Speaking at the fifth anniversary celebration of the Women Strong Network Hybrid Trade Fair, Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) president Regan Rex King said entrepreneurs repeatedly raise the same questions: how to get their products into supermarkets, supply large companies, join government or corporate supply chains, or break into export markets.
"The market is there. The products are there. Sometimes what is missing is the connection between the two, and that is the bridge we need to help build together," King told the gathering of entrepreneurs, government representatives and private-sector partners.
“That is where organizations like WomenBizPH and CCCI … have an important role to play,” King said.
He said trade fairs remain a valuable starting point because they let entrepreneurs meet buyers and customers face to face, but said business groups and institutions need to go further — building supplier linkages, business matching, procurement opportunities and connections with larger enterprises.
Platform
King pointed to regional platforms such as the ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network as a way to help local businesses see the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) not as a distant goal, but as a market within reach.
He also highlighted the Women Strong Network Hybrid Trade Fair, saying its fifth anniversary marked how the event had grown beyond being a venue for displaying products. It has become a platform for entrepreneurs to meet customers and buyers, build connections, learn from one another and discover opportunities that could help transform their businesses.
“For five years you have created a platform where women entrepreneurs can come together, promote their products, find markets, and build relationships. But beyond this particular event, Women Biz PH has spent many years giving women a voice,” he added.
The Women's Business Council Philippines (WomenBizPH) held a three-day Women Strong Network Hybrid Trade Fair 2026 from Aug. 14-16 at SM City Cebu in celebration of its fifth anniversary.
The trade fair brought together inspiring women entrepreneurs and Filipino products from across the country.
Sold out
Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry vice president for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) Melanie Ng said several exhibitors were unable to join the Cebu leg of the fair because their products had already sold out during the Manila run.
“This is an example that there is a market,” she said.
Ng urged participating businesses to stock and produce more.
WomenBizPH president Rosemarie Ong said the Women Strong Network has connected women entrepreneurs with customers and new markets over the past five years, enabling some participants to scale up their operations and export their products within the ASEAN region.
She said the program equips entrepreneurs with the knowledge, technology and other tools needed to strengthen their businesses and reach larger markets.
The fair's hybrid format, she explained, was designed deliberately: Those unable to visit the mall in person can still shop online.
"Five years, why is it so significant? Because for five years, we've been creating opportunities for everyone through the platform that we've created," Ong said, adding that the network has also spent that time exchanging knowledge and providing entrepreneurs with tools — including technology — to help them scale up and strengthen their businesses.
Digitalization
Beyond market access, King identified digitalization as another major barrier to growth for small businesses — though he cautioned against assuming that reluctant entrepreneurs are simply unwilling to change.
More often, he said, the issue is access: affordable connectivity, basic training, appropriate tools, and guidance on how to use the technology.
He noted that with such support, many entrepreneurs have moved beyond simple social media promotion to e-commerce, digital payments, online accounting and even international sales.
"Digital inclusion is not just a technology issue. It is a business issue. And ultimately, it is an economic issue," King said, adding that helping a single entrepreneur reach customers beyond her community also benefits her family, employees and local economy.
King also urged a shift in how business formalization is viewed. Registration, permits, documentation and compliance can feel overwhelming to micro entrepreneurs, he acknowledged, but proper documentation makes it easier to access financing, enter supply chains and deal with institutional buyers.
He said formalization should be viewed not merely as a compliance requirement but as a gateway to opportunity — one that business organizations, government agencies, financial institutions and larger companies share responsibility for making it easier to walk through. —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
Contributor
