by admin | Jul 20, 2017 | National News
PASAY—With the adoption of the Manila Call to Action (MCA) for ASEAN MSMEs, all 10 ASEAN Governments, including the Philippines, are called to pursue affirmative actions for MSME development.
Adopted at the ASEAN MSME Development Summit on 14 July, the MCA strongly urges all ASEAN Member States (AMS) to dedicate fund to power programs and initiatives on MSME development.
“True to its name, the document is a call to action. We rally to purse 7Ms for MSME development and to translate our aspirations into deliberate actions at the regional, national and local levels,” said ASEAN Economic Ministers chairman and Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez.
The trade chief refers to the 7Ms, namely, mindset, mastery, mentoring, money, machines, markets and models. The 7Ms is the holistic MSME development strategy proposed by the Philippines to drive shared prosperity in the region.
“What we are discussing in our local engagements is now receiving regional attention. This is only indicative of the regional applicability of our grassroots efforts to help MSMEs move up in life,” he added.
The MCA has been concluded with the collective efforts of the private sector, civil society and government from across ASEAN, bringing together knowledge, perspectives and experience in growing MSMEs.
According to Sec. Lopez, MSMEs must be full participants and beneficiaries of the economic dynamism that the current ASEAN integration brings. To this end, MSMEs’ role and contribution in attaining inclusive, people-centered ASEAN must be further strengthened.
Said outcome document has subsections that purposely pertain to the 7Ms.
On mindset, mastery and mentoring, the MCA calls on integrating entrepreneurship values and skills in the educational system spanning all levels. A convergence mindset in all government entities that recognizes the centrality of MSME development is envisioned.
“An all-of-government approach for MSME development is needed across all ASEAN Member States,” Sec. Lopez said.
On money access, the MCA reiterates the importance of setting up alternative financial instruments to better serve MSMEs’ financing needs. In this regard, an appropriate regulatory framework to govern institutions shall be created. Financial literacy and management for MSMEs should also be intensified.
On machines, the MCA stresses the importance of establishing research and development centers, improving the government’s assistance programs and providing more platforms and opportunities for knowledge sharing on non-proprietary machines and technologies.
A unified ASEAN digital marketplace is aspired to reach MSMEs beyond national borders. To boost market access, the MCA also calls to ensure quality compliance to sustain global competitiveness of ASEAN products and services, as well as to widen linkages of MSMEs to the regional value chains.
“We advocate for the promotion of social enterprises, highlighting the community-based approaches to enterprise development, said Sec. Lopez, adding that the inception of an ASEAN MSME starter kit map that compiles different business models for MSMEs is crucial.
“We should not wait for growth to trickle down. The MCA is set to pave the way towards region-wide prosperity that is powered by our MSMEs, thus spurring growth from the bottom of the pyramid,” he concluded.
by admin | Jul 20, 2017 | Tech Talk
Tech startups from around the world are invited to join the 3rd Geeks on a Beach (GOAB) international pitchfest and submit their online applications on or before the contest deadline on July 31, 2017.
The startup competition focused on innovative tech ideas, which has become an annual fixture at the GOAB confab, will be giving out US$1,000 micro fund and a GOAB designer trophy to the winner.
The GOAB 2017 international pitchfest will be held on August 25, 2017 as part of this year’s GOAB international tech and startup conference that will be held for the first time in Palawan, Philippines.
“The GOAB pitchfest is open to all early stage tech startups with revenue and traction. Submit your applications and get the chance to pitch your product to potential investors on the GOAB stage,” said Tina Amper, TechTalks founder and GOAB lead organizer.
The pitchfest is open to all startups less than 3 years old and at the early stage with revenue for at least 6 months. However, only startups with a functional prototype or production-level products for demonstration are eligible to participate.
The announcement of the top 5 startups, which will be invited to pitch in person during the GOAB confab, will be on August 4. The winning teams must be able to attend in person in order to pitch at GOAB.
“While it’s true that pitching does not guarantee that your startup will get funded. The act of pitching in a public venue is a step forward in getting you publicity, support, and feedback from the community,” said Amper.
She said GOAB pitchfest is the best venue to build a relationship with the right mentor or investor who understands a startup’s niche or boost its chances to make it big by ensuring that their product meets rigorous public expectations.
GOAB conference ticket discounts will also apply to the first 20 teams who will apply for the pitchfest. They will receive the promo code when they complete your application. However, all startups are responsible for their own airfare and accommodation.
PLDT, Smart, Voyager, PayMaya, ePLDT, Smart DevNet, PLDT Enterprise, and PLDT Innolab are supporting GOAB as co-presenters while ASPACE Philippines is co-producer. GOAB is held in partnership with the City Government of Puerto Princesa and Palaweño ICT Association. The official airline partner is Philippines Airasia and the official ticketing partner is Ticketbase. The silver sponsors include Payoneer, Zalora, PouchNATION, Istorya.net, Synergy 88 Digital, Uniform Solutions, and AtoX Solutions. The bronze sponsors are NXTLVL Academy, LabPH, Spring Valley Corporation, NorthRidge Partners, and Amazon Web Services.
The media partners are e27, Tech in Asia, Bohol News Daily by Auza.net, Innopub Media, Geeks in Cambodia, Asian Journal Publications, Balikbayan Magazine, Mobile Ecosystem Forum, ConnectedWomen.co and QueenCityCebu.com, The organizational partners are the Philippine Software Industry Association, the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines, UP CeBuinIT, Digital Commerce Association of the Philippines, Developers Connect, Science and Technology Advisory Council – Silicon Valley, Mynimo, Teradoor, Israel Chamber of Commerce Philippines, and the Cloud Security Alliance Philippines. GOAB is supported by Orange Hub and iSkwelahan.com.
GOAB is organized by TechTalks.ph, powered by Sym.ph, branding by Happy Garaje, and pr by PRWorks. For registration or partnernship information or further details, visit www.GeeksOnABeach.com, follow on Twitter/Facebook Geeks On A Beach, or contact hello@GeeksOnABeach.com.
by admin | Jul 19, 2017 | DTI Updates, National News
MAKATI—Inclusive business model is not just about helping small players, as big companies also benefit from partnerships that this model creates, the country’s trade chief said.
Speaking at the League of Corporate Foundations’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Expo on 19 July, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez called on companies to continuously innovate even on its processes to adopt an inclusive business (IB) model for its CSR initiatives.
“If CSR is about the practice of ‘doing good is good business,’ the government is about generating business to do good,” said Sec. Lopez.
He added that that the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is sincere in helping the poor and those who have less in life by providing more opportunities for jobs and entrepreneurship, and inclusive business is a viable option for this.
According to him, while private and public sectors have different approaches to practice inclusivity, the synergy between the two should push the shared goal of improving the quality of life of every Filipino, thus making a symbiotic business model.
“We encourage the corporate sector to integrate the IB model in their respective CSRs. With the big brother-small brother connection, the government is now developing a simplified formula to properly incentivize companies that integrate small players in their value chains,” he said.
Sec. Lopez mentioned that the government’s focus in implementing this initiative is on the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), adding that programs and initiatives that aim at developing MSMEs can only mean greater economic success for the country.
“With the creation of new business ventures and the push for innovation in existing MSMEs as critical parts of an inclusive innovation process, we can now focus on strategies to promote innovation-led entrepreneurship,” he added.
The trade chief said that by aligning inclusive innovation with the overall goal of inclusive economic growth, the impact can reach the marginalized sectors, where business process innovations have the potential to reduce inequality in the country.
He added that in ushering an entrepreneurial revolution, there is a need to generate smarter, idea-based entrepreneurs, who are value-adding and carry ideas with unique selling propositions.
Sec. Lopez shared with the corporate foundations current initiatives under the Dutertenomics framework to widen the gains of development, address income inequality and alleviate poverty, including the Build Build Build infrastructure program that promotes more regional and rural growth centers. He also mentioned DTI platform to develop MSMEs, as well as the outcomes of the recently concluded MSME Development Summit.
“Big companies integrating small companies in their value chains will make the CSR more inclusive and sustainable,” he concluded.
by admin | Jul 19, 2017 | National News
Philippine micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) who want to expand their market overseas, especially in highly-developed markets such as Switzerland, the European Union (EU) and the United States (US), were urged to avail free legal service provided by international trade lawyers.
Philippine Trade and Investments Center (PTIC) – Geneva Commercial Attache Magnolia M. Uy cited international law firm Sidley Austin LLP’s Emerging Enterprises Pro Bono Program to help poor, rural and disadvantaged communities by providing free legal support to MSMEs and market-focused non-government organizations (NGOs). Through technical guidance and hand-holding, MSMEs can benefit from, among others, legal trade advice on market access requirements, as well as better understanding intellectual property rights and patents for innovative ideas.
For many MSMEs around the world, legal barriers are among the key hindrances to trade. Since the program’s introduction in 2012, however, over 120 MSMEs from more than 30 countries have benefitted from timely and relevant legal trade advice. These include, among others, an Indonesian chocolate producer overcoming challenges in the EU market because its formula has to meet EU’s minimum cocoa requirement; shea producers who are unable to sell products containing shea to Indian buyers because of regulatory restrictions; and an African clean cook stove enterprise entangled in an intellectual property dispute with a Chinese company.
Further to this, the program works toward enabling more MSMEs in the developing countries to participate in e-commerce by helping them address constraints. E-commerce has always been touted as a key enabler for MSMEs worldwide to participate in global trade. However, it entails legal requirements in order to be realized. Among top considerations that MSMEs need to address are: effective privacy policy that protects producers and buyers during the online transaction; online business transactions that must be carried out on the basis of enforceable and internationally recognized buyer-seller contracts; and intellectual and market access requirements.
Eligible Philippine MSMEs interested in the program were urged to avail of the pro bono support through the assistance of Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) in Geneva.
by admin | Jul 18, 2017 | Local News / Bohol Balita
Peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) said they are preparing for the worst under the second year of Duterte’s presidency. “We have seen a preview of the worst things to come. We know what to do – we fight and defend our rights, now and always.”
“Things are taking a turn for the worst under Duterte. His first year is marked with unfulfilled promises, promotion of neoliberal policies and militarism. His declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao is enough reason for people to mobilize and protest his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 24,” said Danilo Ramos, the newly-elected chairperson of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP).
“We will make President Duterte accountable for his unfulfilled promises. We will continue to assert genuine land reform, free land distribution and the lifting of Martial Law. We will continue to defend our democratic rights in the face of Duterte’s all-out war,” the KMP leader said.
“Instead of seriously addressing the People’s Agenda that was presented to his administration last year, Duterte allowed his economic managers to come up with ‘Dutertenomics’ that essentially perpetuates pro-foreign and pro-business neoliberal policies. The people’s clamor for genuine land reform and national industrialization fell on deaf ears. The peace negotiations that are supposed to come up with a Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER) were stalled and not gaining any headway due to the GRP’s dogged determination to force a ceasefire and lack of sincerity in the peace process,” Ramos said.
Ramos added, “President Duterte can either choose to genuinely side with the people or face wider mass protests and resistance against his presidency.”
Peace talks, CASER relevant and needed
The KMP leader said the peace negotiations and the forging of a CASER is still important.
“The GRP should do its task and cooperate with the NDFP in accelerating the peace talks and the CASER. But it seems that what the GRP have accomplished so far is to delay talks and disagree with many of the pro-people proposals forwarded by the NDFP.”
“Although the GRP peace panel agreed in principle to free land distribution, farmers know that we can only realize this through our struggle and assertion. Dismantling land monopoly is the first key step in achieving genuine land reform and rural development,” Ramos said.
KMP said it will mobilize tens of thousands in a nationally-coordinated protest coinciding with Duterte’s SONA.
Prior to the SONA, farmers organizations will launch actions ranging from occupation of lands, protest camp-outs, barricades and Kadenang Magsasaka in towns, provinces and regions.
“Farmers, fisherfolk and agricultural workers nationwide will link arms and demand genuine land reform,” said Antonio Flores, KMP secretary general.
On July 23, farmers will lead in the State of the Peasant Address outside the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). Contingents from Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog will proceed to the National Capital Region to join the multisectoral mobilization on July 24. ###
Reference: KMP Chairperson Danilo Ramos, 0999-4363493
