The Department of Trade and Industry, in partnership with the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE), launched the “KAPATID Mentor Me Program (KMME)” in the province of Batangas at the SM Lipa City Event Center, Lipa City, Batangas on 03 May 2017. Batangas is the second province in CALABARZON to roll-out the KMME this year after the successful kick-off in Quezon last April.

“The micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) account for 62.8% of the total employment and 35.7% in terms of gross domestic product. In view of this, MSME is a very important sector of the economy. To address the needs of our MSMEs, the National MSME Development Council through DTI comes up with the MSME Development Plan 2017-2022, taking into consideration the priorities of every administration,” said DTI Assistant Secretary Blesila A. Lantayona.

According to Asec. Lantayona, training and capacity building to promote the culture of entrepreneurship and enterprise development is added to the current outcome portfolios such as having a business-enabling environment, access to financing, access to market, and enhanced production and efficiency.

A scene from the Mentor Me Batangas launch

Mentor Me is one of the components of the Project KAPATID, which aims to help the country’s micro and small enterprises (MSEs). It is a coaching and mentoring approach where large corporations teach the major aspects of entrepreneurship to aspiring and current entrepreneurs.

DTI CALABARZON Assistant Director Marcelina S. Alcantara emphasized the importance of being updated to the current market and innovations to be more competitive in business.

“KMME is a continuous learning program that will help MSMEs to scale-up their businesses and improve their entrepreneurial capabilities,” said Assistant Director Alcantara.

GoNegosyo Angelpreneur Armand Q. Bengco, Executive Director of Colayco Foundation for Education, Inc. and General Manager of Kapatiran sa Kasaganaan Service and Multi-Purpose (KSK-SMP) Cooperative, gave a lecture on entrepreneurial mindset and values formation. According to Bengco, some of the main reasons people engage in business are: to have the power to create, to help the community, to have a sense of ownership, to be happy, to be fulfilled, and to live a meaningful life.

“An entrepreneur is a risk-taker. In taking risks in business, what you cannot measure, you cannot manage,” said Bengco.

Mr. Victor “Vix” Madlangbayan, also a GoNegosyo Angelpreneur, talked about the aspects of marketing, stressing the importance of having a unique selling proposition—something that differentiate the product from its competitors. He also mentioned that entrepreneurship is personal, and that aside from having the necessary skills and knowledge, an entrepreneur should have an interest in the business he/she wants to venture into.

The program included the discussion on Go Negosyo/Kapatid Mentor Me by Mr. Paul Anthony de Guzman of PCE, Negosyo Center by Ms. Elena A. Pesa of DTI Batangas, followed by an inspiring success story of Ms. Virginia Dimayuga, owner of Edna and Rebecca’s Banana Chips and Coated Peanut, and a business consultation facilitated by PCE and certified local mentors.

The Mentor Me in Batangas is expected to run from May to July. The modules 12 will be about the business model canvass, product development/assessment and innovation, operations management, supply and value chain, human resource and organization management, entrepreneurial accounting and financial management, taxation, and business law.