Davao and Pampanga the Tindahang Pinoy stores which will serve as a venue for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to showcase their products.

“This effort is a very good example of a public-private partnership (PPP). It took a lot of collaborative efforts from the private sector, providers, local government officials, National Government agencies to make this project a success,” said DTI Secretary Gregory Domingo.

The three Tindahang Pinoy stores are managed by private firms Cebu GTH Foundation Inc. in Mandaue City, the Davao Ecocrafts in Davao City, and the PhilExport Region 3 in the Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga. The product mix of each store is 70 percent from the region where the store is based and 30 percent from neighboring provinces.

“We are starting small, relative to our ambition. We conceptualized this project based on President Aquino’s good governance platform and inclusive growth, where all sectors of society must benefit from economic development,” Domingo said.

“To achieve inclusive growth, we have to provide employment and generate business in the rural areas.”

The focus on the first three outlets are agriculture and tourism services, which Domingo considers as a critical component to generating growth in the provinces.

“To promote tourism and agriculture, we have to sell the products. Most of the products in the countryside are handicrafts or agricultural in nature. We need to use these products for tourism. So, we came up with the concept of Tindahang Pinoy,” Domingo said.

The DTI intends to have 12 Tindahang Pinoy stores in the country within the year.

“Eventually, what will be displayed in the stores will be chosen by a planner, who will approve the quality of the products. There is a minimum quality and price standard that we will follow,” Domingo said.

Tindahang Pinoy implements a product ordering system that allows customers to buy home-grown products at local market prices and have them delivered to their doorstep.

For instance, hotels in the provinces with a Tindahang Pinoy will be provided a catalogue of products and services to encourage tourists to make a purchase.