UP PRESIDENT Alfredo Pascual INQUIRER PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion said President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. made a good decision in appointing Alfredo “Fred” Pascual as incoming secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Pascual is the current president of the Management Association of the Philippines.
“President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. made an excellent choice in appointing Pascual as his DTI chief. This is a testament of his commitment to support micro, small and medium enterprises,” Concepcion said.
“With Fred as secretary, there will be continuity in programs and policies that help and support MSMEs in the country especially now that we are on our way towards economic recovery.”
Concepcion said Pascual’s past works and his passion for MSMEs will help him become an excellent DTI chief, especially when it comes to small businesses.
“Considering his work in the past and his passion for MSME development, I firmly believe he will be a good DTI head,” he said.
As a long-time supporter of Go Negosyo, Pascual has been a regular mentor and resource speaker for Go Negosyo programs.
Concepcion said Pascual played an important role in the strengthened public and private sector partnership to aid in the pandemic response.
Pascual also supported several proposals of Go Negosyo like increased mobility for the vaccinated and the reopening of the economy when the country saw a slowdown in COVID cases.
“Pascual is assured of full support from Go Negosyo, especially his plans and programs for MSMEs,” he said.
Go Negosyo is one of DTI’s partners as they have been working together for a long time to bring prosperity for all through several programs and campaigns like Pilipinas Angat Lahat. Concepcion is currently the co-chair of the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Development (MSMED) Council under DTI. He is also the chair of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council whose main focus is to help MSMEs scale up and in a more inclusive economy.
Concepcion also thanked outgoing DTI Secretary Mon Lopez for his excellent job in heading the agency in the past almost six years.
“Lopez’s leadership helped businesses bear the brunt of various challenges, particularly during the pandemic. We thank him for his service,” he said.