The Procurement Service — Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), represented by Executive Director (ED) Atty. Genmaries “Gen” Entredicho-Caong; the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), represented by Undersecretary Mary Jean T. Pacheco; and the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) represented by its Chairperson, Undersecretary Alexander Raquepo come together to push for inclusive governance as they enter into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to establish a working arrangement in assisting small-scale supply manufacturers and cooperatives in their bid to join government procurement opportunities—enabling a larger market access for local businesses.
In a ceremonial signing on August 12, 2025 at the PS-DBM Main Office, in Paco, Manila, PS-DBM, DTI, and CDA forge a framework to empower community-based suppliers, such as the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that produce high-quality cleaning and janitorial products as they participate in public procurement. The agreement also targets to include said items, including walis or brooms, in the list of common-use supplies and equipment (CSE).
These CSE items, by virtue of the MOA, will be procured by way of community participation, through which PS-DBM acquires directly from the source, in this case, the local manufacturers formed as cooperatives registered with CDA.
The tripartite agreement led by the agencies’ respective officials is also graced by other representatives and personnel of the parties, whose responsibilities are likewise detailed in the MOA—from the implementation of capacity-building initiatives for suppliers, establishment, registration, and development of cooperatives, review of technical specification requirements, to the actual conduct of the procurement.
Together with ED Gen, USec. Pacheco, and Chairperson Raquepo were PS-DBM’s ICT and Procurement Group Deputy ED Rommel Rivera, Operations, Logistics, and Supply Chain Group Deputy ED Philip Josef Vera Cruz, Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) Group Director Maria Teresita Semana, Administrative and Finance Office Director Marlita Dagsa, Legal Office Director Ramon Antonio Matibag, Operations Office Director Samantha Grace Moscoso, Procurement Office Acting Director April Flor Borlagdatan-Vejano, Regional Operations Office Acting Director Judith Riza Bleza, and other PS-DBM personnel; DTI’s Division Chief Jonathan G. Cabaltera, Joane Crisane Olan, Bianca Asinas-Aga, Camille Sta. Cruz, and John Michael Camus; and CDA’s Ray R. Elevazo, Melissa C. Santos, and Lester John B. Molina.
This mutual cooperation among the three agencies amplifies the provisions of the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA) on inclusivity, particularly the initiatives to engage with local communities across all procurement activities, which DBM Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman herself champions. With the NGPA, other relevant laws, and this MOA, social enterprises are assured of the Philippine government’s preference for local products and services—advancing the growth and development of local and national economies. | August 13, 2025/LR