Davao Oriental governor Corazon N. Malanyaon stresses the importance of molding the mindset of people in order to achieve prosperity.
Speaking before close to 300 participants of the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Caravan in Mati City recently, Malanyaon said instilling in the minds of Davao Oriental people the importance of mindset as they strive to achieve success, the provincial government and its partners developed the Rural Entrepreneurship Advocacy for Change (REACH) program.
“Ako, sa akong pagtuo, dako gyud ang kalambigitan sa atong mindset alang sa atong paglambo (I strongly believe that mindset has a huge role to play in achieving economic success),” she said.
Making “Go REACH, Grow Rich” as its banner slogan, Malanyaon said the program is really moving towards reaching the goal of making every Davao Oriental resident rich.
Malanyaon said the conduct of the SME Caravan in her province will support the attainment of the REACH program’s objective. Out of the 81 provinces in the country, only 14 were chosen as venues of the SME Caravan, Davao Oriental among them.
“Daghan ang nagsugod sa wala pero nahimong mulambo and ilang kinabuhi. Ang uban nahimo pang milyonaryo (Many started out with nothing, but managed to succeed. Some have even become millionaires). With the province’s varied resources, we have lots of potentials. Walay rason nga ang Davao Oriental mapobre og magutom (There’s no reason for Davao Oriental to be poor and be hungry),” she said.
On the other hand, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) 11 regional director Marizon S. Loreto said that entrepreneurship is the seabed of economic opportunities.
“Every business activity contributes significantly to economic dynamism,” she said, adding that the conduct of the SME Caravan, which is a project of DTI’s Bureau of MSME Development (BMSMED), in Mati City is hinged on bringing the business development services (BDS) to the countryside.
“We’d like to make sure that BDS are being catered to the people, including those who are in the countryside,” she said.
Both Malanyaon and Loreto are optimistic the participants will be encouraged to get their businesses going.
“Bisan unsa kagamay ang atong yuta, naa gyu’y mapaabot. Naa na sa atoa kung unsaon pag-maximize ang 500 square meters na yuta (No matter how small our piece of land is, there’s really something to be achieved from it. It’s how we maximize our 500 square meter-lot,” Malanyaon said. [DTI11/Jenny Molbog-Mendoza]
