CAVITE HOSTS MONEY & MARKET ENCOUNTER FOR CALABARZON MSMEs

Graduates of the Department of Trade and Industry’s Kapatid Mentor ME (KMME) program in CALABARZON convened on August 16, 2019 at the Tagaytay Country Hotel in Tagaytay City for the launch of Money and Market Encounter (MME), with hopes of acquiring assistance and opportunities from various platforms that can help scale up their business.

DTI-IV-A Regional Director Marilou Toledo welcomed participants to the event, a supplementary program for KMME graduates from the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon to help them innovate and be at par with the competition in the global market. The director also disclosed during her welcome remarks that by the end of this year, 402 MSMEs under the KMME program are expected to graduate. RD Toledo likewise thanked DTI-Cavite Provincial Director Noly Guevara for hosting the first MME, as well as to the Go Negosyo Adviser for MSME Development Engr. Merly Cruz, for bringing MME in the region.

Meanwhile, USEC Cruz on the overview of the Money and Market Encounter and Innovative Approaches in Developing MSMEs, underscored the value of MME mentee- graduates, plus its impact on bridging the gap for inclusive growth as the program can link them to different financial institutions and market opportunities.

During the money forum with Sumo Takoyaki Owner and Franchiser Bong Magpayo, mentees learned from a variety of micro finance loans that will increase their capital. Presenters who came from banks and MFIs including the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), Small Business Corporation, Card SME Bank, Inter Asia Development Bank and Banko Mabuhay-Tanza laid their loan programs for the benefit of MSMEs. They also shared the importance of simple financial management, especially when it comes to record-keeping, reminding business owners of the famous line, “Debit, Credit, Walang Kupit,” for sustainability of the business.

Participants also took the opportunity from the money forum to solicit commitment of the financial institutions, asking banks to somehow prioritize MSMEs by not considering them as risks but instead, as partners for growth.

On the other hand, the Market Forum proper moderated by the President of the Laguna Food Processors Association, Mr. Clarke Nebrao, also from Go Negosyo talked about penetrating the Brick and Mortar Platform. Operations managers of malls together with DTI-Rizal PD Mercedes Parreño discussed about trade fairs and bazaars where MSMEs can participate, saying that DTI is consistently looking for opportunities in linking with marketing groups.

Among the issues raised in the market forum were cases of being taken advantage by trade fair organizers, terms of getting paid, tedious process of application and negotiation with the merchandising department of stores/malls, repacking and the not-so-marketable showcase areas being given for MSME products. Due to these concerns, Mr. Nebrao and the participants all agreed for the conduct of a regional dialogue where leaders of various sectors can sit down and wrap up agreement among market players and mall managers.

Aside from talks on the money and market side, digitalization also became a topic which was facilitated by Ms. Chie Malaki of Highly Succeed, a Philippines-based IT servicing company that specializes on a wide range of web-based services. Resource speakers who came from G-Cash, Shopee Philippines, Cashalo, Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE) and ROC.ph Digital Marketing Services all believed that in today’s economic climate, one must not be afraid of digital transformation particularly in doing business.

The one-day activity also had booth set ups and consultation, as mentorship session to further discuss mentees’ needs. Concluding the program was PD Julieta Tadiosa of DTI-Quezon with her words of challenge and encouragement to MSMEs in the region to continue with their positive mindset. On behalf of the DTI family and all beneficiaries of the KMME program, she thankedPresidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo Founder Joey Concepcion for the nonstop assistance in strengthening MSMEs, as well as the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship for extending help in achieving a smooth program flow.