DAVAO CITY, Dec. 18 -- The Department of Trade and Industry in Davao Region helped secure PHP243.64 million in loans for micro, small and medium enterprises this year, an official said Thursday.

DTI-11 Regional Director Romeo Castanaga said 706 MSMEs, primarily through the Small Business Corp.'s RISE UP Program, availed of the loans for capital and expansion.

"Aside from market and technology, they really need the loan for their capital. We provide the facilitation with the appropriate financing window," Castanaga said in a press briefing.

He added that 34% of the loans ranged from PHP100,000 to PHP500,000.

Officials also reported assisting 53,907 clients in 2025, with 33,217 being MSMEs.

About 87% of those assisted MSMEs are now cla...