Los Angeles Consul General Adelio Angelito S. Cruz (2nd row; 9th from left), Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) Vice Chairman Bing Sibal-Limjoco (1st row; 5th from left), PFA Executive Director Chit Estrada (2nd row; leftmost), Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC)-Los Angeles Trade Commissioner Celynne Layug (1st row; 3rd from left), and members of the Filipino community in Los Angeles.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through the Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC)- Los Angles, conducted a Franchising Seminar on 16 November 2017 with the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) and the Philippine Consulate General – Los Angeles. The event was attended by 40 participants composed of Fil-Am community, businessmen, and media.

Ms. Bing Sibal-Limjoco, Vice-Chairman of PFA and CEO of Francorp Philippines gave an overview of Philippine franchising and discussed the trends, opportunities, and advantages of franchising.

Franchising is one of the platforms for fostering the culture of entrepreneurship in the Philippines and one of the ways to support MSME policy. The PFA has seen the benefits of offering franchising as a strategy to grow one’s business and for those interested in doing business through franchising. It is notable that Philippine brands have likewise established their operations in foreign markets such as the US. Apart from prominent Philippine franchise brands, franchise startups such as Belgian Waffle have started to penetrate the US market with its first franchise store opening in San Diego, California, USA.