ILOILO City – To fuel economic growth at the grassroots level, the city government is ramping up support for small-scale entrepreneurs by providing additional capital to market vendors who complete its Uswag Negosyo Academy (UNA) training.
The program, now on its 17th batch, enrolled 40 public market vendors from across the city who recently began the first of six training sessions under the Local Economic Development and Investment Promotion (LEDIP) Office.
The initiative aims to equip vendors with key entrepreneurial skills while promoting sustainable livelihood practices.
Participants who complete all six sessions — covering topics such as work ethics, customer service, business registration, and applications for Barangay Micro Business Enterprise (BMBE) status — will receive additional financial assistance from the city government to support or scale up their microenterprises.
“This is not just training; this is empowerment,” said the LEDIP Office in a statement. “We are cultivating a culture of growth and responsibility among our vendors to help them thrive and contribute meaningfully to Iloilo’s economy.”
The UNA program is a flagship initiative under Mayor Jerry P. Treñas’ “Uswag Iloilo” vision, which emphasizes inclusive development by investing in small businesses and enhancing the capacity of local traders.
The city government believes that empowering vendors through structured training and capital infusion will generate ripple effects across public market operations and strengthen the overall resilience of Iloilo’s informal economy.
The remaining training sessions for Batch 17 are scheduled over the next several weeks./PN
