The Private Sector Advisory Council's (PSAC’s) Jobs group headed by Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion on Tuesday, August 23, announced the launching of the “Kapatid Angat Lahat Program” on Friday, August 26.

In a statement, Concepcion said the program will be launched at the MSME (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) Summit which be held at The Manila Hotel.

Using the Go Negosyo paradigm of giving MSMEs access to capital, markets, and mentoring, he said the “Kapatid Angat Lahat Program” is a public-private partnership effort to promote inclusive economic growth.

One of the projects under the “Kapatid Angat Lahat Program”, Concepcion said, is a one-stop-shop platform for MSMEs where they can access business opportunities, information, and the connections needed to successfully launch and operate a micro, small, or medium-sized business.

Guidance on legal business registration and operational requirements, formalizing informal businesses, financial capital support options, micro-loans, more robust market access, and business mentorship from ideation to sustainability are among the services provided, he added.

According to him, the program would also make it easier for big businesses to support MSMEs in expanding their businesses.

“The battle cry is ‘Pilipinas Angat Lahat’, or Prosperity for All,” he said.

One of the top initiatives listed in the five suggestions that Concepcion and the PSAC Jobs group gave to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on August 17 is Kapatid Angat Lahat.

“Raising employment is a key factor in how the administration plans to reduce poverty to single-digit levels,” it was noted.

Other suggestions include identifying labor-intensive businesses, promoting ease of doing business, upgrading skills required for the next industrial revolution, and reviewing labor laws to take into account employer and employee concerns as well as the changes in how people now work as a result of the pandemic's disruption.

It is worth noting that the benefits of expanding MSMEs were reflected in the plans, as they account for up to 63 percent of job creation in the country.

Concepcion pointed out that this figure is down from 70 percent in 2000.

However, the number of MSMEs per hundred people in the Philippines remains low at 0.9 percent, compared to Malaysia's 3.6 percent and Indonesia's 24 percent. It was stated that there is still room for more financing and value-adding in the MSME sector.

Concepcion said that in order for the government to increase the number of jobs in our country, then it must help scale up its MSMEs.

“This is where the public-private partnership with government is key.”

“We should help our MSMEs become bigger. Any effort here will contribute to creating more jobs. This is the Circle of Success we create when everyone in the ecosystem grows and where no one is left behind,” he continued.