By Edwin Banquerigo
With my participation in the Public Sector Linkage Program at the QUT, July 3-16, 2005, I developed a mindset that in anything that I do, “if it is not the first then it should be the best”. I learned the 4 Cs for businesses to survive and remain competitive: Competence, Confidence, Critical Thinking and Creative Innovation.
After this, I hosted the national launching of the Kapatid Mentor Me (KMME) Program, a national banner program on entrepreneurship development in Davao City with the presence of the President Rodrigo Duterte and Secretary Ramon Lopez. I conducted the 1st Batch of KMME Training in the country. I then established the 1st Negosyo Center in the Davao Region and Mindanao with the presence of Senator Bam Aquino, author of the Go Negosyo Act that mandates the creation of Negosyo Centers across the country. It is the 1st Negosyo Center in the country established in partnership with the Local Government Unit. I have also strengthened networking and partnership with stakeholders in organizing MSME development initiatives with special interest in helping the youth, Indigenous people and rebel returnees. 
As an industry clustering expert, I was designated as DTI National Cacao Industry Cluster Coordinator. I crafted the Philippine Cacao Industry Road Map, organized Regional and National Cacao Councils– an institutional breakthrough– and brought the Philippine cacao industry to the global scene. I also used commodity development to address poverty.
I then spearheaded the implementation of the RAPID Growth Project, a P4.7B IFAD Funded Value Chain based industry development Project, as Project Director. I engaged and partnered with big companies, such as Nestle, and financial institutions to achieve a market driven agri-production and effectively finance the agri-value chain respectively. These assignments were in concurrent capacity as the Regional Director of DTI.
