The Quezon City government is allotting funds to small scale business ventures through the Small Income Generating Assistance (SIGA) program of the Vocational Development Division of the Social Services Development Department.
The program aims to help small business owners get financial support in amounts of P2,000.
According to Vocational Development Division officer-in-charge Elma Ocrisma, the program aims to sustain existing small-scale businesses, enabling these businesses to grow and diversify.
To qualify, applicants must undergo training on basic business management skills and strategies. Financial literacy training will also be given the applicants before monetary support is awarded to them.
“People come to us for assistance in their small businesses. We asses them to see if they qualify and, if they do, then we tell them the requirements for the SIGA assistance application,” Ocrisma said.
The monetary assistance prioritizes indigents and struggling micro-businesses like sari-sari stores and corner street diners, she added. This is to ensure that financial assistance is handed to those who need it the most.
“Our workers monitor an applicant’s progress with his or her business. They visit the market spots of the awarded applicant in a local wet market and determine if the business is flourishing,” Ocrisma said when asked how business success is evaluated.
Applicants who are awarded financial assistance are also required to present receipts and other proofs of purchase to ensure the aid is being put into proper use.
This program helps an average of 500 individuals per year, including 40-year-old Mary Jane Sereguine who first struggled with her business after her eatery was robbed last year. Sereguine now happily recounts how her small eatery business has recovered with help coming from the SIGA program.
Sereguine considers her venture as a step in the right direction, and advises small business owners like her to be proactive in handling their businesses.
If some of the undertakings progress to medium or large scale, the Division earmarks them for referral to Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Labor and Employment, or other nongovernment organization that can provide larger amounts of financial assistance.
The SIGA program was first established in 1979 and has expanded to extend more training and services.