19/05/2026
⏭️Back on track,busy life of a woman entreprenuer.
Self enhancement 🖊📝
Attended : May 18,2026 BUSINESS ECONOMIC FORUM at Grand Hyatt Hotel,BGC Taguig,Manila
Attended: May 19-20,2026 ENHANCING WOMEN MSME EXPORT READINESS under RCEP TRADE MECHANISM
🖊Note: LONG CAPTION AHEAD.
What inside on this update??
The main “Business Economic Forum” on May 18, 2026* was the BusinessWorld Economic Forum 2026 held at the Grand Ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Manila in BGC, Taguig
⁉️ What it was about⁉️
Theme:Advancing the ASEAN Agenda: Turning Regional Vision to Corporate Action
The focus was the Philippines’ chairmanship of ASEAN in 2026. The forum brought together policymakers, economists, top executives, and business leaders to discuss how government policy and private sector initiatives can align with ASEAN priorities.
🔑Key topics:
1. ASEAN chairship and regional role - How the Philippines can use its ASEAN chairmanship to boost economic growth and strengthen its regional influence
2. Trade, digitalization, sustainability, inclusive development - Aligning corporate action with ASEAN’s 2026 priorities
3. Philippines’ competitiveness - Lessons from the region’s best performers
🔑Key speakers:
- Zafer Mustafaoğlu, Division Director for Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei at the World Bank, gave the opening keynote: “Positioning the Philippines as ASEAN’s Next Economic Engine”
- Panelists included Jestoni A. Olivo from the Philippine Competition Commission, Anthony Oundjian from BCG Manila, and Jamil Paolo S. Francisco from AIM-RSN Center for Competitiveness
The event was described as the country’s premier business gathering for 2026, meant to turn ASEAN’s regional vision into concrete corporate action.
📆What is all about in May 19-20,2026?
That event was the “Enhancing Women MSME Export Readiness under RCEP” program held May 19, 2026 in Pasay City, run by DTI’s SheTrades Philippines Hub.
Here’s what it was about:
1.Goal
Get women-led micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) ready to actually use the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to export.
RCEP cuts tariffs and simplifies rules of origin for 15 Asia-Pacific countries, creating a 2.3B consumer market. But most PH women MSMEs don’t know how to use it.
2. What was covered
Based on DTI’s SheTrades program structure and the RCEP focus:
- RCEP basics for MSMEs - How rules of origin, tariff concessions, and customs procedures work under RCEP in plain language
- Export readiness training - Product standards, packaging, pricing, documentation needed for cross-border sales to RCEP markets like Japan, Korea, Australia, ASEAN
- Digital export tools - Using e-commerce platforms, payment providers, logistics partners to reach RCEP markets. This ties into DTI’s E-TAAS ang Pinay MSMEs program
- Access to markets & buyers- Matchmaking with partners, corporates, and export opportunities in RCEP countries
- Gender-inclusive trade policy - How women entrepreneurs can benefit from FTA utilization and advocate for fewer barriers
3. Who ran it
DTI-Export Marketing Bureau’s SheTrades Philippines Hub*, in partnership with the International Trade Centre’s SheTrades Initiative.
SheTrades PH is DTI’s main resource center for women entrepreneurs to access global markets.
4. Why it matters for women MSMEs
- 99% of PH businesses are MSMEs, and women lead a big share
- But most are weakly linked to global value chains due to low awareness of FTAs, complex rules, and limited financing
- RCEP gives a single set of rules of origin for ASEAN + partners, making it easier than managing multiple FTAs
- Programs like this teach women entrepreneurs how to use that to export, not just sell locally
