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| The Department of Trade and Industry – National Capital Region Office (DTI-NCRO), led by DTI-Regional Operations Group Assistant Secretary Grace F. Baluyan (2R), officially turns over the shared service facility for the PWD-led enterprise of the Bigay-Buhay Multi-purpose Cooperative (BBMC) in Caloocan City. (Photo Courtesy of DTI-NCRO) |
by: Janna Pineda
QUEZON CITY, (PIA) — The Department of Trade and Industry-National Capital Region Office (DTI-NCRO) has opened a Shared Service Facility (SSF) to support the development of a furniture shop being run by a community of persons with disabilities (PWDs) under the Bigay-Buhay Multi-purpose Cooperative (BBMC) in Barangay Malaria, Caloocan City.
The BBMC is the country’s first cooperative owned, organized, and managed by PWDs since the 1990s. It seeks to empower PWDs as contributing members of the society through the provision of sustainable livelihood opportunities such as sewing, baking, urban gardening, and furniture-making.
The first SSF project that the BBMC received from the DTI-NCRO provided access to sewing equipment. This second facility, on the other hand, is equipped with a high-speed automatic edge banding machine and an automatic sealing repair which are both designed for cost-effective mass production of household and commercial furniture.
This will significantly enhance the capability of the BBMC to produce high quality furniture and expand their production capacity from 3,000 to 5,000 chairs monthly, enabling them to create more jobs for PWD communities in the city.
The BBMC, which currently caters to 70 PWDs, is projecting to generate additional 130 livelihood opportunities in the coming years through the establishment of the SSF in their furniture center.
Following their P39 million contract in 2023 for the production of eco-friendly school chairs made from recycled materials, BBMC’s PWD workers are feeling more hopeful that the new SSF will allow them to expand their market reach.
BBMC Chairperson Richard Arceño thanked the DTI for their shared commitment to social entrepreneurship for the empowerment of PWDs and the economic advancement of the cooperative.
“We are very thankful for the trust and continued support of the DTI. Our commitment is not only to help our community but to extend this blessing and opportunity to most vulnerable PWDs with limited access to jobs,” said Arceño.
The DTI, for its part, highlighted sustained efforts to expand similar initiatives across the region to bring government programs closer to marginalized sectors.
“The initiative aligns with DTI’s vision of fostering an inclusive and dynamic economy where PWD-led cooperatives and MSMEs receive the necessary support to grow and prosper,” said DTI-Regional Operations Group Assistant Secretary Grace F. Baluyan.
“This project is not just an investment in equipment and technology but also a commitment to empowering marginalized communities and enhancing the local furniture industry’s competitiveness,” she added.
Apart from giving access to necessary equipment and technology, the SSF project of the DTI also offers industry-specific training programs that are geared towards enhancing the technical and entrepreneurial skills of MSMEs to ensure their competitiveness and long-term growth.
As of December 31, 2024, the DTI-NCRO maintains a total of 25 SSF projects across Metro Manila which had already disbursed over P157 million in funding. The top industry clusters in the region include housewares, processed food, and fashion accessories, among others. (JMP/PIA-NCR)
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