06 July 2022, Cagayan de Oro City – Local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) received Business and Restaurant Management Console (BRMC) software developed by LAYERTech Software Labs, with a free lifetime license, training, tech support, and learning portal access, through the initiative of the USAID Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity (SURGE) Project with the Cagayan de Oro Trade and Investment Promotions Center (Oro-TIPC).

Today’s MSME operators were the final grantees of 50 free lifetime licenses under the program, which was launched in 2021 as part of the MSME digitization pivot co-facilitated by the SURGE Project and Oro-TIPC.

In her opening remarks, Local Economic and Investment Promotions Officer (LEIPO) Eileen E. San Juan said that the pandemic has brought to the fore the need to go online and digitize enterprise operations no matter how small and thanked LAYERTech for foreseeing and providing the solution for this need.

Ms. Maria Jihan “Frei” Sangil, Data Scientist, Analyst, and Chief Executive Officer of LAYERTech Software Labs, an information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider that “seeks to bring data and tech where they’re most needed,” flew in from LAYERTech’s Luzon headquarters to personally hand out the licenses and conduct the training.

The BRMC software is specially designed for MSMEs to digitize their records and processes, such as keeping track of inventory and sales. First released in 2017 and updated in 2019, the console can be accessed offline, which is ideal in the face of unstable internet connections and cybersecurity concerns.

12 March 2021, Cagayan de Oro City—Local Economic and Investment Promotions Officer (LEIPO) Eileen San Juan, is set to share how the Cagayan de Oro Trade and Investment Promotions Center (Oro-TIPC) has been helping women entrepreneurs and other micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) ride out the pandemic by hitching onto the booming digital economy.

The online forum titled “Pinaypreneurs Rise to the Digital Challenge,” was organized by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity (SURGE) Project, under the USAID SURGE Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative (WGDP) Initiative in collaboration with Globe myBusiness.

Completing the all-female circle for this fireside Q&A are Cathy Torremocha, City Administrator of Tagbilaran; Adelyn Yucamco, of the General Santos City Economic Management and Cooperative Development Office; Willem Ma, CEO of Masuki, the oldest and most famous noodle shop in Binondo, Manila’s Chinatown; and Roberta Abada-Estacion, Managing Director of Harem, Inc., a hair management salon.

LEIPO San Juan is set to feature Oro-TIPC’s initiatives to help MSMEs pivot, especially the Ginamâ Entrepreneurial Development Center for Women, which was launched last year with the support of USAID SURGE and the W-GDP, which capacitates women in business to compete, access financing, engage in e-Commerce and digital marketing, participate in trade fairs, and ultimately export.

Ginamâ, first opened last 15 June 2019, the 49th anniversary of Cagayan de Oro’s charter, as a business development and marketing center for Cagayan de Oro’s and Region 10’s MSMEs.

It is recognized by the Department of Trade and Industry as a One-Town-One-Product Philippines Hub (OTOP.PH), and is operated by a woman-led private sector partner.

Ginamâ Entrepreneurial Development Center for Women just launched its second round of workshops for MSMEs in Business Continuity and Recovery, Business Plan Preparation—two (2) prerequisites for credit access, Marketing through Social Media, eCommerce Websites and Digital Marketing, and Applying for Loans.

A small business information and research portal is currently being developed to serve as a repository of the knowledge materials from these workshops for MSMEs to access.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity (SURGE) Project is helping its local partners implement important interventions that accelerate economic recovery amid the continuing pandemic.

Under the USAID-SURGE Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative (WGDP), the Project is providing technical assistance to women entrepreneurs and other MSMEs to access digital tools and business support services to maximize market opportunities.

SURGE Project, in partnership with QuadX, invites you to a webinar entitled “Innovative Logistics and Cashless Payment Solutions” which will be held on February 5, 2021 from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm via Zoom.

In this webinar, you will learn about emerging e-business trends on logistics and how QuadX, through GoGo Xpress and XPay, can support your logistics needs and e-payment requirements with a step-by-step guide on its onboarding process.

The proposed program is as follows:

2:00 – 2:10 pm    Introduction and Opening Messages

2:10 – 2:20 pm    Emerging business trends on Logistics and e-payments

2:20 – 2:40 pm    GoGo Xpress services and onboarding process

2:40 – 3:00 pm    XPay services for cashless transactions

3:00 – 3:50 pm    Shipping and Packaging Consultation Forum

3:50 – 4:00 pm    Synthesis and Closing

The session will be held via Zoom that will require an Internet connection.

To register and join the session, please access the following link: https://bit.ly/3j9jvUZ.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity (SURGE) Project, in partnership with Lazada, is conducting a virtual “Orientation on Lazada’s Onboarding Process for MSMEs” on 14 January 2021, 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. via Zoom (register here: http://bit.ly/LazadaOnboarding011421).

This activity is part of the USAID-SURGE’s Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (WGDP) initiative for which Cagayan de Oro has been handpicked as one of only a few pilot cities.

During the orientation, MSMEs will learn about Lazada’s extensive market reach and how to take advantage of this online portal with a step-by-step guide on its onboarding process.

Participants will also get a chance to win free product photography services from Lazada.

CDO as CDI

Cagayan de Oro has long been a CDI (Cities Development Initiative) partner city of the USAID, one of only three (3) at the outset (with Batangas and Iloilo), joined by five (5) more (General Santos, Legazpi, Puerto Princesa, Tagbilaran and Zamboanga) in recent years.

Together, USAID through the SURGE Project, and the City of Cagayan de Oro, through the Cagayan de Oro Trade and Investment Promotions Center (Oro-TIPC), have worked together to promote economic growth, champion education, improve resilience, and support health.

Rise of MSMEs

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the plight and unique position of local MSMEs came to light.

While micro, small, and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs) bore the brunt of the economic toll exacted by mobility restrictions and brick and mortar shutdowns, increasing reliance on local suppliers also opened up a wealth of opportunities for the humble but hulking sector (forms more than 99% of businesses registered on both local and national levels).

As early as 2019, USAID-SURGE and Oro-TIPC had begun focusing on MSMEs as a special attention sector.

In June 2019, the day Cagayan de Oro marked its 69^th year as a Chartered City, Oro-TIPC and the Region 10 Office of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in partnership with a private operator, opened One-town-on-product Philippines Hub|Ginamâ (OTOP.PH|Ginamâ), a local MSME product showroom and store.

Later that year, USAID-SURGE and Oro-TIPC began training MSMEs in formulating business continuity plans (BCPs). With the advent of the pandemic in 2020, the partners quickly shifted to capacitating MSMEs for business success in the new normal.

This orientation is one of many such initiatives to push the MSME to level up and participate on the larger business stage with the end in view of promoting entrepreneurship as the ticket to better quality of life. n