ASEAN BAC’s Prosperity For All Summit set today
ASEAN BUSINESS Advisory Council ( BAC) Chairman and Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Ma. A. Concepcion III leads the Prosperity for All Summit, a conference for all micro, small, and medium entrepreneurs ( MSME) enablers and supporters.
Mr. Concepcion shared that Philippines is fortunate to host the ASEAN’s 50th anniversary. To complement the government’s theme of “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World,” the ASEAN BAC adapted the theme: “Partnering for Change, Prosperity for All.” This is in support of the mission to bring inclusive growth not just in the Philippines but across ASEAN region.
“It is very important for each nation to come together and help one another because it cannot just be only two or three countries that are progressing leaving the seven countries behind. It defeats the vision of prosperity for all. As I said, the President’s mission is to bring about change and make many of our micro and small entrepreneurs succeed in life. This will eventually erase the poverty that many of our people still experience,” Mr. Concepcion said.
In honor of 50 years of growing ASEAN integration and progress, the ASEAN BAC is hosting the Prosperity For All Summit today at the City of Dreams, Manila, pooling together state leaders, public sector representatives, business leaders and various enablers in the name of MSME development in the ASEAN region.
Dato Sri Najib Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia; and ( Ret.) General Prayut Chan- o- cha , Prime Minister of Thailand, will give keynote speeches for the more than 700 delegates attending the summit.
Leni Robredo, vice- president of the Philippines, will address the delegates and welcome them to the Philippines’ chairmanship of ASEAN’s 50th year. Also joining the summit as a panelist is Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo, current Pampanga Representative and former President.
Aside from Ms. Arroyo, the summit has gathered an esteemed group of panelists from both the public and private sector. From the public sector, Senator Bam Aquino and Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez are set to speak during Session 1 whilst Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato Dela Peña and Senator Miguel Zubiri will take part in Session 4 and 5, respectively.
The private sector is represented by business leaders from different industries. For example, Dr. William Dar, Former Department of Agriculture Secretary and Founder of the Inang Lupa Movement, is giving voice to the agricultural sector whilst Rami Sharaf, senior vice- president of the Royal Group of Companies (Cambodia), will lend a global perspective during the session on creating an enabling environment for MSMEs.
Enrique Razon, CEO of the International Container Transport Services, Inc.; Douglas Foo, ASEAN-BAC Member and founder/CEO of Sakae Holdings, Ltd (Singapore); and George T. Barcelon, president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, are keen to give their insights during the second session focused on the strengthening the integrated ASEAN markets in order to access global markets.
Hoping to enlighten the delegates on financial inclusion and funding in the region are Dr. Aristotle Alip of CARDMRI; Alex Bueneventura, president and CEO of Landbank; Dr. Raymond Kwong, CEO and managing director of Silverlake Axis Group Malaysia; and Jojo Flores, cofounder and vicepresident of Plug and Play Technology Center ( USA).
Technology leaders in e- commerce and logistics such as Inanc Balci, CEO of Lazada Philippines; and Dr. Robert Yap, executive chairman of YCH Group (Singapore), are pegged for a session on disruptive technology and innovation.
The first four sessions all come together to paint a distinct picture of the multi-sectoral call to empower MSMEs in the region. As the ASEAN Business Advisory Council rallies together to champion the development of MSMEs, the summit culminates in the flagship initiative of the ASEAN Mentorship for Entrepreneurs (AMEN) launch.
The AMEN was first conceived as a legacy project by the ASEAN- BAC during its 69th Meeting last January in Manila. Through the thought leadership of the current ASEAN BAC Chair Joey Concepcion, the 30 members of the council decided on setting up a regional network of entrepreneurs in order to facilitate faster and greater sharing of skill sets, best practices and resources amongst MSMEs in the region.
Joining ASEAN BAC Chair Concepcion in putting forward the AMEN initiative in the fifth and final session are Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Munir Majid, chairman of ASEAN-BAC Malaysia and the current chairman of CIMB ASEAN Research Institute; Manny V. Pangilinan, CEO and managing director of the MVP Group of Companies; and Teresita Sy-Coson, vicechairperson of SM Investments Corporation and chairperson of BDO Unibank. As panelists, they will discuss their views on MSMEs, mentorship and the ASEAN.
In honor of 50 years of growing ASEAN integration and progress, the ASEAN BAC is hosting the Prosperity For All Summit today at the City of Dreams, Manila, pooling together state leaders, public sector representatives, business leaders and various enablers in the name of MSME development in the ASEAN region.