BAGUIO CITY — In line with the national government’s effort to provide alternative employment and livelihood for the Filipino people, the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) has lined up programs to assist present and would be small and medium entrepreneurs or SMEs.

One major program of the DoST for the SMEs is the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program, otherwise known as SET-UP.

DoST Urban Science and Technology (USTC-Baguio) Director Nancy Bantog, disclosed that this program provides an interest-free soft loan for the upgrading of equipment of SMEs which can provide as high as up to P1 million loan to a registered single or group SME proprietor.

According to DoST-CAR Science and Research Specialist II Shai Singa-Claver, since the start of the program, the agency has already released more than P15 million to fund 56 projects in the different provinces in the region. Up to the third quarter of 2009 alone, more than P3 million has been released, she said.

Aside from the SET-UP program, DoST also provides packaging and labeling assistance to SMEs.

Bantog said, a Regional Packaging Graphic Design Contest last held last March. The top three winners are now working for DoST on an on-call basis, to help Cordillera SMEs on their packaging design.

DoST also offers Laboratory Service, which aims to help entrepreneurs in terms of micro-biological and chemical analysis, especially, those who are involved in water and food processing business.

Science and Research Specialist II Jasmin Lee-Donaal noted that more and more SMEs are availing of their laboratory services, especially those who want to get a Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) license and those who want to determine the nutritional facts on their respective products for packaging purposes.