DTI to assist owners of razed market stalls in Laguna

DTI to assist owners of razed market stalls in Laguna

STA. CRUZ, Laguna (PIA) — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is ready to assist stall owners affected by the fire that ravaged the Santa Cruz public market on May 23.

DTI Assistant Secretary Dominic Tolentino Jr., along with DTI Laguna Provincial Director Christian Ted Tungohan, personally visited the Santa Cruz public market to assess the situation and interview some of the fire victims.

Tolentino said they are exploring possible interventions for the affected individuals through the Enterprise Rehabilitation Financing (ERF) offered by the Small Business Corporation (SB Corp.), the agency’s financing arm, and the Pangkabuhayan sa Pagbangon at Ginhawa (PPG) program.

The ERF serves as an emergency fund for working capital to address the financial impact on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), while the PPG is a livelihood seeding and entrepreneurship development program for microenterprises. It is designed to accelerate recovery by providing livelihood assistance and entrepreneurial support to affected businesses and communities.

Interested individuals may submit the necessary documents and apply online via https://brs.sbcorp.ph/, or visit the DTI Laguna Provincial Office and the Negosyo Center in Santa Cruz for assistance in availing of the program.

According to data from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the fire affected approximately 6,463 square meters of the market, destroying at least 137 fixed stalls and numerous ambulant vendors’ spaces, with estimated damages amounting to P77.56 million.

“Our estimated damage is P77.56 million. This is just an initial figure; we are still waiting for the stall owners to submit their inventory of the products they had. From that, we will be able to determine the actual amount of damage,” said Santa Cruz Municipal Fire Marshal, Fire Senior Inspector Ceasar Morfe Jr., during an interview with the Philippine Information Agency CALABARZON.

Following the investigation, the BFP confirmed that the fire was an act of arson, based on obtained CCTV footage, witness accounts, and on-site evidence. These led to the identification, apprehension, and filing of charges against the suspect. 

Despite the weeks that have passed since the fire, authorities assured the public that they will continue assisting affected vendors and issuing fire incident certifications, which can be used to request aid from the local government and the DTI. (CO, KG/PIA-4A)