The Department of Trade and Industry is planning to allot P1-billion per region to fund loans for small and medium enterprises, as the government fights loan sharks, Secretary Ramon Lopez said Wednesday.

The government has rolled out the project in three provinces initially, Lopez said.

Lopez said he was optimistic the launch of the new roll-on, roll-off route from Davao and General Santos to Bitung in Indonesia would encourage more trading.

Foreign investors are unfazed by the alleged extrajudicial killings in the country, he said.