Go Negosyo participated in the 2nd ASEAN SME Advisory Board Meeting, which was held in Kuala Lumpur. The Philippines, led by DTI Director Jerry Clavesillas and Go Negosyo Executive Director Mon Lopez who attended on behalf of Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion, chaired the meeting which was attended by key government and private sector representatives from all the ASEAN countries. There were active deliberations on the policies and programs that will increase the competencies and narrow the gap of SMEs in the region. SMEs account for more than 90% of all enterprises in all these countries.

Mr. Robert Yap, CEO of YCH, the leading supply chain and logistics company in Singapore, attended the meeting. He is one of the partners in Igloo, which is the leading provider of logistics and cold storage in the Philippines today. Others in attendance were CEOs and presidents of the respective business associations of ASEAN countries.

Another highlight of the meeting was the closing dinner, where Dato Mukhriz bin Tun Mahathir, Deputy Minister of Malaysia’s Trade and Industry and son of the former Prime Minister Tun Mahatir was the guest of honor. Our delegates had the privilege of sitting beside him to brief him on the key discussions of the ASEAN meeting, as well as other issues like the developments in the EU region and entrepreneurship development efforts in our country.

Go Negosyo also joined DTI during the first ASEAN SME Board meeting last year. Go Negosyo is hoping that these initiatives will level-up the competencies of our SMEs to create more income and employment opportunities, as well as to increase their contribution to the country’s GDP.

by Len Ocayo, 25 years old
1st place, Babae Kapuso Ka ng Bayan Essay Writing Contest

“Siya’y taong-bahay,
Ang kanyang kapatid na lalaki,
Ang ilustrado,
Ay nagdaos ng mga lihim na pulong,
Nagsulat ng mga sanaysay,
Nagtatag ng La Liga Filipina.”

Many Filipino women can only sigh about what have become their role in history and share the sentiment of Joi Barrios in her poem “Ang Kapatid na Babae ng Ilustrado,” which refers to Josefa, one of Jose Rizal’s sisters. When I was a kid, I was only taught about Gabriela Silang and Melchora Aquino. They were great women, my teacher said; but they were not included in the list of heroes whose pictures we needed to gather for our project. I thought that heroism can be measured, and that Silang and Aquino failed to meet the standards—if there were, I didn’t bother.

I was preoccupied with using my mother’s shoes then despite the clanking sound because they were too big for my feet. I would use the blanket with floral design as my cape, the bowl inverted on my head as my crown, and move my right hand from left to right repeatedly with palm facing the imaginary crowd—all of these in front of the mirror. I thought that womanhood was about beauty queens, and that I needed to rehearse. When the world gradually introduced itself to me, while years allow me to fit in my mother’s shoes, I witnessed stories that parents could never hide from their children and scenes in life that I thought are only found in history books: poverty, feudalism, corruption, pollution, child abuse, discrimination, and the traffic in EDSA, which I think mirrors every Filipino’s greatest weakness: lack of discipline. I felt uneasy with the bowl on my head, and whenever I’d ask my mother about those things, I’d get upset because she’d simply tell me to “study hard.”

Never did I realize that my disenchantment with her response would turn to empowerment because it was in books that I learned more of the unpleasant tales of the country, explored their possible solutions, and realized that women are not required to keep the bowl on their heads.

That could have been the fate of Nelia Sancho, who was Bb. Pilipinas 1st runner up in 1969 and Queen of the Pacific in 1971; but the plight of black-eyed Eves and minors at the firework factory who lost a finger or two created another world where she is still beautiful…but crownless. She was a U.P. Mass Communication student and an Upsilon Sigma Phi sorority member when she joined the anti-Marcos student movement, a decision that made her like a deity behind bars from 1976 to 1978.

This beauty queen turned activist chose other titles, chairwoman of the International Relations Committee of the Women’s Rights Movement of the Philippines (WRMP), coordinator of the United Nations (UN) Asian Women Human Rights Council (AWHRC), coordinator of Lolas Kampanyera, and president and executive director of Streetchildren and Child Workers Support Center (SCWSC). Aside from having attended several conventions abroad for the U.N. and Zonta International and making the Philippines proud, she founded the Buhay Foundation for Women and the Girl Child, Lila Filipina, and the women’s group Gabriela. Women trafficking, struggles of comfort women, and women’s battles in population policies still persist are the main championing of Sancho, as reflected on her writings, including the books “War Crimes on Asian Women,” “Military Sexual Slavery by Japan,” and “The Case of Filipino Comfort Women.”

When women are able to establish—at least to themselves–that they can matter here, there, and anywhere, they can define their dreams with a silver lining. There is really no huge difference between men and women; and most of the time, it is just physical agility. But this world is not run by wrestling every day. Men discovered things that are usually seen with the hands of a woman, like the paper clip, pop-up toaster, and sewing machine; and women invented those that seem to fall on man’s work, such as the elevated railway, submarine lamp and telescope, and the first user-friendly business computer software program.

Truly, women can achieve great things with the same time, hard work, wit, and ability that men used to mark in history. Sometimes, women are not just the beautiful Cinderella who exists only in fairy tales. Their story of dreams, resilience, and triumph radiate everywhere: where Socorro Ramos managed to save their bookstore amid foreign invasion, where Ruth Callanta established the Center for Community Transformation and promotes microfinance for her countrymen, where Cory Aquino showed unfathomable service for the country, where Rosalind Wee introduced new ways to empower women through the Philippine Federation of Local Councils of Women, where Pacita Juan does not just talk about Filipino coffee but social corporate responsibility, where Ana Julaton exceeded the limits for Maria’s physical capabilities that everybody thought, where Amina Raul-Bernardo hoped for peace through founding the Philippine Council on Islam and Democracy (PCID), where Lea Salonga, Chin Chin Gutierrez, and Charice Pempengco planted the seeds of their dreams, where Rizal’ sisters are also known as Saturnina, Narcisa, Olimpia, Lucia, Maria, Concepcion, Josefa, Trinidad, and Soledad, and where my mother told me to study hard so I can understand my country.

Yes, their story is right here in our own nation where women make life not only possible, but amazingly beautiful.

by Mark Pere Madrona, 21 years old
2nd place, Babae Kapuso Ka ng Bayan Essay Writing Contest

Filipina entrepreneurs are visible everywhere. In the broadest sense of the word, they are not only those who wear pantsuits and pearl necklaces in their daily work. The spirit of entrepreneurship is evident for every woman in the community who is managing her own sari-sari store, carinderia, or bakeshop. According to website InternationalEntrepreneurship.com, a slight majority of entrepreneurs in the country are women. This, however, does not mean that everything is going smoothly for female business owners in the country.

For many years, Marina Serapio, or “Manang Maring” to her customers, has managed a small vegetable and fruit store in Batasan Hills, Quezon City. She used to work in Brunei as a domestic helper during the 1990s, and her savings from that employment stint served as the start-up money for her business.

Aling Maring’s employment in the said Southeast Asian country reflects the prevailing trend at that time. In a paper titled “Migration in the Asia-Pacific Region[1],” University of Oxford’s Stephen Castles noted that the demand for female domestic helpers within Asia surged in the said period, a phenomenon described as the “feminization of migration.” Figures from the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency show that in 2010, women comprise close to 55% of newly-deployed land-based overseas Filipino workers[2].

Helping the 66-year-old Aling Maring in manning the store is her 76-year old husband and her 12-year-old grandchild. And despite her age, Aling Maring can still be considered as part of the labor force because technically speaking, she is self-employed (as per the definition used by the Department of Labor and Employment). In 2010, the employment rate among Filipinas stood at 93.1 percent. It can be deduced that a good chunk of these employed women actually run their own businesses.

When the going gets tough, she relies on certain Indian nationals for capital (through the 5-6 lending system). These motorcycle-riding foreigners can be seen roaming around the area during daytime either to lend money to troubled small entrepreneurs or to solicit payments. As Mari Kondo, an associate professor at the Asian Institute of Management wrote in 2003[3] for Kyoto Review, this scheme is “crucial to the most marginalized micro-entrepreneurs.”

Aling Maring is not privy with the intricacies of securing even a small loan from the government or private financial institutions. In the absence of a more stable source of daily capital, Aling Maring have learned to rely on informal lending means to make her store survive. Similar to many other small and medium entrepreneurs, Aling Maring has no formal training in business management.

This handicap may have played a key role in her business’ financial woes in recent years. The once-fledging sales of her vegetable and fruit shop eventually dwindled, which forced her to convert her stall into a sari-sari store. Unlike in the former, maintaining the latter does not require her to wake up at dawn each day to buy fresh goods. Though her tindahan has been around for six years now, Aling Maring does not see her store expanding within the next few years. After all, it still subsists on a hand-to-mouth existence.

Last September 2011, ministers of APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) member-countries held a high-level policy dialogue about the role of women in the economy. APEC leaders signed the San Francisco Declaration, which underscored the lingering reality that “the full potential of women to contribute in the regional economy remains untapped[4].”

In the Philippine context, it is safe to assume that even though women entrepreneurs are omnipresent, they are still unable to maximize their opportunities for further growth. Aling Maring’s business, for instance, didn’t gain any traction despite her perseverance. As APEC ministers wrote in the declaration, “Evidence has shown that women-owned businesses tend to be smaller and less profitable than male-owned businesses and generally have greater difficulty in accessing capital.”

It also added that the lack of information and knowledge about more formal lending practices hinders the ability of women to obtain much-needed capital. This statement essentially explains Aling Maring’s troubles. If she only knew where else to secure a loan, then she might have been able to expand her business after years of dedicated work. Evidently, more has to be done to end this boom-and-bust cycle of women-initiated businesses.

The contribution of women in the Philippine economy cannot be doubted. They comprise more than half of the labor force and they are also very active in the field of entrepreneurship. However, there is still a long way to go before they can achieve a complete realization of what they can do. Although gender per se isn’t really a constricting factor here as much as it is overseas, other challenges are present. Women entrepreneurs are constantly badgered by two questions: 1) where to secure seed money, and 2) how to hone their business skills. These will provide Pinay entrepreneurs the arms they need to survive in the competitive world of business.

The nation will certainly reap the rewards of empowering women entrepreneurs. If owners of small and medium enterprises like Aling Maring will have the chance to expand their business, this will create a ripple effect that will ultimately fuel the Philippine economy’s path to progress. As United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton remarked[5], “Businesses owned by women make considerable contributions to their national economies.” Limited access to capital and business know-show should never be allowed to be a glass ceiling for Pinay entrepreneurs.

—
Sources:
[1] Castles, Stephen and M. Miller. “Migration in the Asia-Pacific Region.” MigrationInformation.org (http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?ID=733). Accessed February 16, 2012.

[5] __________. “Women Entrepreneurs Grow Economies.” Voice of America website (http://www.voanews.com/policy/editorials/africa/Women-Entrepreneurs-Grow-Economies–133562263.html). Retrieved February 16, 2012

by Angelica Jazmin I. Cabrera, 17 years old
3rd place, Babae Kapuso Ka ng Bayan Essay Writing Contest

Ang Kababaihan ay sadyang makapangyarihan. Di makukulangan ng oras, di mauubusan ng pasensya at lalong lalo di mawawalan ng pagmamahal. Noon, kilala lamang ang Kababaihan bilang taong bahay, walang ibang ginawa at inisip kundi magsilbi at maglingkod sa tahanan. Ngunit ngayon, lubos akong humahanga sa mga kababaihang di lamang nagsisilbi sa tahanan kundi maging sa lipunan. Nakakamanghang isiping may mga Kababaihan sa tahanan na nakakaisip ng mga bagong ideya at stratehiya para lamang kumita. Mayroong gumagamit ng talento sa pananahi upang magsimula ng tahian, mayroong gumagawa ng “Home-made Biscuits”, processed meats at mayroong gumagamit ng galing sa pagdidisenyo na gumagawa ng kwintas, hikaw at bracelet. Kilalang kilala dito ang Kababaihan. Noong una, ang pagkakaintindi at pagkakahulugan ko sa isang babae ay isang “Ilaw ng Tahanan” ngunit ngayon ko lang napagtanto na ang “Babae ay ang Kapuso ng Bayan.

Natutuwa ako sa tuwing may babaeng makikilala sa larangan ng pagnenegosyo dahil naaalala ko ang pagsasakripisyo at tapang na iginagapang ng kababaihan para lamang maibigay ang pangangailangan ng pamilya. Ang aking butihing ina mismo ay aking huwaran sa pagiging matapang makipagsapalaran sa agos ng buhay ng mawalan ng trabaho ang aking ama ng ito’y magkasakit sa mata. Pinagbuhusan niya ng oras at pagod ang lahat ng pwedeng pagkakitaan. Tinutukan niya ng husto ang kanyang tindahan upang umikot ang pera at pagkukuhaan ng kita, nag-aral siyang gumawa ng mga hikaw, bracelet at kwintas na siyang binebenta namin sa paaralan at siya’y naglaan ng oras upang makapag-aral ng pananahi upang tumanggap ng patahi mula sa kanyang mga kakilala at maging hanggang ngayon ay di pa rin siya tumitigil at gustong mag-aral ng baking, na iniisip niyang magandang pagkakakitaan. Hindi siya tumitigi, wala siyang ipinakitang luha sa amin. Katapangan bilang isang tunay na babae ang umiral sa kanyang pagkatao. Sadyang ang Kababaihan ang Kapuso ng Bayan.

Ang babae ay dapat iginagalang at pinapahalagahan sapagkat ang isang babae ay parang Ilog, walang humpay sa pag-agos ng kanilang pagmamahal na dapat nating igalang at ingatan. Ang babae ang tunay na simbolo ng pagmamahal ng di dapat abusuhin. Tunay na tagumpay ng kababaihan ay tagumpay sa lipunan. Ito ang aking munting paraan ng pagpapahalaga sa Kababaihan. Sa pamamagitan ng pagsulat ukol sa kababaihan ay nabibigyan ko ng pasasalamat ang mga kababaihan. Isang ehemplo ng magandang kinabukasan. Bilang isang kabataan, ako ay lubos na humahanga sa Kababaihang lumalaban sa hirap at yumayakap sa tagumpay. Sa aking buhay na tinatahak di ko makakalimutan ang mga kababaihan na nagpakita ng katapangan at walang humpay na pagmamahal. Saludo sa lahat ng Kababaihan. Mabuhay ang lahat ng kababaihan na lumalaban at nabubuhay sa pagmamahal. Dapat nating isaisip na ang babae ay hindi lamang “Ilaw ng Tahanan” bagkus “Kapuso ng Bayan”.

By Anna Marie Periquet, Go Negosyo mentor

My post as chairman of the Young Entrepreneurs Group of Asia Pacific (YEGAP) gives me the distinct opportunity of meeting very inspiring entrepreneurs from the region. In the following interview, Mr. Wilson Jacob of India shares his ideas, experiences, and advice on entrepreneurship, who his mentors and sources of inspirations are, and what lessons he has learned from his initial ventures, among others. The 45-year-old Wilson is the Chairman and Managing Director of Kottayam Port and Container Terminal Pvt. Ltd., an export promotion infrastructure development project with 49% equity from the government of India located at Kottayam, Kerala.  He is also the recipient of the 2nd Young Entrepreneur Award of Asia Pacific.
 
 

What was your first “business venture” and what was the biggest lesson you learned from it?

An animal feed factory. It closed down in the 3rd year. I then learned how to do a business.

Who is your business mentor, or who had the greatest influence in your business life?

My father. He was not a business man. He was an engineer in government services, but he has had lots of business visions while he was working.

What advice would you give someone starting out a business today?

Do not copy a business, try to find out and do a different business from others, and do it differently.

What principle of entrepreneurship do you wish you knew when you were first starting out?

When I put up my first business, I only knew how to start it. I didn’t know any principles. I’ve learned them from my personal experience.

What has been the most satisfying decision you have made as a businessman?

Making a decision to start a business/industry and while running the business itself is very challenging. I’ve started four businesses. I cannot distinguish which ones among my decisions are satisfying and which ones are not. But I think all of them are good.

What was the toughest decision you had to make? How do you go about making tough decisions?

I think I am too good at making decisions at very crucial time and very fast, too. I think it’s the grace of the God that makes me make the right decisions at the right time. The toughest decision was to start an ICD and Minor Port utilizing inland water way at my home town Kottayam in India.

Would you recommend to someone starting out a business to attend a business school, or skip the degree and learn along the way?

I believe the degrees and education have nothing to do with the business and entrepreneurship. One has to be an evergreen student in the business field. But a good education is always helpful for communication, marketing and other planning. But this expertise you can always hire or buy, but you cannot buy or hire entrepreneurship.

Is there any difference between India and the rest of the world in the nature of your industry?

Yes, very much. I believe India is the best country to start the business or an industry because of the availability of human resources and consumerism. Also, the business management theory of the US or other countries will not work in India. India has got its own business theories and principles especially in labor issues.

What changes have you seen as a result of your business venture?

My recent venture of setting up a minor port and an Inland container depot (customs notified area for exports and imports) in my home town Kottayam has changed the region itself a lot. Two export promotion industrial parks are being set up by the government. Some of the social benefits resulting from my business venture include the generation of employment for nearly 5000 people;

Increase in the export and import activity of the neighboring four districts; diversion of nearly 7,200 containers from road to water transport from the first year itself; promotion of smart waterways; lower maintenance for roads and vehicles, fuel economy; earning of carbon credit; minimizing the road congestion; development of tourism; earning of foreign currency, and the development of an export promotion industrial park connected to this port is underway. Precisely this project has been instrumental for this development, which is beneficial to the entire central Kerala.

What were the challenges you faced in setting up your business and how did you manage them?

The challenges were many. Some of them are: Breaking the mindset of the people -  it was a big challenge for us to break the mindset of the people for undertaking such a project and galvanizing their support. Raising the fund – the people believed me because of my style of performance. After seeing my passion for the project, various agencies and individuals came forward to invest in this project. Preparation of detailed Project report – there was no previous standard set for this kind of project. Hence we had to start from scratch. We ourselves prepared the project report by collecting data from layman to experts. It is said that 50 % of the project is over if you make a good project report. And finally we did it successfully. 

Other challenges we faced included:

Development of waterway – Even though we had an existing waterway, it had to be developed and maintained for a vessel movement.

Development of road to the Port – The existing road to the facility was not sufficient for the container movement; hence we had to acquire the adjacent land belonging to the Education and Industries Department of Kerala for the widening of the road. 

Land development – The land was water logged areas which had to be converted into a useful land. That was also a big challenge. Virtually we were constructing the building and business over water. 

Construction of Barge was a big challenge – We had to use our ingenuity to design and construct a fully hydraulic propulsion container barge with 37 meter length, 7 meter width with 1.25 meter draft which can contain 10Nos of 20 feet containers and which would pass through this bund. This challenge also we took up.

Introduction of RO-RO (Roll on– Roll Off) to avoid two handlings –The question arose from the exporters, importers and Custom House Clearing agents whether the two crane handling was feasible. So in order to avoid two crane operations at port of origin and transit port, it was necessary to implement the Ro-Ro concept. Hence we had to design and construct the low bedded container trolleys with 25 tons capacity. The trolley mounted containers would be loaded and rolled on to the barge and rolled out for unloading. The handling made easy.
 

What do you think are the most important attributes of a good and successful businessman?

When you are planning to start business/ industry, try to learn as much as possible about the business. Of course you can hire highly technical manpower to run the business. But one should try to know anything and everything about that particular business. Ultimately, you are the leader and you are the one to make the decisions at a crucial time, to make the right decisions at the right time.

Are entrepreneurs born or made?

I think majority are born entrepreneurs, but some become entrepreneurs by circumstances.

*Article reposted from The Manila Times with the author’s permission


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