Marcos Jr. calls on big companies to assist gov’t in bolstering MSMEs
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the launching of the Kanegosyo Center on Thursday, June 29, 2023. (Photo courtesy of PCO)
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday urged big businesses to join government efforts in boosting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
Speaking at the Cebuana Lhuillier group of companies’ launch of the Kanegosyo Center in Paranaque City, Marcos emphasized that MSMEs are the backbone of the country’s economy.
“This is a program that brings many, many elements together, and I am sure that if we continue to be committed to work hard and to be sensitive to the needs of the people, magiging successful naman siguro ang ating mga ginagawa sa pagtulong and to create that ecosystem for the small businesses to be able to thrive and hopefully turn small businesses into larger businesses as they go down the road,” said Marcos.
“Kailangan natin turuan ang maliliit na negosyante kung papaano humawak ng pera, kung papaano mag-accounting, kung papaano makipag-usap sa bangko, kung papaano gumawa ng business plan. ‘Yan ang ginagawa – ‘yun ang pinakamahalaga at ‘yan ang ginagawa ng mga programa kagaya ng Kanegosyo,” he said.
(We need to teach small businesses how to handle money, how to do accounting, how to deal with banks, and how to make business plans. That is what is being done—that is the most important, and that is what programs like Kanegosyo do.)
The Kanegosyo Center program is a joint partnership with Cebuana Lhuillier and the government to help MSMEs.
“It is an online, one-stop-system that, among others, provides access to micro-loans, micro-insurance bundles, savings accounts, and soon micro-investment and sales systems (Kanegosyo Bundles), expertise support through a mentorship program (Kanegosyo Coach), and assistance and guidance on government processing requirements (Kanegosyo Assist),” said Cebuana Lhuillier in a statement.
Marcos, in the early part of his six-year term, vowed that his administration would help revitalize MSMEs.
