MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, who is running for president in the May 2022 elections, said Wednesday that he wants to establish a single financing facility to help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) flourish amid times of crises.
MSMEs, which comprise 99.5% of enterprises in the country, were hard-hit by the impacts of the pandemic which crippled the economy.
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Lacson explained that the several government agencies have about 20 programs for microfinancing and credit facilities dedicated to helping MSMEs, noting that many businesses were not aware of them, and thus, did not have access to them.
To solve this problem, he suggested consolidating the programs into one single financing hub.
"Ang iniisip namin ni Senate President [Tito] Sotto, istreamline natin, bakit hindi natin i-pool sa isang pondo...para alam kaagad ng MSMEs na tinamaan ng pandemya o kung ano mang crisis, pwede ito'y giyera ng Russia sa Ukraine and climate change. Meron agad silang pupuntahan na ahesya kung saang accessible sila," Lacson said in an interview aired on One News PH's Kandidatalks on Wednesday.
(Senate President Sotto and I were thinking of streamlining it. Why don't we just pool it all in one fund...so that MSMEs affected by the pandemic or whatever crisis- like the war between Russia and Ukraine and climate change- will immediately know about it. They will have access to an agency where [the programs] can be accessed.)
Lacson, the standard-bearer of Partido Reporma, is running for the presidency alongside Sotto, who is vying for the vice presidency.
The lawmaker said that some owners of MSMEs may not understand various requirements needed to avail of government support, such as the need for collateral, which is why they choose to access private funds instead.
Metro Manila is now under Alert Level 1, the lowest alert level until March 31, which means business establishments can operate at full capacity while adhering to health protocols such as wearing face masks, practicing social distancing, and ensuring proper handwashing.
Transform 4Ps
On Wednesday, Lacson reiterated his desire to reform and streamline the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, known as the 4Ps, which he plans to pursue if he wins the presidency.
The 4Ps, led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, provides grants to extremely poor Filipino households in a bid to improve the health, nutrition and education of children aged 18 and below.
The 4Ps was patterned after the conditional cash transfer programs in Latin America and Africa.
Lacson noted that the 4P's has many redundancies, such as the presence of numerous personnel in each social welfare program which contributes to overhead costs.
"Gusto ko i-streamline 'yung lahat ng programa...Pwede naman i-collapse iyon at pagisahin o kaya ilump together sa iilang programa lamang," he said.
("I want to streamline all the programs...We can collapse them, consolidated them or lump them together in a few programs.")
He added that he seeks to transform the 4Ps into a program which also provides livelihood opportunities for beneficiaries.
"Bigyan natin [sila] ng pagkakataon na umangat sa buhay by providing them livelihood opportunities. Hindi lamang para makatawid ng tatlong meal sa isang araw, kundi bigyan natin ng skills training, tapos 'yung opportunity para hindi lang sila makatawid kundi makaahon," Lacson said.
(Let's give them the chance to better their life by providing them livelihood opportunities. Let's not just give them funds to help them put three meals on the table everyday, but provide them with skills training, and the opportunity for them to rise up from their condition.)
This echoes his previous call to reinvent the 4P's as a program that would provide sustainable livelihoods and job opportunities to people rather than being there to just dole out cash aid.
Lacson, a long-time public servant, is running for president for the second time. He first ran for the country's top position in 2004.
Lacson is pushing for an administration run by good governance and that is free of corruption.