23 November 2015 – Philippine Consul General Paul Raymund P. Cortes welcomed more than 50 Filipino attendees to the first-ever “Be Your Own Boss” Franchise Seminar on November 05, organized by the Philippine Investment and Trade Center (PITC) and the delegation from the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA), headed by Mr. Mr. Samie Lim. 

The seminar brought together some of the most popular Philippine food, personal care and apparel brands to Dubai. Interested Filipino expatriates, including a number of foreign business people, engaged in a lively and open exchange of experiences, information and contacts related to franchising. The event aimed to provide Filipinos a reliable and trusted access to the PFA network and programs to prepare Filipino overseas workers/entrepreneurs once they decide to take up and open a Philippine franchise in Dubai or bring a local franchise to Manila.  

During the opening remarks, Consul General Cortes underscored the need for OFWs to establish connections, to have savings with feasible investment options in the Philippines beyond real estate, and more specifically, to explore investing in the food retail business, which compose a big majority of the over-all trade between the Philippines and the Middle East.     

The PFA delegates were recently in Dubai to attend the 2015 Dubai International Brand Licensing Fair at the World Trade Center. Other members of the PFA delegation included Philippine brands such as Onesimus, Karimadon, Periwinkle, Chef Tony's, Goldilocks, Bibingkinitan, Fruit Magic and Oryspa. END