Officers of the Asian Council for Small Business (ACSB) Philippines met virtually with CACCI Secretariat staff led by Director-General 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, CACCI Director-General Mr. David Hsu expressed the interest in working with ACSB Philippines, adding that CACCI is open all possibilities of cooperation. Taking the opportunity, the CACCI Secretariat also informed ACSB Philippines that there are CACCI 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 they may approach Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) for assistance when the nomination opens, the CACCI 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.