MICRO, small, and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs), government officials, and industry partners gathered Thursday morning, July 9, at The Annex Activity Center, SM City Davao, for the opening of the Davao City MSME Week 2026, a four-day trade fair and exhibit running until July 12 under the theme "Navigating the Shift: Building Resilient and Future-ready MSMEs."
The event was organized by the Davao City Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Development Council (DCMSMEDC), in partnership with the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII), the City Government of Davao, and the Department of Trade and Industry-Davao (DTI-Davao).
Councilor Myrna Dalodo-Ortiz, the 21st Davao City Council Committee on Trade, Commerce and Industry chair, represented Davao City Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Z. Duterte, who is still in The Hague, Netherlands, visiting his father, former Presiden Rodrigo Duterte.
In his message, the mayor described MSMEs as the backbone of the city's socio-economic development, crediting them for creating jobs, driving innovation, and fostering community resilience even as economic trends continue to shift. He added that the trade fair stands as proof of the city government's commitment to helping local entrepreneurs expand their market reach and build more sustainable businesses.
Dr. Mirasol B. Tiu, DCMSMEDC vice-chairperson and DCCCII president, thanked DTI-Davao, represented by Assistant Regional Director Rachel S. Remitio on behalf of Regional Director Romeo L. Castañaga, along with the event's sponsors, exhibitors, and partners.
She reiterated that MSMEs "remain the backbone of our local economy" and pointed out their role in job creation and innovation. She also stressed that the strong collaboration between DCCCII and DTI-Davao has been instrumental in staging MSME Week. She capped her message by inviting the audience to treat the coming ribbon-cutting as a symbol of the sector's shared commitment to opening more opportunities for Davao's entrepreneurs.
Dr. Maria Lourdes G. Monteverde, Mindanao's private sector representative to the National MSMED Council and chairperson of the MSMED Global Markets Committee, said MSMEs account for more than 99 percent of all registered businesses in the country and provide livelihood for over 65 percent of the Filipino workforce — proof, she said, that "they are not merely economic units; they are nation builders."
Dr. Monteverde, who is also MSME vice chairperson of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce for Mindanao, traced how far the sector has come, recalling a time when MSMEs struggled even to define themselves, and linked their rise to the Philippines' recent reclassification by the World Bank as an upper-middle-income economy, a shift she said reflects broad-based growth across agriculture, industry, and services rather than export-led manufacturing alone.
She reminded participants that the label does not yet make the country a developed nation, but signals stronger economic capacity and deeper global integration.
She laid out four pillars that MSMEs must build around to stay competitive: digital transformation, financial innovation, ecosystem strengthening, and agility in the face of crises. On digital transformation, she pushed for equal e-commerce opportunities for small sari-sari stores and rural entrepreneurs, not just businesses in urban centers. On financing, she cited the need for expanded credit guarantees, fintech partnerships, and inclusive lending models, including green loans and women-focused credit lines.
She also flagged looming global risks — from supply chain disruptions to geopolitical tension in chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz — as reasons why agility, in her words, "is no longer a competitive advantage, but... already a survival imperative."
Dr. Monteverde likewise announced that DTI, with support from the World Bank, is developing a unified business identification number for MSMEs that could roll out within the next year or two, intended to simplify transactions across digital platforms and banking systems.
She capped her message by inviting the public to the first ASEAN Innovation Summit, set for September 17 to 19 at SMX Lanang, which DCCCII will help launch alongside DTI and the City Government of Davao in line with the Philippines' Asean Chairmanship this year.
Visitors may explore the exhibit halls at the SM Annex ground floor daily until the fair closes on July 12. CASANDRA D. PAYAN/SPAMAST, SUNSTAR INTERN
