The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission ran the “Juan with SEC CARAVAN” at its Makati headquarters during MSME Development Week (9 to 11 July), bringing frontline services, education and capital-raising support closer to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Alongside the event, SEC Chairperson Francis Lim highlighted ongoing and planned reforms aimed at lowering costs, reducing red tape and expanding MSME access to financing options beyond bank credit. The three-day caravan drew over 600 attendees and featured learning sessions on SEC policies and programmes, including business registration, sustainability reporting for SMEs and spotting investment scams, alongside discussions with government and private-sector partners on capital-market fundraising and alternatives such as crowdfunding. On the operational side, starting in July the SEC cut fees for copies of corporate documents by 50% and indicated that a separate policy to reduce additional SEC transaction fees, including filing fees for capital raising, is being finalised. Processing changes include plans to expand eligibility for the One Day Submission and Electronic Registration of Companies (OneSEC) facility beyond the current 33 sectors, and a resolution to deem pending applications approved (subject to conditions) to clear a backlog of over 26,000 applications covering company registrations, increases in capital stock and entry of new investors. Next steps flagged in the release include finalisation of the additional fee-reduction policy and implementation of the OneSEC scope expansion, while the SEC also plans to actively promote the Personal Property Security Act to support the use of receivables as collateral for business financing.