Filipino entrepreneurship on solid track

Mariecar Jara-Puyod, Senior Reporter

Filipino entrepreneurship has become robust in the UAE, a hub for start-ups and extensions of well-established enterprises from other countries.   

The 22-year-old 240-strong Philippine Business Council-Dubai and the Northern Emirates (PBCNE), a member of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and founding member of the eight-year-old Association of Southeast Asian Business Council Alliance, has helped alter the “employee upbringing” of Filipinos to even trailblazers. It works hand-in-hand with the Philippine Government for financial literacy programmes, among others.

PBCDNE chairman Edwin Duria said: “Through proper support, planning and collaborations as well as providing them with the (appropriate) platforms, we are projecting that more Filipinos (will start or expand) their businesses here.”

The founder/managing director of the Dubai-headquartered Play Middle East Business Consultancy that oversees over 250 clients from various sectors, joined PBCDNE in 2015.

Since then, he “has witnessed” the trajectory of the Filipino entrepreneurial spirit. He attributed this to determination despite obstacles such as the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic  and his countrymen having “become more open to collaborations.”   

Pressed to elaborate as he also mentioned mentorship, Duria said: “Mentoring helps new members grow their businesses and not repeat the mistakes learnt by existing business owners. The collaborations take place when they share clients even though they come from the same industry.”

Three mentorship programmes have so far been provided to members, the first two being “PBC Fellowship” and “GenBiz.”

Ongoing is the “MasterClass: Business Beyond The Box.” In-charge are PBCDNE vice chairman/ LBC Express Inc. (Middle East Operations) Sales & Marketing head Allan Michael Bautista and PBCDNE member/Chevron Corporation (Europe/Middle East/Africa/South Asia) Corporate Business planner Ben Lebig,

Three GenBiz participants won between Dhs50,000.00 and Dhs60,000.00 each worth of business start-up packages for producing and presenting “the best business plans.”

Duria was interviewed since in time for the Eid Al Fitr and on Saturday, the well-loved Dencio’s, whose original owners, entrepreneurs Dennis Nakpil and Dennis Mariano Jr., first set-up in a mansion in Quezon City in 1991, was inaugurated at The Asiana Grand Hotel in Dubai.

Two other branches – another in Dubai and one in Abu Dhabi – are pipelined because of demand “even weeks before the grand opening,” according to Max’s Group International Marketing manager Allan Clavin Ramos.

The first overseas branching of the resto-bar is the ninth collaboration of the Metro Manila-based holding company with the Abu Dhabi-headquartered Kabayan Korner Restaurant LLC.

While the nearly one million Filipinos in the UAE have become the convincing indicator for Philippine start-ups and companies, KKR Operations head Philip Vasquez enumerated the collective “business forces” of the “power of entry, power of supply, power of consumer, and power of alternatives,” as the other advantages.  

Power of Entry is the openness of the host government to start-ups and globally-renowned businesses. Power of Supply is the abundance of resources and logistics. Power of Consumer is the residents’ purchasing power. Power of Alternatives is for other players to create different or complementary products of a known brand.

KKR director Mo Bississo decided to bring Dencio’s to the UAE the first time he tasted its menu though COVID-19 stalled it: "It is in celebration of the Filipino culture, lifestyle and hospitality here."

 “It is part of the aggressive growth plan which aims to dominate the (food and beverage – F&B) ecosystem by 2025. We are positive in bringing brands to mainstream market,” added Vasquez who plunged into the industry immediately after university, “fascinated with how the business worked.”   

Citing the existence of approximately 12,500 F&B across the UAE, Vasquez continued: “This proves how ease of entering the market is like. In recent environmental scanning, we looked at all the “forces” of the environment and the UAE stands out high on all these forces. Supplies are abundant too, making food businesses stable and firm. For all who entrepreneurs who wish to do business, this is not the time to vacillate. Do it now.”    

Philippine Ambassador Alfonso Ferdinand Ver described the entry of Dencio’s which has an international appeal by the name alone and which other nationalities such as the Spaniards could relate to – as “auspicious.” April is the “International Filipino Food Month,” too. He was hopeful that more Filipino enterprises become global brands.