BAGUIO CITY (PIA) – – More micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Cordillera benefitted from the Kapatid Mentor ME (Micro Entrepreneurs) Program of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurs.
The DTI – CAR led virtual graduation for the 102 2022 Kapatid Mentor ME completers of the 10 – module training program for batch 1 and 2 last September 6 and 7, respectively.
Kalinga has the most mentee graduates with 18, followed by Baguio City and Benguet with 16 each, Mountain Province with 14, Abra and Ifugao with 13 each, and Apayao with 12.
Kalinga has the most mentee graduates with 18, followed by Baguio City and Benguet with 16 each, Mountain Province with 14, Abra and Ifugao with 13 each, and Apayao with 12.
The MSMEs are into the business/trades of food manufacturing, food processing, wearables (clothing, fashion and accessories), ICT Services, Retail (food and non – food), Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, homestyle (furniture, decors, gifts, housewares etc.), beauty/health products and tourism.
Iloisa Diga of La Trinidad Benguet, in an interview, shared that that the mentoring program is really a big help for entrepreneurs like her, as aside from the important learnings from their mentors, it also gave them opportunity to expand their linkages and target markets.
Diga owns the Session Groceries, an online market which with its virtual Apps has been crucial in the delivery of highland vegetable products to Metro Manila buyers during the height of the pandemic.
Diga won the Best in Business Improvement Plan both at the provincial and regional level of the 2022 KMME Batch 2.
DTI – CAR Assistant Regional Director Samuel Gallardo outlined that the DTI and PCE – led KMME is a coaching and mentoring program that aims to help MSMEs improve their businesses through engagement with key business industry players and interaction with fellow entrepreneurs, as well as by introducing to them relevant government services.
The Kapatid Mentor ME Program has produced 793 mentee graduates in Cordillera since 2016.
One remarkable KMME mentee graduate in Cordillera is Shawnie Dale Bitso, owner of Oyster Mushroom Sanagi Farm in Tuba, Benguet, She was awarded as one of the Most Outstanding Micro Small and Medium Enterprises during the National MSME Summit last August 26.
Bitso belongs to the 2021 KMME Mentor Me program, whose Sanagi Farm benefitted from P650,000 assistance from the Department of Agriculture, P150 cash assistance from the City Government of Baguio and P8,000 livelihood kit from DTI. **JDP/CCD-PIA CAR
