A lawmaker underscored the urgent need to shield micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from systemic harassment, unlock global opportunities for local creative talents and protect BPO and tech workers from job displacement driven by rapidly advancing AI technologies.
Presiding over the Senate finance subcommittee briefing on the proposed 2027 budgets for the DTI and GCG, Go Negosyo Act author Senator Bam Aquino emphasized that while consumer protection is vital, local entrepreneurs which are the backbone of the Philippine economy, must also be shielded from bureaucratic red tape and agency harassment.
Reflecting on multiple complaints brought to his attention during Senate inquiries, Aquino called on the DTI to institute a dedicated “MSME Protection Desk” that will serve as a direct line of defense for small entrepreneurs facing unlawful delays, extortion or harassment from government regulatory bodies.
“We don’t have MSME protection because a lot of our MSMEs are also getting harassed unfortunately sometimes by government as well no…. ang hinahanap ng mga MSMEs natin hindi lang ‘yung suporta which we provide in different ways through financing, through training, through the negosyo centers… they’re also looking for protection because many of them feel that again they’re out they’re on their own no kapagmay nangha-harass sa kanila,” Aquino said.
The senator pushed DTI officials to formalize this institutional mechanism to ensure small entrepreneurs have an active government advocate fighting on their side against corrupt practices and red tape.
He also stressed that Filipino creative talents and local products need dedicated physical space and strategic backing when competing internationally. Drawing parallels to successful international agencies such as South Korea’s KOCCA, Aquino expressed his full commitment to expanding DTI’s trade fair and export promotion budgets.
“Baka we can already start supporting our creative economy in the global scene. When they go abroad, yung pakiramdam nila they’re on their own, no? Walang sumusuporta, wala silang matawagan kung may mangyaring masama. And there’s so much opportunity that we can do together,” he said.
When discussing proposed fees for online sellers during the hearing, Aquino spoke up for small shop owners. He urged the government to make the paid verification mark optional and completely free for small businesses so they don’t get burdened with extra expenses and complicated requirements.
“The more steps ho kasi we have, it’s really going to be difficult. Ang suggestion ko is maganda nayung direksyon. Keep it to the bigger businesses and then yung mga smaller businesses let it be voluntary on their part,” he added.
Looking out for key industries that keep the economy going, he urged the DTI and other government offices not to wait until it’s too late as Artificial Intelligence (AI) takes over tasks in call centers and tech factories. Instead of reacting after jobs are lost, he pushed for local training programs to help workers adapt, learn new tech skills and transition into safer, higher-paying roles.
“The BPO industry and the manufacturing, our semiconductors and manufacturing have been supporting our economy for so long. But these industries I feel are also at risk. Any type of shrinkage for the BPO and semiconductors will be devastating for us. I’m raising the concern that even if 10% of that industry shrinks that’s about 100,000 to 200,000 jobs. There’s a set of skills that we need to take on the other jobs in the business process outsourcing, which will be AI enabled and there are certain jobs which will go away ba so we need to have programs for them and the answer may not necessarily be also in the BPO industry so we need to get everybody on board because if we just allow it to happen tapos nangyari na siya, it’s going to be devastating. We need to be able to have some level of preparation and budget,” he explained.
The subcommittee successfully deemed the proposed budgets of the DTI and GCG submitted for plenary consideration, with Aquino committing to push for budgetary augmentations that directly benefit small business owners, creatives and everyday Filipino workers.
“We’re supportive of the DTI budget. We we do want you to succeed. We do feel this budget is too small. Pero uulitin ko lang we want to support the trade fairs and the creative economy more. So we’ll work on that. We want to support our MSME. One is through more support through the shared service facilities, negosyo centers and the negosyo center online project. But we also want to see an MSME protection. The industries that are, you know currently supporting our economy. We want to be sure that they’re supported,” he concluded.
