Concepcion urges big bizmen to help peers

FILE: Joey Concepcion, Presidential Adviser on Entrepreneurship (Photo: Joey Concepcion/Facebook)

MANILA — The chair of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC) urged businessmen to help other players, who are in need, in line with the Council’s flagship program called ASEAN Mentorship for Entrepreneurs Network (AMEN).

In his opening message for the three-day Summit that started Sunday, Presidential Adviser on Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said inclusive business means helping small businessmen achieve their goals of being successful in their fields.

Under the AMEN program, experts from three sectors — entrepreneurs, the business practitioners, and academicians — will be tapped to help micro and small businessmen on how to successfully grow their business.

Concepcion said the mentors will come from each of the 10-country members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) and will share their expertise to businessmen from whichever countries are needing it.

“That is part of the neighborhood. That is how we help. Nobody is left behind,” he said.

Concepcion said ABAC has adopted the 3M framework that focuses on mentoring, money and market.

He said mentoring is the first key to help small businessmen hit their goals.

“Without mentorship the money (and) the market won’t work,” he said.

“So I’m calling on all our businessmen here, our entrepreneurs. It must come from the heart to help many of those who need it in life. The ASEAN BAC will continue to pursue these efforts in really helping many of those out there,” he said.

Concepcion, in a briefing earlier the day, said about 99.6 percent of businesses in the Philippines are accounted for by micro and small enterprises.

Amid the size of small businesses’ share on the country’s business sector, their contribution to the domestic output is only about one-third of the total.

Thus, the government has taken steps to boost the sector and make them more competitive globally.

Concepcion, president of listed food and beverage company RFM Corporation, said the Duterte government is following the lead of China for the latter’s One belt, One road program, which, he said, is a good way to move more people and goods faster.

He said the current administration is focused on putting the necessary infrastructure to ensure logistics and digital connectivity of the people.