While Filipinos pay their respects to members of their families who have moved on to the next life — a tradition that has been with us as long as we can remember, Halloween is such a big thing for the people here in the bay area of San Francisco. Families really prepare for this event, from the kids who look forward to trick or treat up to the young teenagers who dress up in costumes and party out. Simultaneously, the San Francisco Giants celebrate their win in the World Series, which is also big event, with maybe close to a million people lining the market streets in downtown San Francisco in a huge parade for them. I guess that will equal our own parade when Pacman won his first World Boxing Championship belt several years ago. The Giants, who have won two championships in three years, don the orange color that coincidentally is the Halloween color. This should be a sight to see, since this will be our first time to spend Halloween in the States.

The East Coast is currently facing one of the strongest storms that hit them in a span of several decades. For those who are currently braving hurricane Sandy, they will be reminded of the movie ‘The Perfect Storm,’ which is based on a true to life story of six souls who were caught in a super storm back in 1991. The same scenario happened to a couple of friends who are visiting their children for semester break. The Hiranands were holed up as virtually no one was allowed out of their residences. Somehow, the Philippines, which is used to many typhoons, is somehow relieved this time as some storms veered away from us and those that passed us left with minimal damage. In a couple of days, America will get to know who will be their next president, as the race to the finish is so close. But it has been said that this hurricane can actually help Obama with the election.

Our country’s fortunes are starting to improve. Finally, great optimism from all sectors of our society is being felt. Our faith in God helped us up during the many years we have been in crisis, from the time of Martial Law up to the string of political and economic downturns that followed. We are so used to crisis that we have developed a resiliency to it. And this is actually a good thing because we are somehow forced to develop a mindset that can help us move out from poverty. After all, diamonds are formed from extreme pressure. With continuous efforts, I am sure that the Philippines will be Asia’s next gem in the future in terms of growth.

The heavy rains brought by typhoon Ofel did not stop the small and medium entrepreneurs from the CALABARZON region from attending the Go Negosyo-DTI SME Caravan held last Thursday at Tagaytay City. The participants, who were a mix of small and medium entrepreneurs, members of rural cooperatives, government institutions, and the academe, were welcomed by Rene Tongson, OIC of the Provincial Cooperative, Livelihood and Enterprise Development Office (PCLEDO), and DTI Region IV regional director Marilou Quinco-Toledo. Go Negosyo’s executive director Ramon Lopez talked about the Go Negosyo advocacy and on the key factors essential to an entrepreneurial mindset. This was followed by the Tagumpay forum, which featured successful entrepreneurs from Manila and CALABARZON. Included in the panel were Jennilyn Antonio (Ehje’s Peanut Butter), GJ Jimenez (Banapple), Zarah Juan (Panda Cleaners), Kim Lato(Kimstore), and Virginia Malipol(Amira’s Buko Tart), who shared their personal reasons in choosing an entrepreneurial path as well as the challenges that a small and medium enterprise may face, based on their experiences. In the afternoon, Go Negosyo Angelpreneurs Paulo Tibig, Ed Pilapil, and Tess Dimaculangan, as well as Marlo Carag from the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines gave the important details in spotting business opportunities, strategic marketing for SMEs, business finance, and branding and intellectual property rights.

I am glad that the local government units and the regional group of DTI under the leadership of usec. Merly Cruz have continued to work with us to empower our SME’s to be smarter and more value-adding, which in the end will propel them to grow and become more successful in business. The significant partnership between the government and the private sector paints a picture that all of the sectors are united in the vision of attaining a more progressive Philippine economy.

There will be two more months before the year ends, but Go Negosyo still has activities in store for our aspiring entrepreneurs. We will have the Managing Enterprising Families program on Nov. 21 with entrep guru Prof. Andy Ferreria and Prof. Ricky Mercado as our speakers. We are offering this program to the Go Negosyo community at a lower rate. Call 637.9229 for more details. In partnership with the Villar Foundation, we will also have the 2nd OFW and Family Summit on Nov. 22. Meanwhile, the MVP Bossing Awards is scheduled on Nov. 27 at the NBC Tent. Join our activities and be more informed and empowered! In Go Negosyo, learning does not stop.