SMEs get help in preparing for Asean integration

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) intends to work with the government in implementing the policies and programs which would ensure that the country’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are ready for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) integration.

In a statement yesterday, PCCI president Alfredo Yao said the country’s largest business organization is most concerned with promoting the development of SMEs as part of a global supply chain through outsourcing and subcontracting products and services.

“Our joint concern in the private and public sectors is not only to ensure that the policies and programs are firmly in place, but also that their design and implementation have effective impact on the competitiveness of enterprises, particularly of SMEs,” he said.

SMEs serve as the backbone of each of the ASEAN’s 10 member countries and employ more than 90 percent of their respective work force.

Yao noted that government policies and programs could strengthen the participation of small enterprises in the global supply chain.

The PCCI, he said, would continue to monitor implementation of strategic plans and programs with government agencies such as he National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Trade and Industry, and the Department of Agriculture.

The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), to be established in December 2015, will transform Southeast Asia into a region with free flow of goods, services, skilled labor, investments and capital.

The AEC is expected to open opportunities and give benefits for Philippine companies and entrepreneurs if barriers to success are reduced through adequate supply and prices of energy, access to financing, ease of doing business, access to market information, development of technology, market promotion, and development of human resources.

“Zero-tariffs for made-in-Asean products and services have been in force since 2010, so we have had lots of practice,” Yao said. 

“As time between now and December 15 next year narrows, we have to make use of the lessons learned to improve the impact of the strategic policies and programs on local enterprises in the remaining months,” he added.

As part of helping improve the competitiveness of small enterprises for the ASEAN integration, the PCCI and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council – Philippines will hold the first in a series of workshops on Friday at the PCCI Training Center, Mckinley Hill, Taguig City.

The seminar would to introduce the concept of process control to SMEs as a tool to increase their productivity and improve their product’s quality, thereby allowing them to compete and penetrate the growing ASEAN market.