CA confirms appointment of DTI Secretary Roque

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Appointments (CA) yesterday confirmed the ad interim appointment of Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ma. Cristina Aldeguer-Roque.

Prior to her appointment, Roque was DTI undersecretary for micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) development.

Last August, she was named acting DTI secretary following the resignation of Alfredo Pascual.

Before CA members approved her appointment, Roque was grilled by lawmakers about the DTI’s plans to help small and medium enterprises and to protect consumers from substandard goods.

Roque said the department has used artificial intelligence to activate its chatbot to answer consumers and entrepreneurs’ questions about buying quality products and starting a business.

She also narrated to lawmakers how her family was able to set up clothing chain Kamiseta with just a small capital and make a profit after sound investments.

Roque said her experience as an entrepreneur has instilled in her a profound understanding of the challenges faced by the country’s MSMEs and the vital role that government support plays in fostering the growth of these businesses.

“The MSME is a sector we cannot ignore, being 99.5 percent of the business establishments and 60 percent of the labor force. Therefore, we need to ensure their development, as well as we must realize that they are the game changers of our economy,” she said.

In pushing for MSME development, she said the DTI is promoting digitalization, diversification, franchising and improving access to financing.