The Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called on consumers to patronize local products and services and help small businesses to survive.
In a press statement Tuesday, John Carlo B. Tria, president of the association, said patronizing the local businesses will help ease the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
“Now is the time for us to exercise our preference for local products and services, as any amounts paid to them will sustain them and keep their employees employed,” Tria said as in the region, the Department of Labor and Employment earlier reported that about 200,000 workers have been affected by the pandemic.
He said that buying local will “create demand and in turn, drive business that will generate the incomes we need to keep our economy moving.”
“The various new online platforms and social media has been a lifeline for many businesses seeking to create new markets for their products and services,” he explained. We hope more people can buy and transact online as this will allow safe transactions,” he said.
Since the start of the pandemic, some small business establishments have resorted to shifting their focus on providing products and services through online means. Malls and restaurants have gone on delivery services, business schemes that have proliferated
On the national scale, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported last week that the unemployment rate was at 17.7%, or 7.3 million jobless, as of April. The agency said this was the highest unemployment rate on the government record.
