by Faye Marie Sueño and Diwa Velasquez

Around 322 participants, most of which are representatives of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from various parts of Laguna attended the launch of the Kapatid Mentor ME (KMME) Program at Centtro Mall in Los Baños, Laguna last July 27, 2017.

During the launch, 20 KMME program mentees were introduced as Laguna representatives for the nationwide DTI-PCE initiative. (Photo courtesy of the DTI Laguna Facebook Page)

The KMME Program is an initiative of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in partnership with Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE) in support of the country’s MSMEs.

According to DTI IV-A Regional Director Marilou Toledo, the KMME Program was created for MSMEs that aimed to expand their businesses and innovate their products. It is also part of the KMME Program’s goal to boost the economic activity of the country through providing assistance to MSMEs.

Senator Bam Aquino, author of the Go Negosyo Act of 2014 and guest speaker of the KMME program launch, emphasized how DTI focuses on the needs of the people with initiatives like the KMME program, which helps MSMEs in developing enterprises that will be globally competitive. Senator Aquino explained that DTI will continue to support MSMEs through the Negosyo Centers and Mentor ME program or Kapatid Program in various parts of the country.

The KMME Program is composed of lecture and mentoring sessions. In a span of 11 weeks, the lecture sessions will help the mentees with the technical concepts in developing their businesses. These sessions cover one module per week. The mentors of the program are experts in the field of entrepreneurship and are certified PCE members. The mentoring session, on the other hand, will serve as a consultation session of the mentees to their respective mentors in a group or individual mentoring manner.

According to Mia Angeline Cortez, a public information officer from the DTI IV-A regional office, a business-to-business mentorship can help strengthen the capacity of small businesses. It is where the previous mentees of MSMEs will teach the new batch of participants of the KMME Program. Currently, one of the notable strengths of the program is its top caliber mentors which are experts in their respective fields.