THE Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) wants to help more micro, small and medium enterpreneurs (MSMEs) adopt innovation in their business operations.
Lilu Aliño, chairman of Cebu Business Month (CBM) 2019, said they aim to feature more stories of MSMEs that have successfully joined the mainstream companies in terms of innovation.
“We have various success stories in the innovation world and we felt that we should accomplish more in the innovation scene and become more pro-active and go beyond inspiring our MSMEs. We need to drive innovation to accomplish real benefits, drive growth and at the same time for MSMEs to benefit from the productivity,” Aliño said.
CBM is a month-long activity of CCCI that is celebrated every June. Next year, it will be the chamber’s 23rd year hosting the activity.
CBM 2019 is anchored on the theme: “Innovation in Action.”
Aliño said that one of the highlights of the CBM 2019 would be a three-day expo that will showcase more local products from MSMEs in Cebu. It will also feature an international pavilion as they have invited several countries to participate in the event.
A coffeetable book where success stories of local businesses and inventions in the innovation scene will also be launched in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
CBM activities
Other activities during the CBM include the Entrepreneurship Summit and Innovation expo which will be held on June 20 to 22 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino and the Lumba’g Laag sa Sugbo that lets participants discover the hidden wonders of the North in the province of Cebu. The three-day and two nights adventure slated on June 7 to 9 aims to promote and showcase Cebu’s tourism, food, people, culture and heritage through camaraderie and adventure.
During this year’s CBM the DOST wants the country’s MSMEs to pursue innovation in the trend of digital economy.
Quoting President Rodrigo Duterte’s speech, DOST Secretary Fortunato Dela Peña said the country is catching up on economic development by focusing on infrastructure, inter-connectivity and innovation.
He said the President is urging Filipinos to adopt innovation for collective prosperity.
“Innovation should be prioritized especially that we are in the midst of a paradigm shift where it has become necessary especially for the business sector to be technology-driven and technology-savvy to survive in the challenging business landscape,” said Dela Peña during the Innovation Summit held here.
Dela Peña said the MSMEs could count on DOST’s programs in their quest for innovation to become globally competitive.
“We are calling on the MSMEs, technopreneurs, and startups to take advantage of our programs to overcome roadblocks and gain market traction,” he said. (JOB)