Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the country remain to be the backbone of the Philippine economy, comprising 99.5 percent of all business establishments according to a 2019 Philippine Statistics Authority report.
From left to right. DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum Jr., Elisha Bay Dagupan Bangus and Seafoods owner Raiisa G. Vargas and her husband Randy show the sample bottled and canned bangus and tuyo products of Elisha Bay, during a project visit on February 16, 2026, at Mangin District, Dagupan City Pangasinan. The visit was part of the 2026 RSTW celebration.
And through this reason, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has helped this sector through its Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) since 2002 to enhance their productivity, efficiency, and competitiveness through various technological innovations.
According to DOST Secretary Renato U. Solidum, Jr., SETUP has helped over 100,000 MSMEs across the country from 2002 up to present, with focus on priority sectors such as food processing, furniture, gifts, decors and handicrafts, agriculture, marine, and aquaculture, and metals and engineering.
Today, one of SETUP’s successful beneficiaries is the Elisha Bay Dagupan Bangus and Seafoods, owned by a Dagupeño entrepreneur Raiisa G. Vargas.
“Ang talagang goal po namin kaya kami nagstart ng enterprise is to provide jobs [para] sa mga underprivileged women and PWDs (persons with disability),” explained Vargas. “Ang target lang po namin noon is ‘to break even’, para lang maka generate ng livelihood. But then, come pandemic po, nagulat kami yung dalawang businesses namin, syempre hindi naman essential, tumigil. Pero yung bangus ang bumuhay sa amin.”
According to her, it was around 2018 when they reached out to DOST for assistance to improve their small business.
“Natulungan nila kami with the SETUP,” said Vargas. “So, it started the ball rolling. Dun po kami nag start na magprocess ng FDA (Food and Drug Administration) [at] mga documents.”
Through DOST Regional Office 1, Elisha Bay secured a DOST assistance acquiring equipment for testing, labelling, and packaging for the initial phase of the project. The second tranche of assistance includes additional equipment like pressure cooker, freezer, and stainless-steel table.
The assistance helped Elisha Bay produce good quality bangus and seafood products which eventually met local and international standards.
In 2019, Elisha Bay was able to get a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) registration number, which opened the doors of opportunities to export their products to the United States of America, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong markets.
The US FDA is a federal agency within the US Department of Health and Human Services responsible for protecting public health.
Meanwhile, Secretary Solidum said that for businesses to flourish, scaling up production, but still of good quality, could be the key. “But we also wanted to look at their operation to see if we can help them in scaling up production like robotics. Or even the use of AI in their planning,” declared Solidum.
However, Solidum pointed out that the real challenge is the enterprises willingness to incorporate technology into their business and the availability of funds to procure these technologies.
Previously, SETUP’s assistance was limited to only Php3 million per project. Now, the project can accommodate a request for up to Php5 million per project.
“You can go for multiple enterprises that you have assisted, but the economic impact is so small. So, we want [them] to graduate [from] micro to small, small to medium, and medium to large. And later on, make sure that they also assist similar enterprises so that they can develop a value chain,” explained Solidum.
Aside from deboned milkfish, Elisha Bay is currently offering 10 variants of bottled bangus products, which are all available at CSI Mall Lucao, Dagupan City. The price ranges from Php145-180, depending on the variety.
And to reach the low-income market, Elisha Bay is also set to release their newest product, canned gourmet tuyo, which has a retail price of Php70.
Currently, Elisha Bay maintains nine regular employees of underprivileged women and persons with disability (PWDs) and five on-call individuals for its regular operations. Should the demand for additional personnel arise, the company hires more helpers to augment its workforce.
Elisha Bay Dagupan Bangus and Seafoods is one of the MSMEs featured by DOST 1 during the 2026 Regional Science, Technology and Innovation Week in Dagupan City, Pangasinan.
SETUP is one of the initiatives of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) aimed at providing science-based, innovative, and inclusive solutions across four strategic pillars: human well-being, wealth creation, wealth protection, and sustainability. These pillars embody the mantra OneDOST4U: Solutions and Opportunities for All. For more information, visit www.dost.gov.ph.
