{"id":19111,"date":"2026-03-14T15:44:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T07:44:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/?p=19111"},"modified":"2026-03-14T15:44:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T07:44:25","slug":"escudero-pushes-stronger-support-lending-access-for-msmes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/2026\/03\/14\/escudero-pushes-stronger-support-lending-access-for-msmes\/","title":{"rendered":"ESCUDERO PUSHES STRONGER SUPPORT, LENDING ACCESS FOR MSMEs"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE surge in unemployment to 2.96 million Filipinos in January 2026 has led Senator Francis \u201cChiz\u201d Escudero to press for urgent action to support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), widely regarded as the backbone of the country\u2019s economy that employs about two\u2011thirds of the national workforce. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Citing the latest Labor Force Survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Escudero said the figures reflect both seasonal job losses and long\u2011standing structural weaknesses that demand immediate legislative attention. <\/strong><\/p>\n

To help address the situation, the veteran legislator is hoping the Senate will consider expediting the deliberation on the two complementary measures he authored: Senate Bill No. 231, which simplifies tax requirements and reduces compliance costs for MSMEs; and Senate Bill No. 233, which reinstates mandatory credit allocation for small enterprises by requiring banks and lending institutions to dedicate a portion of their loan portfolios to MSMEs. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Escudero noted that his bills have been pending in their respective committees since August of last year. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAccess to credit remains the lifeblood of our small businesses. Without financing, MSMEs cannot restock, modernize, or hire, and without lower compliance costs, they cannot stay afloat long enough to recover,\u201d he said. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Bicolano senator explained that the two bills form a coordinated strategy for MSME recovery; one reduces operational burdens, while the other ensures capital reaches enterprises that need it most. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf we want to reverse rising unemployment, we must strengthen the enterprises that employ most of our people. These are practical, fiscally responsible reforms that go straight to the root of the problem,\u201d he said. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Escudero said MSME support is one of the most cost\u2011effective ways to generate employment without requiring massive new government spending. <\/strong><\/p>\n

He warned that delays could lead to more closures and job losses. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery month of delay means more small businesses closing and more Filipinos losing work. If we want more families to find dignified, stable livelihoods, we must empower the backbone of our economy,\u201d he said. <\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the latest PSA report, the unemployment rate rose to 5.8%, up from 4.4% in December 2025 and 4.3% in January 2025, meaning 58 out of every 1,000 workers had no job or livelihood. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Employment also fell to 47.94 million in January 2026, from 48.49 million in January 2025 and 49.43 million in December 2025. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The report said the steepest year\u2011on\u2011year declines were recorded in agriculture and forestry, 1.42 million; wholesale and retail trade, 729,000; and fishing and aquaculture, 140,000. These sectors are heavily dominated by MSMEs. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cOur MSMEs remain the most exposed to economic shocks and the slowest to recover. They are hurting,\u201d he concluded.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE surge in unemployment to 2.96 million Filipinos in January 2026 has led Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero to press for urgent action to support micro,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/50wr3w3r.png",474,463,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/50wr3w3r-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/50wr3w3r-300x293.png",300,293,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/50wr3w3r.png",474,463,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/50wr3w3r.png",474,463,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/50wr3w3r.png",474,463,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/50wr3w3r.png",474,463,false],"kreeti-slider-full":["https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/50wr3w3r.png",474,463,false],"kreeti-featured":["https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/50wr3w3r.png",474,463,false],"kreeti-medium":["https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/50wr3w3r.png",474,463,false],"kreeti-medium-square":["https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/50wr3w3r-350x350.png",350,350,true]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"National<\/a>","tag_info":"National","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19111"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19111"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19113,"href":"https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19111\/revisions\/19113"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}