UNDP Hands Over Digital PPE Platform to DTI, Details Plans for Expansion

June 17, 2021

Manila, Philippines – In a virtual handover ceremony, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) formally turned over to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) the Enhanced Manufacturing of Protective Wear and Equipment for COVID-19 Response in the Philippines (EMPOWER PH), a collaborative online platform that connects suppliers and manufacturers to facilitate and accelerate the production and distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the country. 

EMPOWER PH is an online platform that provides a business matchmaking space for suppliers of materials, PPE manufacturers, and buyers in response to the sustained demand for non-medical use PPE and face masks. Launched in November 2020, the website helps garments manufacturing MSMEs to shift to today’s demand requirements and serve as a centralized information hub for product technical design packs and manufacturing best practices based on government-approved standards and international guidelines, as well as a vetting mechanism to ensure quality of products featured. 

We believe this initiative is necessary to complement the national government’s efforts to mitigate and manage the impacts not only of COVID-19, but of future pandemics and other disasters as well”, DTI Undersecretary Rafaelita M. Aldaba said. She expressed the wide potential of the platform in keeping sustained economic activities, given that the Philippines is prone to natural disasters.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were no major PPE manufacturing companies in the country. And with COVID-19 continuing to hit the economy, leaving majority of the MSMEs closed or are operating in decreased capacity, EMPOWER PH aims not only to contribute to the supply and promotion of locally produced PPE and face masks, but also implement standards and guidelines in their production. 

“We want to ensure that EMPOWER PH continues to be a platform where our local MSMEs will have access to information that will enable them to participate and compete in the market”, Maria Luisa Isabel Lim-Jolongbayan, Team Leader, Institutions and Partnerships of UNDP, emphasized. 

Additionally, EMPOWER PH takes pride in its five-point vetting process. This method serves as the checkpoints to make sure that the products sold are certified safe and pass the level of quality that is aligned with the standards and guidelines from the Department of Health (DOH), World Health Organization (WHO) and Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS). 

Undersecretary Aldaba explained that while online shopping platforms provide easy access to PPE supplies, there are no means to check for compliance and safety. “At the same time, consumers should also be empowered. With EMPOWER PH’s vetting process, we are protecting them by making sure that the PPEs and face masks that they buy are comfortable to wear and safe to use.”

Under the initiative, eight sewing groups from Metro Manila have passed the vetting process in 2020. These organizations have signed up in the EMPOWER PH platform and are now able to showcase their products online. 

UNDP plans to roll out the initiative in BARMM in partnership with the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education’s Technical Skills Development (MBHTE-TESD). Fourteen sewing groups comprised of MSMEs, social enterprises, cooperatives, neighborhood associations, MILF women organized groups and TESD dressmaking trainees will take part in a three-day training on the manufacturing of non-medical use PPE and face masks following the EMPOWER PH guidelines and will undergo the platform onboarding and vetting process. To scale up the use of the platform and expand its network of MSMEs, UNDP will also train members of sewing groups in the Bangsamoro region as part of their expansion and extension plans. The areas included in the BARMM coverage include the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Sur, and Maguindanao.

Now more than ever, people are more aware of the concept of readiness during disasters. In line with this, DTI ensured the platform is relevant and operational even beyond the pandemic. In fact, the agency has already proposed the budget for EMPOWER PH in 2022 to ensure its continuity. 
 

“We continue to support the expansion of the platform to include medical PPEs, as well as other disaster response needs in the future because we believe that it is necessary for the platform to stay relevant and useful,” Resident Representative Dr. Selva Ramachandran added, expressing UNDP’s continued support for the program.

Besides capacity building in other areas, EMPOWER PH will soon expand to production of medical-grade PPEs. The UNDP EMPOWER PH team has also started coordinating with other UNDP groups and other LGUS to address the demand on PPE. UNDP will also finish mapping the supply chain of RT-PCR testing for possible expansion of services. 

For more information, you may check EMPOWER PH online. 

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