Department of Trade and Industry(DTI)

I am Joshua Miguel M. Martinez, a 4th-year Legal Management Student at the University of Santo Tomas. I am writing to request the list of registered MSMEs with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) within the city of Manila and if possible, the contact numbers of their owners. 

Access to this information will greatly help us in accomplishing our undergraduate thesis title Exploring the Data Privacy Compliance Challenges Among Registered MSMEs in the City of Manila: Validating the Impact of Financial Constraints, Techincial Expertise, and Lack of Awareness Under the Data Privacy Act of 2012 which focus to validate the primary compliance barriers, identify additional challenges, and determine differences in coping capacities across micro, small, and medium enterprises.  

The study's results will inform policy and legal reforms to strengthen DPA enforcement, improve MSME compliance, and strike a balance between regulatory requirements and business feasibility, ultimately enhancing consumer data protection in the Philippine Context. 

We would greatly appreciate your guidance on how we may formally request this information, or if there are available public records that we can access for our study.

Dear eFOI user, 
Mabuhay!
Thank you for utilizing the eFOI portal (www.foi.gov.ph) and exercising your right to information under Executive Order No. 2, s. 2016 on Freedom of Information in the Executive Branch.
We have received your request on List of Registered MSMEs in the City of Manila, dated Nov. 3, 2025. 
While our primary objective is to provide information whenever possible, we regret to inform you that the requested information is not available at this Office. Please be informed that "registered business" is different from "registered Business Name".  All we can provide is the number of registered Business Names for sole proprietorship.
Also, DTI Business Name registration is not a permit or license to engage in any type of business since the permit to operate is issued by the Business Permit and Licensing Office of the concerned LGU.
Thus, if you are looking for the actual number and details of operating businesses, you may inquire with the Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) of the concerned LGU since they are the ones who issue a business permit to operate.
Your right to request a review
If you are dissatisfied with our response to your FOI request, you have the option to request an internal review. To initiate this process, kindly submit your written appeal for review addressed to [email protected]. Please provide a detailed explanation of your dissatisfaction with our response within 15 calendar days from the date of receiving this response. We will conduct the review and communicate the outcome within 30 calendar days from the receipt of your review request.
Should you remain unsatisfied with the review outcome, you retain the right to appeal to the Office of the President under Administrative Order No. 22 (s. 2011).
Thank you.
Respectfully,
FOI Officer
Department of Trade and Industry