Microenterprise Mgmt and Dev’t Program held for 2016 CMA winners

UP ISSI trainer Jaime S. Guanzon, Jr. during a session with 2016 Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards winners.

UP ISSI in partnership with the Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc. (MCPI) and Citi Foundation recently held a five-day Microenterprise Management and Development Program exclusively for the 2016 Citi Microentrepreneurs Awards (CMA) winners from 5 to 9 June 2017 in ISSI.

UP Diliman Chancellor Dr. Michael L. Tan (seated center) with Aneth Ng-Lim, director for public affairs and corporate citizenship of Citi Philippines (seated right), and Aileen P. Paglinawan, finance and administration manager of the Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc. (seated left) together with UP ISSI Officer-in-Charge Rolando Ramon C. Diaz (second from left) and Head of Training Division Glennis S. Uyanguren (extreme left), program management team and participants of the Microenterprise Management and Development Program

UP Diliman Chancellor Michael L. Tan graced the opening of the program and encouraged the participants to become “visiting professors” to UP Diliman once they have completed the course so they could teach its students new ideas they have learned from the program.

He quipped, “Sana magkaroon tayo ng collaboration na yung mga estudyante ng UP Diliman ay mapakinggan ang bago niyong ideas, na maging inspirasyon kayo for our students, at magkaroon din tayo ng joint project at malaman namin ang inyong bagong ideas lalo na sa value chain [I wish we could have a collaboration where the students of UP Diliman would be able to listen to your new ideas, which would be an inspiration for our students, and I also wish that we could have a joint project and learn your new ideas especially in the value chain].”

Dr. Tan, who was also one of the judges who selected last year’s roster of CMA awardees, urged the participants to explore more for the advancement of their businesses by adding value or innovation to their products. “Why not add more tablea [local chocolate] particularly for [the] diabetic?  Let us add low-sugar tablea for diabetics.  After all, entrepreneurship is not all about buy and sell.  We have to add new ideas”.

Meanwhile, Aneth Ng-Lim, director for public affairs and corporate citizenship of Citi Philippines, presented the six participants, namely 2016 CMA national winner Honie Krizia M. Navor of Iloilo City, Marcelina B. Occeña of Compostela Valley, Kevin T. Pacatang of Misamis Occidental, Richel V. Vargas of Antipolo City, Wilberto M. Dagame and Renato L. Mercado of Lipa City, Batangas.

During the closing ceremony, Navor, who delivered the class response, said she was “grateful to CMA for providing this training to us”.  She also thanked UP ISSI, the lecturers and MCPI for taking care of the participants.

“We are grateful for attending this program,” she added.  “We really needed this even long time ago though we just didn’t have the time.  Thank you for the learnings.”

UP ISSI had also been tapped by MCPI and Citi Foundation to provide mentoring services to the past winners of CMA.  This year the Institute started mentoring winners in the Visayas region after two successful rounds of mentoring in Luzon in 2015 and 2016.

Share this:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *