DOST Biliran topped 1st Semester SETUP Refund Performance in Region 8

The DOST-Biliran PSTC Team

The Biliran Provincial Science and Technology Center of DOST-VIII recorded the highest Refund Rate at 97% for the implementation of its Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) in Region VIII for the First Semester of 20019.The said rate was the highest among the six provinces of Region VIII.

SETUP provides financial support for technology acquisition of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) with the condition to refund the cost of technology within a period of three years without interest. Records show, Biliran PSTC was able to collect PhP 11.6M from PhP 11.9M collectibles as of June 2019.

Since the start of SETUP Program implementation DOST-Biliran PSTC has already assisted 60 projects, 22 are still on-going, 23 have already completed refunds and 15 have been terminated. The terminated projects are currently evaluated and are subjected to legal procedures to recover project funds. Contrary to reports on the lack of proper monitoring, DOST-8 management through the PSTC are doing its task in monitoring those terminated project and exhausting all possible means before legal actions are undertaken.

Biliran Province is mostly rural, however, DOST-Biliran, was able to assist various clients mostly micro level under the food, metals, gifts-decors-handicrafts, ICT, pharmaceutical (herbal), agriculture, and other sectors. Since most clients of SETUP in Biliran are micro-enterprises, who are vulnerable and financially challenged, 100% success is hard to acheive. Despite the challenges, DOST-Biliran office, with very limited personnel, did its very best to manage the project efficiently. This resulted to the top performance recorded in terms of refund rate.