PH Embassy in The Hague Promotes Women’s Economic Empowerment

Trade Counsellor Benedict Uy informed the largely-women participants that a strategy for medium to small-medium enterprise development may be summarized in ‘’7Ms”: Mindset, Mastery of the subject, Mentoring, access to Markets, Money access, access to Machines, and Models of Business. (Jofelle Tesorio, TFC-Amsterdam photo)

THE HAGUE 18 March 2019 – Ambassador to Netherlands Jaime Victor B. Ledda welcomed about 60 women participants to an info-forum on entrepreneurship entitled “TNK, Trabaho Negosyo, Kalakalan: Women Power, Be an EntrePinay” on the occasion of the Embassy’s observance of National Women’s Month on 09 March 2019.

In his welcome remarks, Ambassador Ledda gladly recognized the enthusiasm present among the attendees of women migrants, residents and ‘’au pairs” – and very few men – from leading Filipino Community organizations in The Hague who have taken time on a weekend to listen and learn and be inspired on the advancement of women’s economic empowerment through the Philippine government’s program.

TNK, a convergence among government, private sector, academe, and civil society organizations that resolved to work in partnership, aims to create more jobs and increase incomes through employment and  entrepreneurship.

Philippine Trade and Investment Centre in Brussels Trade Counsellor Benedict Uy led the information-forum, together with Pinay entrepreneur Myey Flores-Moens, who is also based in Brussels.

Mr. Uy presented the government’s AMBISYON 2040 and outlined the mechanics by which an interested business entrepreneur, i.e. a beginner could further her business acumen with the assistance of the Department of Trade and Industry. This includes programs like the SME roving academy and GoLokal.

For her part, Ms. Flores-Moens, founder of chocolate business Theo and Brom, shared her humble beginnings, experience and challenges that led to the success of the first Belgian tableya. END

Successful Brussels-based Pinay entrepreneur Ms. Flores Moens is married to a Belgian, a union that led to the creation of the  first “Belgian tableya,” which is a marriage of two cultures–“a bridge of both worlds”: the finest in Philippine cacao beans and Belgium’s art of making fine chocolates. (Elea Perez, The Hague PE photo)

More disucssions with TNK presenters Benedict Uy (rightmost)  and Myey Flores-Moens (left in beige suit) took place at networking during lunch made up of popular Filipino dishes adobo and pinakbet. (Ambassador Ledda photo)

A group of largely women participants who gathered at the Philippine Embassy in The Hague’s GAD event on 09 March 2019 focused on women’s economic empowerment ended the day with information on enhancing their entrepreneurial skills, in above photo with Ambassador to Netherlands Jaime Victor B. Ledda (third from right, front row) along with Trade Counsellor Benedict Uy and featured entrePinay Myey Flores-Moens (second and first from right, front row, respectively). Also in photo are Ms. Socorro Elevera (leftmost), formerly of Philippine Board of Investments now the Embassy’s local hire as interpreter-translator and secretary to Ambassador Ledda and Lingkod sa Kapwa Filipino 2008 Presidential Awardee Wads Wijnberg-Tiongson (seated beside the Embassy’s First Secretary and Consul Shirley E. Banquicio (in purple). (Jofelle Tesorio, TFC-Amsterdam photo)

For more information, visit www.thehaguepe.dfa.gov.ph or  https://www.facebook.com/PHinTheNetherlands/.