CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA)--Fifty-four micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental completed Batch 2 of the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Kapatid Mentor ME-Money Market Encounter (KMME-MME) Program for 2023. 

In partnership with the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE), KMME started in 2016 to boost the entrepreneurial capacities of MSMEs through coaching and mentoring. The 10-module program introduced a digitalized platform during the pandemic to help MSMEs survive despite the setbacks experienced.  

The mentees concluded their learning process by presenting their Business Improvement Plans (BIPs) for evaluation to a panel of experts composed of market partners and representatives from financial institutions, DTI, and PCE.

DTI Regional Operations Group Undersecretary Blesila Lantayona emphasized in her keynote message that the mentee-graduates are “now part of the network of more than 8,000 KMME graduates in the country whose objective is not only to survive but more importantly to scale up their business under the continued mentorship of the program mentors.”

Meanwhile, DTI-10 Regional Director Ermedio Abang encouraged the mentees to continue learning from experts in the industry and even from one another. 

“DTI will always remain supportive of your growth. We look forward to your participation in additional learning sessions and capability-building activities under our other major programs," Abang said. 

The 2023 KMME-MME Batch 2 is described as an exceptional batch as they mark the 1,000th mentee milestone of DTI Region 10 since 2016. 

DTI has produced 1,012 mentee graduates in the region over the last seven years. (DTI-10/PIA-10)