Now is our time to be a great country again

Filipinos are known worldwide to be masipag, maabilidad, makatao  values that are embedded deep within our culture. These are the traits that have kept us afloat, especially when life tests us with problems. These define our nation and drive us towards our success. With this in mind, a handful of entrepreneurs and I began a movement more than seven years ago that would celebrate these Filipino characteristics and encourage our countrymen to use them to move up in life through entrepreneurship. PLDT soon realized our vision, and what transpired during that fateful meeting back in 2007 was a beautiful partnership that aims to support small and medium enterprises so they can succeed.

We have been working together to honor Filipino negosyantes and spread their stories through the MVP Bossing Awards. Together, our goal is to inspire Filipinos and promote entrepreneurship as a means to improve their lives, which seemed to be stuck in an endless cycle of poverty for the longest time. Through our efforts, we make heroes out of entrepreneurs — the bossings whose businesses have paved the way for thousands to be employed and build their own lives.

Tom and Annabel Wisniewski of Raintree Group, and Samie and Eric Lim of Automatic Centre

And I believe that our efforts are paying off. I am glad to see that nowadays, the youth are starting to idolize entrepreneurs. In addition, we can see that the kind of leadership and economic confidence that our country is currently enjoying breeds a positive vibe that we are closer towards development. I feel that this is not just a short film: this is real and this is happening right now.

Because of the current scenario, we launched a new slogan called “Pilipinas: Now is Our Time.” We are getting our chance of rebounding back from being the “Sick Man of Asia.” As proof of this, we have seen entrepreneurs who started from nothing but are now successful. Some of them even ended up as MVP Bossing awardees.

But now we are facing another challenge. How can we, the successful ones, share the wealth with the small and medium negosyantes who would like to reach what we have achieved? This is what Go Negosyo has been doing, with the help of our partners like PLDT. We aim to spread inspiration and information on how to start a business, even in the far-flung areas. We are lucky to have countless supporters and advocates that lend their time, talents, and resources to the cause. Go Negosyo is proud to have dedicated people willing to mentor aspiring entrepreneurs, just like our Angelpreneur Reuel Virtucio, whom we lost last week due to a massive stroke. We are all one in the belief that the future lies in how we build confidence, not only in ourselves, but also in those who need it most. 

Now is our time to be a great country once again. But it will not happen if the rich will continue to get richer. Our country will be great only if those of us who are blessed with a good life can share our wealth. We can do it not by giving money away but by giving inspiration. And the inspiration, which comes from the Go Negosyo entrepreneurs and the PLDT Bossing community, gives our countrymen hope that success is possible for those who believe that it can be achieved. And for that, let me thank each one of you for being a part of this worthy cause. Let me also thank our great partners like PLDT, which continues to rally beside us every step of the way mula noon, hanggang ngayon.

The traits that I mentioned earlier — traits that make a true entrepreneur — can be achieved by each one of us. Entrepreneurs are not limited to those who run businesses. Rather, it is a kind of mindset that evolves with the help of an organization that inspires more people to aspire for excellence. Eventually, all of these efforts will bear fruit. Eventually, the Philippines will become a great country.

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Contact me at feedback@gonegosyo.net.