Dept. of Trade and Industry (DTI) Sec. Alfredo Pascual got the nod of the Go Negosyo for his support of the country’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), his role in promoting public-private sector partnerships, and the influx of investments that promise to create more jobs for the country.

Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion said that Sec. Pascual clearly had the confidence of industry groups and conglomerates during the multiple consultations that were held as part of his role as the leader of the Jobs group of the Private Sector Advisory Council. “The confidence is there that Sec. Pascual can lead the public-private partnership as we scale up our MSMEs, promote the country as open for business here and abroad, and address the need to upskill our workforce to create quality jobs,” he said.

Concepcion also noted Pascual’s active support of entrepreneurship. “MSMEs account for more than 62 percent of jobs in the country. Helping Filipino MSMEs is a task we can’t do alone. We have always been strengthened by our solid partnership with the DTI and its leadership,” he said.

In the first council meeting of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Council, Concepcion said Pascual, as its chairman, was able to engage and encourage every member to better participate and be more effective in resolving the issues at hand.

“The DTI was key to our Kapatid Mentor Micro Enterprises (KMME) Program,” he said. The program, which is conducted by Go Negosyo alongside the DTI and its regional units, has been responsible for scaling up through formal mentorship over 12,000 small and medium entrepreneurs all over the country. 

“I can’t emphasize enough the importance of the mentors who give of their time and expertise to the KMME and our mentoring roadshow, 3M on Wheels, and Sec. Fred Pascual has been part of these mentorings in various capacities over the years,” said Concepcion. This year alone, the 3M on Wheels has mentored almost 4,000 aspiring and active entrepreneurs through its free mentoring program. This adds to the thousands moreentrepreneurs who received free mentoring online through Go Negosyo’s Facebook Live show, Go Negoshow, during the course of the pandemic lockdowns.

“It’s a showcase of what public and private partnership can do, especially with a leader who is committed to helping build our MSMEs,” he said.