Business groups in PHL to unite, help small firms
President Rodrigo Duterte himself may announce the formal alliance of various business chambers in the country during the 50th founding anniversary celebration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) slated on Aug. 8 in Metro Manila.
Presidential Consultant for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion III diclosed this yesterday on the sidelines of the launching of the third leg of the Kapatid Mentor Me at Marco Polo Plaza Cebu.
“I think the President will announce the alliance. We sent the notes to him, but we don’t have word yet,” said Concepcion, who is also the Asean Business Advisory Council Chair.
The Alliance Towards Prosperity For All is a long-term private sector-led campaign at the national level aiming to pursue inclusive prosperity for all Asean member-nations. In the Philippines, it is the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE), more commonly known as Go Negosyo, that will be leading the organization for this alliance.
Chambers
This will also be participated in by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (of which the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry or CCCI is part), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Management Association of the Philippines, Makati Business Club, Financial Executives of the Philippines, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Association of Filipino Franchisers Inc., Philippine Franchising Association, Chamber of Mines of the Philippines, Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines, and Bankers Association of the Philippines.
Last May, 22 business chamber heads attended the initial meeting of the alliance.
“But even without that (business alliance), the alliance is already moving,” Concepcion said. The Alliance Towards Prosperity For All is expected to be formally established in two months.
According to PCE, alliance members are expected to participate in all Asean activities and help in the campaign for infrastructure. They will also be part of the technical working committee that will develop a national platform for micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) development.
The initiative is also considered a poverty eradication measure by empowering more micro and small entrepreneurs to scale up their respective businesses.
Duterte’s 3Ms
Under the Duterte administration, Concepcion said, entrepreneurship programs will be focused on 3Ms, or Money, Market and Mentorship.
To help MSMEs fund their businesses, the official encouraged banks to allocate more of their resources to micro and smallscale entrepreneurs. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) also rolled out nationwide the P1 billion lending program dubbed Pondo Para sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso (P3) last May.
Market linkages is another focus, where MSMEs will be given a bigger chance to participate in the value chain of large companies, giving them wider market access and sustainability in income.
Lastly, mentorship through the DTI’s Kapatid Mentor Me Program will provide entreprenuers with technical and useful skills to thrive in entrepreneurship under a 12-week program.
The third batch of the mentorship program in Cebu has 28 MSMEs on board scheduled to graduate by October. The first two batches of KMM graduated a total of 57 Cebu-based MSMEs.
DTI Cebu is also slated to roll out the Aral Negosyo, Angat Kapatid (Anak) program, formerly called Negosyo 101, a grassroots mentorship program conducted in the existing 11 Negosyo Centers across the province.
Anak is a seven-module program with mentors from the CCCI and experts in the field. The modules include entrepreneurial mindsetting, marketing, business model canvass, entrepreneurial finance, supply chain management, business laws, and networking with government agencies.