IATF asks local govt’s to help small businesses

MANILA, Philippines — As micro, small and medium enterprises struggle to stay afloat amid the pandemic, the task force handling the country’s coronavirus response called on local government units to lend them a helping hand.

In its latest resolution, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) urged local governments to provide smaller businesses with regulatory relief or assistance. This includes the extension of payment deadlines for local government fees for businesses not allowed to operate or adversely affected by the quarantine restrictions.

The Department of Trade and Industry said in September that many of the 90,000 businesses that closed due to the pandemic were micro, small and medium enterprises. —Leila B. Salaverria