CEBU CITY – Two hopeful entrepreneurs receive P6,000 worth of livelihood starter kits from DTI-Cebu after graduating from the 3A BOOTCAMP: Accept, Adapt and Act program by the Department of Trade and Industry-Philippine Trade Training Center (DTI-PTTC) in partnership with the Angelpreneurs and LEADMORE. 

Chancel Dorothy Francisco graduated BS Pharmacy a week prior to the lockdown which was implemented in March 2020. During the pandemic, she waited with uncertainties for the board exams. On the other hand, Carla Dalagan was displaced from working on a food franchise corporation and was unemployed for ten months. 

Since they are both supporting their families and had to look for other sources of income, they applied for the virtual training program by DTI.  

The 3A Bootcamp is intended for working students, housewives, displaced employees and teachers, and OFWs (who have recently returned from abroad) who are interested to start a business as a replacement for their lost source of income.

During the training, participants are required to present a mockup product or a product concept subjected to business model-market/product validation. Critiquing was done to improve the plan and other aspects of setting up the new business especially in light of the pandemic and digitalization. This will help them find opportunities based on their skills so they find new opportunities in the new normal.

The learning sessions are also designed with a practical approach and delivered by actual business practitioners. The training was done online and both Francisco and Dalagan are said to have championed it despite the troubles with their internet connection and the budget for load allocation.  

“Thankful ka-ayo ko sa mga mentors kay patient sila namo, online baya siya, so lisud siya,” [I am thankful to the mentors for their patience since the training is done online, and it’s challenging] Dalagan explained. She plans to start an ice candy business, with fresh milk as the main ingredient. 

“This boot camp and the mentors have helped me augment the knowledge I have through the few business units I had in pharmacy school. The mentors presented us the bird’s eye view of what to expect in entrepreneurship,” Francisco added. The business she pitched during the program is the production of sugar hair removal wax.

Francisco and Dalagan are among the 31 qualified scholars out of almost 80 participants from the country qualified for the completion of the program. The mentoring program consisted of seven sessions from January to February 2021. 

Both received certifications and livelihood kits from DTI-Cebu, presented by OIC-Provincial Director Esperanza Melgar and SDD Chief Marivic Aguilar. 

“This program primarily aims to instill a resilient mindset that can accept and adapt to the new normal and pivot out of unemployment, act with an entrepreneurial mindset, and be able to set-up a business. Both of them are able to do that,” Dir. Melgar asserted. 

DTI-Cebu, through its Negosyo Centers, shall provide the beneficiaries with Entrepreneurship Development Seminars, facilitate Business Name and Barangay Micro Business Enterprise (BMBE) Registrations, and assist in other appropriate Business Development Services to improve their businesses. ♦

Date of Release: 17 February 2021