Canada helps develop hundreds of Pinoy SMEs
Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Sutherland, said that for the past seven years, the Canadian Executive Services Organization-Business Advisory Project (CESO-BAP) has benefited over 500 SMEs nationwide who availed of the services of more than 200 Canadian volunteer business experts.
Sutheran said the sound business advisory services and technical assistance given by the volunteer business experts through the said Canadian International Development Agency project contributed much to the transformation of the country’s SMEs into more successful and sustainable operations which in turn created jobs, increased income and improved living standards and conditions in countless communities, especially in the rural areas.
During a recent CESO-BAP forum in
“This is a way of helping address the problems that starting SMEs usually face and at the same time expand their growth when they are able to already establish their businesses,” Sutherland said.
The Canadian ambassador said the CESO-BAP was able to help small businesses in the country grow.
Tom Moiket, country project manager of CESO-BAP, told The STAR that the initiative in starting the business advisory services in the country stemmed from the fact that thousands of micro and small enterprises were attempting to grow and develop but they just did not have the knowledge, experience and resources they needed to succeed.
“The business advisory services cover a wide range in the operations of the SME, including market, financial management as well as product development,” Moiket said.
Pam Koch, CESO regional director for
“The Filipino businessmen and Filipino businesswomen are the most entrepreneurial people I’ve met. I would encourage them to seek assistance wherever they can get it, if they require it and not to be afraid,” Koch said.
The over 200 Canadian business advisers were able to impart their expertise and knowledge to Philippine SMEs involved in different sectors such as food processing, gifts, toys and housewares, manufacturing, and even in tourism-related industries such as hotel and restaurant operation.
“How pleased I am to see the program succeed and now with its new phase in partnership with a local organization,” Sutherland said.
Sutherland also cited the partnership between CESO-BAP and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) for a more localized implementation of the business advising mechanism.
The partnership between CESO-BAP and PBSP, which actually started as early as 2001, is seen to further empower the poor by promoting business sector leadership in and committing to promote poverty alleviation programs that lead to self-reliance.
The CESO-BAP and PBSP mechanism shall involve tapping the services of homegrown Filipino volunteer experts, and not just Canadian senior executives, to help as many as possible local SMEs to succeed.
“The PBSP’s focus on SMEs is a continuing focus and we expect it to remain that way for some time. We have met with some successes. And we have noticed that communities where successful enterprises have develop are communities that are more self-reliant and take care of their own specific needs which is supportive of PBSP’s own objectives,” said Paul Dominguez, chairman of the PBSP Mindanao regional executive committee.
Moiket said the CESO-BAP and PBSP partnership works two ways, one is in the development of the country’s hundreds of SMEs and the other is in flourishing of the spirit of volunteerism among Filipinos.
According to Roberto Aboitiz, member of the PBSP board of trustees, there are now 500 Filipino professionals and experts in the country who are in the PBSP roster possessing key competencies, “that would certainly be the envy of consulting firms”.
The Filipino volunteer experts, Aboitiz added, are expected to help SMEs achieve increased sales revenues and production levels, creation of new products and services, market expansion as well as access to investments.
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