> ChocoNAGA
®
“The taste of Naga!, “A city has never tasted this good!” state
the colorful banner that advertises the newly launched ChocoNAGA®
chocolate at the Business Week celebration on February 7 to 10,
2006 held at the Ateneo de Naga University (AdNU). The distinct
chocolate bar with roasted pili nuts are produced in Naga City by
Ms. Marian Gabrielle J.Bordado, a budding entrepreneur and junior
B.S. Entrepreneurship student of AdNU. ( She is the eldest
daughter of Naga City vice mayor Gabby and Prof. Gina Bordado of
CSSAC). She is one of the many student-entrepreneurs who have
set-up their own businesses, and started selling their products to
various trade fairs, thus fast gaining the attention of the buying
public.
Other enterprises owned and managed by Ateneo students are:
Sweetven Enterprises (pilinut chocolate), Breadwinner Bakeshop
(bread and pastries), Sinarapan (dried fish), Oragon Instant
Cacao, Bukeeri Book and Gift Shop, Lyme’s Dishwashing liquid,
Zapodilla (chico wine), Arona Orgullo enterprise (cacao and
powderized products), Flheminech Squash Ketchup Maker, VurdaBhex (embroided
products), Dean’s Coffee Barako, Café Honce (University canteen),
Trends (school supplies & souvenir items), Yucca Chips (cassava),
Musaceae (banana wine) among others.
Besides the Ateneo students, other participating schools which put
up display booths for the products of their respective
student-entrepreneurs are: Camarines Sur State Agricultural
College (CSSAC), Catanduanes State College, University of
Northeastern Philippines (UNEP), Universidad de Santa Isabel (USI),
Camarines Norte State College, San Jose Community College in Albay,
and the Felix Alfelor Memorial College in Del Gallego, Camarines
Sur.
***
The four-day activity was sponsored by the AdNU College of
Commerce with the theme: ”Responding to the Challenge in Business
and Entrepreneurship Education” with Presidential Consultant for
Entrepreneurship Jose “Joey” Concepcion III as key resource
person. Mr. Concepcion was represented by a trusted confidante,
Oscar Gomez Jr., of the newly formed Philippine Center for
Entrepreneurship.
Resource speakers for the 3-day Seminar in Business Management and
Entrepreneurship are : Dr. Edwin p. Bernal, Dean of AdNU College
of Commerce on “THE AdNU ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM” Ms.. Prescilla
M. Encilla, Provincial Director of DOST Camarines Sur on “THE
DOST-ACADEME PARTNERSHIP TOWARDS DEVELOPING STUDENT
ENTREPRENEURS”; and Mr. Adolfo Olivan, a prominent businessman, on
“THE BICOLANO ENTREPRENEUR.”
Dr. Nora F. Bisana of AdNU Accountancy Department on “THE GURU
SYSTEM FOR STUDENT ENTREPRENEURS”; Dr. Allan M. Ruizo of the Small
and Medium Enterprises Development Institute (SMEDI) on “FINANCING
AND FUND SOURCING FOR STUDENT ENTERPRISES’; Mr. Ronald P. Lagaso,
Fair Trade Promotions Officer, on “FAIR TRADE ORIENTATION”; Dr.
Dennis Rebueno, Education Specialist-Business Education, CHED on
“STATUS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN BICOL”; Dean
Danilo Cabulay, President, Entrepreneurship Educators’ Association
of the Philippines (ENEDA), and Dean of the College of Business &
Accountancy, FEU-Manila, on “DEVELOPING STUDENT-ENTREPRENEURS”.
Gov. L-Ray Villafuerte of Camarines Sur, on “PROVINCIAL
GOVERNMENT’S INITIATIVES TOWARDS CREATING AND DEVELOPING SMEs IN
CAMARINES SUR’; NEDA Regional Director Romeo C. Escandor, on
“HENEDA PLANS AND PROGRAMS, ITS RELEVANCE TO SMEs IN BICOL”; Mr.
Florencio Mongoso Jr, Metro-PESO-Naga on “EMPLOYMENT GENERATION
AND ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT:THE NAGA CITY EXPERIENCE”; Manager
Eduaro Plopenio of Community Development Foundation, Inc. on
“MICROFINANCING: THE CDFI EXPERIENCE”; National President Danilo
de Leon of the Kolping Society Philippines on “EDUCATING THE
BICOLANO YOUTH TOWARDS ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND ALTERNATIVE
EMPLOYMENT; THE KOLPING SOCIETY EXPERIENCE; DTI Provincial
Director Edna Tejada on “THE PROSPECTS OF SMALL BUSINESSES IN
BICOL REGION.”
The Regional Search for the Best Students’ Business Plans 2006 was
also held and sponsored by the AdNU Association of Young
Entrepreneurs. On the last day, awards were distributed for the
“Best Dressed Booth, Trade fair 2006” “Top Grosser, Trade Fair
2006”, and “Best Students’ Business Plan”
***
The Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE) is a non-profit
organization established in 2005 by eight Filipino entrepreneurs
through the initiative of Presidential Consultant for
Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion. These founding trustees are Tony
Tan Caktiong (Jollibee Foods Corp.), Socorro Ramos (National
Bookstore), Dr. Rolando Hortaleza (Splash Group), Atty. Felipe
Gozon (GMA Network), Harley Sy (SM), Viviene Tan (Thames
International School & Colleges), and Joselito Campos (UFC, Del
Monte).
Besides seeding the initial operations, the trustees have lent
encouragement to the Center’s programs promoting entrepreneurship
education. They see the educational system as the main avenue for
cultivating entrepreneurial traits and skills, leading to the
creation of more business owners in the future. PCE will intervene
in the key stages of the entrepreneur’s “life cycle”- from the
time he starts learning the basics, generating ideas, and
sharpening a business plan to setting up the business, raising
capital, expanding, harvesting, divesting, and going on to another
startup. PCE will focus on helping improve how entrepreneurship is
taught in schools. It will assist in enhancing the curricula,
developing materials, training the teachers, and involving real
entrepreneurs in the learning process. PCE has also been
organizing for a and meetings among educators, policymakers and
businessmen to bring out the current thinking and encourage
cooperation among stakeholders. Moreover, PCE is scouring the
globe for best practices in entrepreneurship education. For
non-formal education, it will soon adopt a module developed by the
New York-based national Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE),
widely viewed as the most successful program in the world for
teaching entrepreneurship in low-income youth.
PCE will be at the forefront of making business plan competitions
(BPCs) a “hip” activity with students and schools. PCE believes
that BPCs do not only hone technical skills but also spark
creativity, a trait common to almost all successful entrepreneurs.
For th first year alone, four national contests are already in the
pipeline. Such contests will also encourage networking and the
matching of startup ideas with mentors and potential investors.
PCE is also assisting the “Believe and Inspire” Movement, which
taps renowned entrepreneurs to become high-profile advocates and
speakers, sharing their stories and encouraging others to go into
business like them. As spokespersons of Believe & Inspire, these
entrepreneurs also play a key role in trying to change attitudes
that curtail the entrepreneurial spirit and mindset-whether it’s
the fear of failure and risks, or misconceptions about business
ownership and self-employment.
Finally, one of the PCE’s strategic goals is for its programs and
efforts to spawn “Go NeGOsyo Communities” where the academic,
business, and government sectors are drawn into a triangle of
almost seamless collaboration. A Go Negosyo community is
envisioned as an ecosystem that thrives on synergy, continuous
networking, mentoring, and cooperation among students, teachers,
entrepreneurs, industry experts, venture capitalists, and
investors-supported by a viable policy environment. Such vibrant
communities are likely to emerge in school campuses and will be
distinguished by its ability to produce a stream of start-up
ventures., the primer of the PCE concluded.
For those who want to learn and thrive in business, attend the Go
NeGOsyo Summit at the Every Nation Leadership Institute on
February 23, and the Go NeGOsyo Expo at the Market! Market! Trade
Halls at the Fort Bonifacio Global City in Taguig on February
24-25, 2006. Listen to distinguished entrepreneurs share their
knowledge, insights and experiences and how to make it big in
business. You can also visit over a hundred booths featuring
effective business models, and gain pointers in starting or
improving your chosen business venture, For more information you
can contact this column at 4777 054 or email me at hamodyong@hotmail.com
QUOTE
“We need more Filipinos to believe in this country. And from
believing, they should inspire other people. I’m hoping that this
cycle of believing and inspiring would be led by successful
entrepreneurs. We need this kind of inspiration for this country
to become great again.” - Jose Concepcion III
