Officers of the Asian Council for Small Business (ACSB) Philippines met virtually with ABA Secretariat staff led by Secretary-Treasurer Mr. David Hsu on May 19 to exchange views on possible areas of cooperation.

ACSB Philippines President Ms. Arlene  Martinez  and Founding Trustee Ms. Yayu Javier made an introduction  on their organization, including its function, operation and strategic goals, though a PowerPoint presentation. They reported that ACSB Philippines is part of the Asian Council for Small Business which, in turn, is a member of the International Council for Small Business (ICSB), which is the global platform established in support of SMEs.

In its presentation, ACSB Philippines also shared that it has established partnerships with different private organizations and government agencies, including The Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines (DTI). Since its launch in 2021, ACSB Philippines has aimed to help the 900,000 SMEs in the Philippines explore the access to ASEAN and global markets, as well as up skill them through technology, science-based and data-driven strategies, and business continuity management.

In response, ABA Secretary-Treasurer Mr. David Hsu expressed the interest of ABA in working with ACSB Philippines, adding that ABA is open all possibilities of cooperation. Appreciating the opportunity, ACSB Philippines replied that they have touched base with several organizations, such as ADFIAP and ABA, to explore opportunities of cooperation, adding that in particular, ACSB Philippines would like to explore “access to financial capabilities” with ABA.

Taking the opportunity, the ABA Secretariat informed ACSB Philippines that other than ABA, the Secretariat also handles the operation of the Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI), the umbrella organization of ABA, pointing out that under CACCI, there are Product & Service Councils of different industry sectors which may be of interest to ACSB Philippines to join. In addition, there are CACCI Awards programs for outstanding SMEs, young entrepreneurs, and women entrepreneurs in Asia-Pacific. Should members of ACSB Philippines be interested in joining the programs, they may approach Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) for assistance when the nomination opens, the ABA Secretariat informed the ACSB Philippine officers.

To sum up, the two sides recognized the success of this meeting and looked forward to more cooperation in the future.