SMEs hold week-long celebrations

The annual "Small and Medium Enterprise Development Week" will be celebrated on July 16-19, at the Philippine Trade Training Center. This year’s theme is "SMEs: Susi sa Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran."

Rep. Harry Angping, chairman of the Committee on trade and industry, will deliver the keynote speech on the July 16 opening ceremony which will be highlighted by the "Outstanding SME Awards" to be given to deserving micro, small, and medium enterprises. This award will be given to SMEs that have excelled in their respective business endeavors and have initiated measures to improve their competitiveness. The Small Business Corp. will likewise give awards to the corporation’s outstanding bank partners for its various financing programs.

A selling fair which will be participated by SMEs showcasing different products will be part of the celebration. Other activities lined up for the week includes presentations of SME support programs in areas such as policy advocacy, financing and marketing. Seminars will also be held on the following topics: financing, e-commerce, product packaging, franchising and technical skills demonstration. The seminars are free of charge. Interested participants may contact the secretariat, for reservations, at telephone numbers 890-4968 and 897-7596.

The SMED Week is being spearheaded by the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Council which Trade and Industry Secretary Mar Roxas chairs. The council is composed of government and private sector representatives.