Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose 'Joey' Concepcion III thought President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. made the right decision to tap Alfredo "Fred" Pascual as his Trade chief, saying the latter has been a supporter of small businesses.

Concepcion said this after Marcos Jr. revealed that he chose Pascual, a former president of the University of the Philippines (UP), to head the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) under his administration.

In a statement, Concepcion commended the incoming president for appointing Pascual, the current Management Association of the Philippines president, as the new DTI secretary.

"President-elect Marcos Jr. made an excellent choice in appointing Pascual as his DTI chief. This is a testament to his commitment to support micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)," he said.

"With Fred as secretary, there will be continuity in programs and policies that help and support MSMEs in the country, especially now that we are on our way towards economic recovery," he added.

According to the Go Negosyo founder, Pascual's past work and his passion for MSMEs will help him become an excellent DTI chief, especially when it comes to promoting small businesses.

"Considering his work in the past and his passion for MSME development, I firmly believe he will be a good DTI head," Concepcion said.

As a long-time supporter of Go Negosyo, Pascual has been a regular mentor and resource speaker for Go Negosyo programs.

Concepcion added that Pascual played a vital role in the strengthened public and private sector partnership to aid in the pandemic response. Pascual also supported several proposals of Go Negosyo, like increased mobility for the vaccinated and the reopening of the economy when the country saw a slowdown in Covid-19 cases.

"Pascual is assured of full support from Go Negosyo, especially his plans and programs for MSMEs," he said.

Go Negosyo is one of DTI's partners in bringing prosperity to all Filipinos through several programs and campaigns like Pilipinas Angat Lahat. Concepcion is currently the co-chair of the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Development (MSMED) Council under DTI. He is also the chair of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council, whose primary focus is to help MSMEs scale up and in a more inclusive economy.

Meanwhile, Concepcion thanked outgoing DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez for his excellent job heading the agency over the past almost six years.

"Lopez's leadership helped businesses bear the brunt of various challenges, particularly during the pandemic. We thank him for his service," he said.