BAGUIO CITY (PIA) – – The Cordillera regional offices of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) conducted the 2024 Regional Youth Business Pitch Competition in Baguio City on October 17 with a young aspiring designer from Benguet emerging as the winner.
CHED scholar Hanna Lei Pacito, a finalist from DTI Baguio-Benguet, pitched her business idea of “Silpo-Silpo Collections” that re-explores sustainable fashion by introducing detachable clothing designs to fit the wearers’ clothing requirement such as turning pants into shorts by simply removing certain portions of the outfit, according to DTI.
Silpo-Silpo offers sustainable, quality and innovative clothing that includes modular hoodie garments, modular garment with Inabel (Cordillera fabric), among others.
In second place was the “Protein Shakez” by Benjamin Sotelo of Baguio-Benguet, and in third place was the “JE Dairy Farm” by Jerald Encollado of Kalinga.
This DTI-CHED collaborative project called YEP (Youth Entrepreneurship Program) x Project Marites (Mobilizing Available Resources through Inclusive Training on Entrepreneurship of Student grantees) aims to promote entrepreneurship to the Cordillera youth by capacitating them with business tools and lessons that will encourage and bolster their business ideas.
Project ‘Marites’ is the first and only entrepreneurship training program exclusively designed for student grantees of the Tertiary Education Subsidy and Tulong Dunong Program.
The youth mentees undergo a week-long business module learning session and each making a business pitch. The top two innovative business ideas for each province compete in the regional pitching competition.
CHED Chairperson Prospero De Vera III, in his inspirational message, congratulated DTI – CAR and CHED – CAR and their other partners for their YEP Marites Program, which he cited as aligned to the education vision of the President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., which is to help the students hone their skills and competitiveness while they are in school, so that they willhave better employment opportunities when they graduate.
“I am happy with this project that is helping students, while they are students, get interested in developing their skills and competencies. This is part of the equity and exclusiveness we are pursuing under this Administration,” De Vera said.
Pacito, in her response message, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to DTI and CHED–CAR, and all other program stakeholders for providing the opportunity to join an entrepreneurship training which is a step in realizing her dream to be a fashion designer even while studying.
“Ever since po talaga nung bata ako, I dream of becoming a fashion designer and we are notreally that privileged. My father is a meat vendor, my mother is a housewife pero ini -encourage nila ako dun sa dream na ‘yon. Mahilig po ako sa Barbie dolls, and ayun, dun ponagsimula ‘yung hilig ko sa pagtatahi na. Nagtatahi po ako using ‘yung mga scrap fabrics po, nanghihingi po ako dun sa mga nagtatahi, ‘yung mga tailoring shop humihingi po ako ng mgascrap fabrics,” Pacito shared. **JDP/CCD with Danielle Canlas, PIA CAR– SLU Intern