22 Aklan entreps finish mentoring program

KMME Batch 2019 graduates with Assistant Secretary Blesila A. Lantayona, Paulo M. Tibig and Ms. Aimee Diane Tidalgo from Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE), DTI Aklan personnel headed by OIC-Provincial Director Ma. Carmen I. Iturralde, BIPP panelists and other guests.

Twenty-two entrepreneurs proudly marched during the graduation exercise of the Kapatid Mentor Micro Enterprise (KMME) Program last August 13, 2019 at Andres Resort, Poblacion, Nabas, Aklan.

This is the 3rd run of the program in the province of Aklan which started in 2017. KMME Batch 2019 call themselves “Ecopreneurs”, entrepreneurs who adopt environmentally friendly business practices.

KMME is a capacity building program for entrepreneurs under the partnership between the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE) - Go Negosyo and the DTI. It aims to help micro, small and medium enterprises scale up their businesses through weekly coaching and mentoring by practitioners on the different functional areas of entrepreneurship, namely, entrepreneurial mind setting and values formation, marketing, product development and innovation, market development and expansion, operations management, supply and value chain, human resource and organizational management, entrepreneurial accounting, taxation, and business law.

The ceremony was graced by the DTI Regional Operations Group Officer-in-Charge, Assistant Secretary Blesila Lantayona, representatives from the PCE, DTI-Aklan personnel headed by OIC - Provincial Dir. Ma. Carmen Iturralde, panelists and family members of the graduates.

Before the graduation ceremony, the mentees presented their Business Improvement Plans (BIPs) to a panel of evaluators. A total of 15 panelists from the business sector, financial institutions, and the government sector were invited to provide feedbacks and additional recommendations on the business improvement plans presented by the mentees.

During the graduation ceremony, DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez congratulated the graduates through a recorded video, Presidential Advisor for Entrepreneurship Mr. Jose Ma. “Joey” Concepcion III also congratulated the graduates in his message delivered by Ms. Aimee Diane Tidalgo of PCE, and an inspirational message was given by Assistant Secretary Blesila Lantayona.

They have all expressed their warm congratulations to the graduates and emphasized the continued efforts of DTI and PCE together with other agencies to provide assistance to the entrepreneurs under various programs, such as shared service facility (SSF) for equipment provision, P3 or Pondo para sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso for financial support, and One-Town One-Product (OTOP), and Go Lokal for marketing aspect.

One of the mentees, Mel G. Quimpo of MGQ Beauty and Fashion, gratefully said, “The Kapatid Mentor ME Program gave me the opportunity to be coached and advised by successful entrepreneurs on how to run my business...” during the testimonial part of the program as KMME has helped the mentees develop their mindset and values as entrepreneurs.