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Manila Bulletin devider Trade & Energy devider First PH MSME ecommerce platform launched

First PH MSME ecommerce platform launched

Published Jul 18, 2023 09:31 am
The Department of Trade and Industry launched the country’s first Philippine ECommerce Platform (PEP) and presented the digitalized One Town, One Product, or OTOP Philippines to enable micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) reached a nationwide market initially. The launch of the PEP and the presentation of the digitalized OTOP Philippines highlighted the National MSME Summit 2023 with the theme "Upgrade, Upskill, and Upsize MSMEs" held Tuesday, July 18 at The Manila Hotel. This year’s MSME Summit, spearheaded by the MSME Development Council, brought together more than 1,000 participants, including entrepreneurs, tech startups, academicians, business experts, mentors, and enablers. It served as a platform for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and inspiration, fostering discussions on the immense opportunities and challenges in today's globally competitive business environment. DTI Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual, who is also chair of SMED Council that spearheaded various MSME initiatives, said that the PEP will initially provide a national market reach for MSMEs as they are  normally limited to their own localities or regions. “Eventually, these MSMEs will go beyond Philippine borders,” said Pascual during the Summit Forum. The PEP is the first government omnichannel platform created to promote Filipino businesses and help them expand online. PEP prioritizes Filipino products and onboards businesses officially registered with DTI and other agencies, adding another layer of consumer protection. The PEP is in collaboration with the Department of Information, Communications and Technology and the National Development Co. It grants buyers access to a wider range of locally-made products by leveraging public sector initiatives such as Go Lokal. Moreover, it is integrated with the eGov Super App, a platform for all Philippine government services. To further promote MSME digitalization, DTI partnered with SOMAGO to provide OTOP-assisted MSMEs with a new-fangled online store that is locally based in the Philippines and founded in 2021. SOMAGO provides a safe, fun, easy, and unique one-stop e-commerce platform with a shopping marketplace and a variety of services including tour packages. This year’s MSME Summit underscored the importance of empowering MSMEs by elevating their capabilities, enhancing their skills, and expanding their operations to thrive in a rapidly evolving business landscape. The event served as a valuable platform for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and inspiration, equipping MSMEs with tools, insights, and connections necessary to thrive in the dynamic and challenging business environment. “In the Philippines, MSMEs are not merely businesses. They are the bedrock of our economy. It is the Filipino MSMEs who keep our economy vibrant, diverse, and inclusive. Our MSMEs offer opportunities to our communities, enrich our local culture, foster innovation, and enable equitable economic growth,” said Pascual, who is also chairman of the MSMED Council. “We must commit to helping our MSMEs upgrade their technologies, upskill their workforce, and upsize their operations. We must work diligently to ensure our MSMEs have the tools, resources, and support necessary to grow and flourish,” he added. He stressed the need to first, "Upgrade." In this digital age, integrating technology into our business operations is no longer a luxury but a necessity. We must leverage digital tools and platforms to increase our MSMEs' competitiveness. Next, "Upskill" as he noted that human capital remains the most valuable resource of any enterprise. Investing in training and development ensures workforce has the necessary skills and knowledge to drive businesses forward. The ultimate goal is growth or “Upsize" with the help of the Small Business Corporation (or SB Corp) for the needed financing. “The path to ‘Upgrade, Upskill, and Upsize’ is no walk in the park, but it is an exciting and necessary journey. The fulfillment of this vision is not just the task of the government alone but a collaborative effort among all stakeholders, including businesses, academe, and civil society.” Said Pascual. Also launch at the summit was the 2024 Presidential Awards for Outstanding MSMEs. The 2024 Presidential Awards for Outstanding MSMEs will recognize enterprises, in particular, small and medium enterprises that have consistently shown remarkable achievements in business management and financial performance. The awarding ceremony is set to take place during the National MSME Summit 2024. Awardees of DTI-Small Business Corporation (SB Corp.) MSME Asenso Awards and Go Negosyo Inspiring MSME Awards were also recognized during the Summit. The MSME Asenso Awards of the DTI-SB Corp. gives honor to our distinguished MSMEs as well as Partner Financial Institutions (PFIs) that have shown exemplary performance as successful enterprises and PFIs and continue to be instrumental in our goal to transform the Philippine MSME landscape. The Go Negosyo Inspiring MSME Awards has been recognizing individuals and enterprises nationwide for their leadership roles in their respective enterprises, which led to their success, and for being an inspiration to fellow Filipinos in taking the route toward entrepreneurship. The Summit also showcased the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)’s initiatives on Standard Business Loan Application Form (SBLAF) and Credit Risk Database (CRD) Project. SBLAF aims to streamline the loan application process and make it more borrower-friendly for MSMEs while the CRD Project aims to enhance access to credit for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which involves the development of a statistical scoring model that can enhance a bank’s SME credit assessment toolkit for risk-based lending that may reduce dependence on collateral, improve loan pricing, and ultimately support access to finance of SMEs. In addition, the Summit featured the book launching of the MSME Resilience Core Group (RCG)'s publication titled "From Surviving to Thriving: Introducing the MSME Guide to Disaster Resilience." This guidebook provides checklists, guide questions, and tools that will help MSMEs assess business risks and make necessary preparations to ensure business continuity during times of disaster or emergencies. It also offers guidance on how to swiftly recover from crises that businesses may encounter.

Related Tags

OTOP MSMES DTI Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual digital MSMEs
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