The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Bulacan Provincial Office is targeting 20 barangays in the province covering all the congressional districts to implement the “Gabay sa Barangay: Enterprise Development Program”.

In a statement on Wednesday, Emmanuel Caleon, DTI-Bulacan information officer, said the program’s goal is to assist the local business sector toward sustainable development.

“The ‘Gabay’ program aims to develop the potential of the barangays by capacitating their officials and volunteers on investment and entrepreneurship, providing them series of business-related training and workshop and other services based on the support needed. At the end of the program, enrolled barangays will be presenting their Barangay Sustainable Business Development Plan,” Caleon said.

He said the DTI, in partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), pilot-launched the entrepreneurship program in the villages of Dulong Malabon, Lumbac and Tibag in Pulilan town, and Balayong, Caniogan and San Vicente in this city on Feb. 16.

For her part, DTI-Central Luzon Assistant Regional Director officer-in-charge and DTI-Bulacan Provincial Director Edna Dizon said the agency aims for stepped up collaboration with the barangay local government units in strengthening rural businesses.

“The target includes finding out who in the barangay should have a business, are those who currently have businesses there complying with commercial and industrial policies, how aware (they are on) the operation of a business and discovering what other products have the potential to be developed and involved in One Town, One Product (OTOP),” Dizon said.

She said the objective of the “Gabay” program is to fully boost rural productivity and contribute to the goal of making the poverty incidence rate single-digit by the year 2028.

“This is in line with the targets of the 2023-2028 Philippine Development Plan of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.,” Dizon added.

Aside from the DILG, the DTI’s other partners in implementing the program are the Department of Science and Technology, Department of Information and Communications Technology, and the provincial government of Bulacan. (PNA)