8 microentrepreneurs honored at Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards
EIGHT outstanding microentrepreneurs received recognition in this year’s Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards (CMA), organized by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Citi Philippines, and the Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc. last November 26 at the BSP central office in Manila. Bagging the Special Award for Preservation of Traditions was Go Negosyo former mentee Caroline Jamias of Tabuk City, Kalinga. Jamias owns the native shop Carol Line’s Ethnic and Fashion, who supplies handwoven textiles and other handicrafts to different parts in the Cordillera region. Jamias is a graduate of Go Negosyo and the Department of Trade and Industry’s mentorship program Kapatid Mentor ME (KMME) in 2017. Around 7,000 microentrepreneurs to date have already been helped by the program. Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion, who served as a member of the national selection committee for the annual microentrepreneurs search, emphasized, “Like our athletes, these inspiring microentrepreneurs have excelled in different fields, using their own unique sets of skills and expertise. But they all have been enabled by reliable financing institutions, as well as a community of mentors, that have helped them enhance their competencies and develop their potentials. Through collaborations with organizations from both the public and private sectors, we aim to provide an enabling environment for our MSMEs, so they can win as one in the race towards prosperity.” The other awardees of the 2019 CMA were: Rosanna Sinapilo, owner of Coco Deli and Rolando Pega, a spring onion farmer, for Special Award in Agri Micro-business; Romualdo Blanco, Jr., owner of PK Maja’s Special for the Youth Microentrepreneur of the Year; Lea Mancera, owner of Daniel’s Handicraft Weaving and Metal Frame for Luzon Regional Award; Merly Domingo, owner of Ebina Garment Manufacturing for Visayas Regional Award; Lucrecia Neri, owner of Manna’s Alternatives Herbal Products and AtiManna Organic Hub for Mindanao Regional Award; and grand winner who bagged the Citi Microentrepreneur of the Year Eduardo Azores, owner of Ali-Ali Pastil. Since 2002, CMA has recognized more than a hundred microentrepreneurs across the country for their notable contributions in various areas such as community leadership, agriculture, cultural preservation, and environmental sustainability. According to the 2018 Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) comprise 99.52 of the total businesses in the country. The program has brought to light inspiring stories of Filipino microentrepreneurs who were able to achieve a higher level of success through hard work and with the help of various public and private stakeholders. A number of Go Negosyo mentees and graduates have been given recognition by the CMA. The CMA grand winner received a PHP200,000 cash prize. Regional winners and special awardees, meanwhile, received PHP100,000 each. Microfinance Council of the Philippines chair Eduardo Jimenez, BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno, and Rizal Microbank branch head Vivian Quenequez were also present during the awarding ceremony.