Asia SME Forum
27 March 2025, 3:00 PM | Manila Marriot Hotel
Mr. Aldi Garcia, PWC Philippines, Mr. Chino Sandiego, What’s Your Plan International, Mr. Chris Islan, Dev Team, Ms. Karen Salutan, EduSign, Mr. Enzo Marfal, ANCAP, PH Business Services, Ms. Michelle Tew Lim, Chan, Mega Prime, Mr. Nathan Marquez, E-Biz Solution, Mr. Raymond Reyes, Motiva Prime, Mr. Mark Kennedy Baguton, Phil Adhisi, Mr. Joey Marcelo, Santi International, Ms. Rosemary Rafael, Airspeed, Captain Stanley Ng, and to everyone here, a pleasant morning to everyone, fellow public servants, inspiring entrepreneurs, visionary women leaders, friends in the advocacy of enterprise and empowerment, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Magandang umaga po sa inyong lahat.
To my dear friend, Rosemary Rafael, thank you for the kind words and continued trust. And to the incredible team behind the Asia CEO events, particularly Chairman Richard Mills and Rebecca Bustamante, thank you for creating this platform where Filipino excellence can truly shine.
It is truly an honor to stand before you today, a room filled with leaders who collectively demonstrate the immense potential and value of Filipino businesses. In these crucial times, when global headlines speak of economic uncertainty, rising geopolitical tensions and technological disruption, the Philippines tells a different story. We are emerging as one of Asia’s fastest-growing economy.
To be honest, I’ve been out of the country to really encourage foreign investments to come in, and we’ve got really great response. So we look forward to sharing our success stories in the next few months for the different foreign investors that will be coming into the Philippines. Foreign investment is important to us.
Why? Because aside from the income that it generates for our country, it’s also the jobs that it provides. And it also helps the sales of restaurants, retail, and other indirect industries will also grow because of these large foreign investors that come into our country.
At the Department of Trade and Industry, again, we are emerging as one of Asia’s fastest-growing economy and a strong consumer confidence, a dynamic and young workforce, and a new generation of Philippine entrepreneurs with courage, positivity, and the desire to go the distance.
At the Department of Trade and Industry, we have personally witnessed how this transformation unfolded, and as a former entrepreneur myself, I truly understand the hardships it takes to build something from ground up. Success stories abound. We can speak of a Sarisari store owner in Davao who scaled up her distribution channel from her barangay to become a chain of outlets in the region.
These stories and so much more stories to tell. These stories of success are not rare anymore. They are multiplying because we are working together, government, businesses, and civil society to nurture an environment where MSMEs don’t just survive, but they lead, inspire, and thrive.
But beyond the numbers, our strategy is focused on a simple truth. When we support Philippine entrepreneurs, we don’t just grow businesses, we grow communities, and we also help families, and we uplift the lives of the people that are working for us. So this one is very important.
We at the DTI are doing this not just as mere obligation, but out of firm belief in our people’s capacity and potential, because when we invest in our fellow Filipino, we invest in a nation that knows how to rise together and uplift each other. As we look ahead, let us recommit ourselves to this vision that no Filipino with a dream should be left behind. That every business, no matter how small, deserves a chance to grow and to shine.
And that in every province, town, and barangay, there lives an entrepreneur worth believing in. Under President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., we believe that the Filipino is worth starting businesses for. Maraming salamat, and mabuhay ang MSMEs, and of course, mabuhay ang Bagong Pilipinas.
Thank you. ♦
Date of Release: 27 March 2025
