President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday cited the private sector-led initiative Kapatid Angat Lahat for Agriculture Program (KALAP), which he said will enable farmers and the country’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to become “more productive, profitable, sustainable and globally competitive.”
“We know very well how MSMEs are crucial in the creation of new ideas, of jobs and wealth in the country, so it is only right that we recognize the power and the influence that this sector holds,” the President said in his speech at the ceremonial signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on the KALAP program in Malacañang.
“We also recognize the role of big corporations in [innovating] MSMEs, spurring their growth, and realizing their potential. Hence, I am very happy to note the objective of the KALAP to integrate small farmers and agri-entrepreneurs into the value chain of large companies,” the President pointed out.
The President Marcos also expressed his utmost gratitude to GO Negosyo’s Jose Maria “Joey” Concepcion 3rd for “the efforts you invest in our economy, particularly in the agricultural sector, [which] are truly instrumental in bringing progress across our lands.”
The partnerships that Go Negosyo has been fostering for many years are precisely “the kind of partnerships that we are hoping to bring together,” said the President.
Highlighting the benefits of whole-of-society approach, the President said his government, the private businesses, and the greater public must give their endless support to the program and to one another.
“I have always said that in the difficulties that we are facing ahead, there is no sector of society that can manage the recovery by itself,” the President said.
“And it cannot be done unless the different sectors of society are working together, working together and trying to implement a plan with a common understanding of what is needed to be done, with a common understanding of what people need, without forgetting every part of that sector or that area of the economy,” the President pointed out.
The chief executive also wants involved government agencies to collaborate closely with the Philippine Center of Entrepreneurship-Go Negosyo and other partners in the private sector as he urged them to remain true to their calling as civil servants—embracing patriotism, integrity, and excellence for the success of the KALAP program.
The President also expressed hope that government’s private partners and businesses will never tire in working with his administration. (PND)
