THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it hopes to obtain an additional P2 billion for its 2026 budget, citing the need for more investment promotion and industry support.
“We are still hoping that the P12 billion can still go up by another P2 billion,” Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque told reporters on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the COCONUT Philippines Trade Fair on Friday.
“Based on the budget hearing, everybody wants to support the small and medium enterprises and, of course, foreign trade because they can see the results,” she added.
Under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) 2026, the DTI and agencies under its umbrella were allocated P12.426 billion.
She said that a portion of the budget will be used to promote international trade and foreign investment.
“How can we get foreign investors to come in if they don’t know what the programs that we have are or what we can offer to these foreign investors?” she said.
“We need to really do marketing because there are other Southeast Asian people really marketing their countries, and the numbers show that we are growing in terms of foreign direct investment (FDI) and exports,” she added.
Under the NEP, foreign trade and investment marketing were allotted P1 billion, which will be used to fund roadshows and other such activities.
She said the DTI is seeking support from Congress for fair trade and consumer protection programs, as well as digitalization and increased staff.
“There are too many products being sold via e-commerce. We need more people and technology to make sure that the products are safe,” she added.
Ms. Roque said additional funding is needed for micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) development.
“That’s really a big sector. We also need funds for that, especially for the trade shows,” she said, noting that such events generate more sales for MSMEs.
“We need to promote and find avenues for them to sell their products,” she added.
She is also seeking additional funding for halal certification.
“We have so many products, but they’re not halal certified. Why? Because certification is expensive,” she said.
“We have 3,000 MSME products out there that are halal. We are hoping to grow that,” she added.
Another initiative being pushed by the DTI is the creative industry, which received P50 million of funding under NEP.
“We were asking for P450 million for the creative industry. That’s also where our edge is,” she said.
“We’re really pushing it because the creative industry is a driver for trade and tourism,” she added. — Justine Irish D. Tabile
