On August 26, Minister Nakata Masahiro of the Embassy of Japan attended the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Supported by Japan, the MOU is part of the $2.2 million project of Japan with the ILO, “Bringing Back Jobs Safely under the COVID-19 Crisis in the Philippines: Rebooting Small and Informal Businesses Safely and Digitally," which was launched in July 2021.

The project seeks to support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. Components of this support measure include capacity-building on occupational safety, health, and productivity measures, digital entrepreneurship, and financial education for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and informal businesses.

This initiative will assist the Philippines government in its push to integrate MSMEs through digitalization.

Nakata highlighted the project as a crucial contributor to achieving a robust and sustainable economic recovery for the Philippines from the COVID-19 global crisis.

With MSMEs comprising the majority of the businesses in the Philippines, the success of their operations will significantly help the restoration of the local labor market.

Members of ILO Philippines, the Department of Trade and Industry, and other involved government agencies joined the ceremonial signing.

ILO Philippines Director Khalid Hassan, DTI Regional Operations Group Undersecretary Blesila Lantayona, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Danilo Cruz were present as signatories.

Likewise, Assistant Secretary Mary Jean Pacheco of the DTI Digital Philippines and Ecommerce Lead and Executive Director Nelly Nita Dillera of the Philippine Trade Training Center were among the signatories. Japan Information and Cultural Center