CEBU CITY — Filipino entrepreneurs may already have the products customers want. The bigger problem, Cebu business leaders say, is getting those products through the doors of supermarkets, major corporations, government procurement programs and eventually overseas markets.
That challenge took center stage as business groups called for a shift from simply showcasing micro, small and medium enterprises at trade fairs to actively connecting them with buyers, corporate supply chains and export opportunities.
Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Regan Rex King said many entrepreneurs repeatedly confront the same questions: How do they enter supermarket shelves? How do they become suppliers to bigger companies? How do they qualify for institutional procurement? And how do they move from selling locally to exporting?
His message was straightforward: demand and products may already exist, but the commercial bridge connecting the two is often missing.
That gap could determine whether promising small businesses remain small—or make the leap into larger regional markets.
Trade fairs are only the beginning
King made the remarks around the fifth anniversary of the Women Strong Network Hybrid Trade Fair, organized by the Women’s Business Council Philippines, or WomenBizPH.
The Cebu leg was held at SM City Cebu from August 14 to 16, following an earlier run at SM Megamall from August 10 to 12.
The Cebu event brought together women entrepreneurs and locally made Filipino products while giving participating businesses exposure to consumers and potential partners.
But business leaders argue that exposure alone is no longer enough.
Trade fairs can introduce entrepreneurs to customers. The next stage is turning those introductions into long-term purchase orders, supplier agreements, business-to-business partnerships and institutional contracts.
That means chambers of commerce, corporations and government agencies may have to become more active matchmakers—connecting qualified MSMEs with companies that are already looking for suppliers.
SunStar Cebu and The Freeman similarly reported King’s call for stronger supplier linkages, procurement opportunities and partnerships that could allow women-led enterprises to move beyond small-scale operations.
Some products were already selling out
There are signs that demand is not the only problem.
Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vice President for MSMEs Melanie Ng said some exhibitors were unable to participate in the Cebu leg because their products had already sold out during the Manila event.
For small businesses, selling out sounds like an unquestionable victory.
But it can also expose the next challenge: Can they produce enough to satisfy a much bigger customer base?
Ng encouraged participating entrepreneurs to increase production and maintain sufficient inventory to meet growing demand.
This is where the MSME growth equation becomes more complicated.
Getting discovered is one hurdle. After that come production capacity, working capital, logistics, quality consistency, packaging, certifications and the ability to deliver large orders on time.
A business that succeeds at a weekend fair may therefore face an entirely different test when a supermarket chain, hotel group or institutional buyer wants hundreds—or thousands—of units on a regular schedule.
From Cebu to the ASEAN market
For WomenBizPH President Rosemarie Ong, the goal is not limited to increasing sales at local trade fairs.
Ong said the Women Strong Network has spent the past five years connecting entrepreneurs with consumers and new markets while helping businesses acquire knowledge and technological tools needed to expand.
Some participating businesses, she said, have already scaled their operations and reached export markets within Southeast Asia.
That ambition fits into a much broader economic push unfolding in Cebu.
During ASEAN-related activities in Cebu earlier in 2026, trade officials also highlighted expanded market access for MSMEs and deeper regional digital integration as priorities.
The Cebu provincial government reported in May that ASEAN economic discussions were targeting greater MSME participation in regional trade while advancing digital-economy integration.
That matters because an ASEAN market of hundreds of millions of consumers potentially transforms the way Cebu entrepreneurs should think about growth: not simply as businesses serving one city or province, but as potential regional suppliers and brands.
Digitalization could decide who scales
Access to buyers, however, is only one side of the problem.
King also identified digitalization as a significant obstacle for smaller enterprises.
For many micro entrepreneurs, the issue is not necessarily resistance to technology. It can be lack of affordable internet access, training, appropriate digital tools or guidance on how those tools can actually improve the business.
Once those barriers are addressed, the possibilities become much larger.
Small companies can progress from using Facebook or Instagram primarily for promotion to accepting digital payments, selling through e-commerce platforms, managing inventory and accounting online and reaching customers outside the Philippines.
King described digital inclusion as an economic issue rather than merely a technology issue because helping one entrepreneur expand can potentially affect employees, suppliers, households and the surrounding community.
The challenge is particularly relevant for Cebu.
BusinessMirror reported in July that Cebu manufacturers continue to face gaps involving manual production, outdated machinery and limited factory automation, with the Department of Science and Technology pushing digital transformation to help MSMEs move into higher-value activities.
Why the MSME issue is bigger than Cebu
The stakes are enormous because small businesses dominate the Philippine enterprise landscape.
Philippine Statistics Authority data from the 2023 Updating of the List of Establishments showed roughly 1.1 million micro establishments, alongside about 109,910 small and 4,763 medium-sized establishments, compared with only around 4,640 large establishments.
Those micro, small and medium businesses collectively account for well over 99 percent of establishments by number and support millions of jobs nationwide.
That means improving market access for MSMEs is not merely an entrepreneurship program.
It is an employment and economic-development strategy.
Helping a local food manufacturer enter a supermarket chain can create additional demand for farmers, packaging suppliers, delivery services and workers.
Helping a Cebu craft business sell internationally can inject export revenue into a local community.
And helping a woman-led enterprise become a formal corporate supplier can turn what started as a microbusiness into a company capable of hiring and investing.
Formalization is another gateway
There is one more obstacle that small entrepreneurs cannot easily avoid: paperwork.
Business registration, licenses, permits, documentation and regulatory compliance can feel disproportionately difficult for microbusinesses with limited staff and resources.
But formalization also unlocks opportunities.
King noted that properly documented businesses are generally better positioned to pursue financing, supply-chain opportunities and institutional customers.
That makes formalization more than a regulatory burden—it can become the entry ticket to bigger markets.
Government efforts are increasingly moving in that direction as well.
A recent Board of Investments roadshow in Cebu highlighted incentives and programs available under the 2026 Strategic Investment Priority Plan, including opportunities that could help local startups and expanding businesses understand how government investment programs can support growth.
The real test comes after the trade fair
The Women Strong Network fair demonstrates that consumers are willing to buy from homegrown businesses—and in some cases demand has been strong enough for products to sell out.
But selling out at a trade fair is only the first victory.
The much bigger question is what happens afterward.
Can a promising Cebu entrepreneur get a meeting with a national retailer?
Can a homegrown food producer meet the volume and certification requirements of a hotel chain?
Can a woman-led company qualify as a supplier to a major corporation?
Can a local brand turn hundreds of customers into thousands—and eventually millions across Southeast Asia?
Cebu’s business leaders believe the potential is already there.
What could determine the winners is whether the Philippines can finally build stronger bridges between its smallest businesses and its biggest markets.
WWC ONE MEDIA MJE
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