Koronadal City, South Cotabato– The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 12 has officially launched its first batch of the Kapatid Mentor Microenterprise – Money Market Encounter (KMME-MME) for 2021 with 48 enrolled entrepreneurs.
The KMME-MME Online is an upgraded program of DTI in partnership with the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE) to help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) scale up their business through lecture, coaching, and mentoring sessions with business owners and practitioners on different functional areas of entrepreneurship.
Originally done through face-to-face learning sessions, this year’s KMME-MME Online, which was launched on 5 April, is in its second year to be conducted in Region 12 through the use of a video conferencing platform without compromising health and safety of the participants due to COVID-19 pandemic.
The mentee-entrepreneurs coming from the different municipalities of the region are into the business of processing and value-adding products considered under the priority industry clusters of Region 12.
About 90% of these mentees are into food-related activities and the rest are into non-food businesses; they will undergo a rigorous 10 module-course which will run for three months.
In his welcome message, Jude Constantine S. Jaugan, the Regional Director of DTI-12, expressed high hopes of delivering still the needed services and interventions of the MSMEs despite the pandemic.
“It will be quite a task to implement the program under the new normal condition since we need to do it online. But rest assured that DTI through our Negosyo Centers and PCE are doing our best so we could still deliver a quality and effective program for all of you (mentees),” said Jaugan.
Meanwhile, Trade and Industry Undersecretary Blesila A. Lantayona congratulated the enrolled MSMEs for their interest to learn and improve their businesses.
Lantayona challenged the mentees to finish the course and apply their acquired knowledge to their respective businesses.
“We want you to be competitive and resilient amidst the challenges of the pandemic,” she said. Now in its sixth year, the program has produced 404 mentee-graduates with some who have successfully penetrated the national market. ♦
Date of Release: 08 October 2021