ARMM holds MSME summit

CULTURAL ITEMS have been in display during the conduct of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Summit held December 12 at the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Complex in Cotabato City. (BPI-ARMM – MINDANAO EXPOSE’

COTABATO CITY --- The Department of Trade and Industry in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DTI-ARMM) and the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Council (MSMEDC) held last December 12 its first ARMM MSME Summit.

The event was intended to help advance the promotion and development of micro, small, and medium enterprises in the region by empowering local entrepreneurs and providing them with information on the latest trends in the local and global markets.

The DTI-ARMM also aims at assisting the MSMEs in overcoming issues and challenges they face in the region through the summit.

The 10 most promising MSMEs in the ARMM were awarded with plaques of recognition during the program.

Regional governor MujivHataman said one of the major economic strategies in the ARMM’s Regional Development Plan 2017-2022 is the promotion and development of MSMEs.

“Handa po ang regional government na tumulong sa inyong mga maliliit na negosyo, pero ang pakiusap namin, gawin natin itong negosyo hindi lamang para sa ating mga sarili, kundi pantulong narin sa ating komunidad, lipunan, sa ating rehiyon at sa buong bansa,” he said.

The summit carried the theme: “Moving Forward through PESO-PRIDE, or People Empowerment through Social Enterprise – Poverty Reduction by Industry Development and Entrepreneurship.”

The summit gathered hundreds of delegates from the ARMM’s five provinces — Maguindanao, Lanaodel Sur, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-tawi — and other neighboring areas.

The summit’s participants come from MSMEs, local government units, the academe, business support organizations, partner government agencies, chambers of commerce and industry, and MSMED councils.

Also present during the program were ARMM Regional Vice-Governor HarounAlrashidLucman, Office of the Regional Governor ARMM Chief-of-Staff Atty. RasolMitmug, Jr., DTI-ARMM Secretary Atty. Anwar Malang, and Director Jerry Clavesillas of the Bureau of Small and Medium Enterprise Development.

The summit was one of the programs organized by the DTI-ARMM before the year ends. Other events conducted were the Agro-Industrial Forum and the Halal Chevon Stakeholders Workshop set December 13 and 18, respectively.

Recently, the department has granted P100,000 seed funding and mentoring support to each of the five winners of its first Social Enterprise Ideation Camp. The five winners are Langkit Weaving, Halal Organic Agricrops Production, and Anaya Solutions, all from the province of Lanao del Sur; Center for Integrated Organic Farming System from Maguindanao; and There is Hope in Daing from Basilan province.

The ideation camp was held in partnership with the Strengthening Civil Society Participation in Social Enterprise Education Development. (Bureau of Public Information– ARMM / MINDANAO EXPOSE’)