President Rodrigo R. Duterte Formally Opens ABIS 2017 and Launches the Mentorship Program Called AMEN

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, in his role as the Chair of the 50th year of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), led the ceremonial launch of the ASEAN Mentorship for Entrepreneurs Network (AMEN) yesterday as he formally opened the ASEAN Business & Investment Summit 2017 (ABIS 2017) at the Solaire Resort and Casino in Paranaque City.

AMEN is a flagship program of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN BAC) under the Philippine Chairmanship. It is designed to facilitate the scaling up of the micro and small enterprises in the ASEAN region through mentorship. AMEN shall be the ASEAN's first pool of mentors comprising of entrepreneurs, business practitioners, and academicians.

"Our Go Negosyo Kapatid Mentor Me Program led to the creation of AMEN. It was there that we discovered the value of 3 M's - Mentorship, Money, and Market, in helping MSME's prosper," said Joey Concepcion, ASEAN BAC Chair and Go Negosyo Founder.

ABIS, on the other hand, is the culminating event of the year, organized by the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN BAC), that highlights the multichannel connectivity, infrastructure development, entrepreneurial empowerment, disruptive innovation, policy directions in trade, issues that affect businesses which the council and its partners have been collectively resolving. With the theme of "World Leaders' Roadmap Towards Prosperity for All", the event promotes dialogue among the private sector and with the region's leaders including Heads of State, Ministers of ASEAN Member States and ASEAN Partners.

"We feel honored and encouraged by the support and participation of all the ASEAN State Leaders in this endeavor," said Joey Concepcion, ASEAN BAC Chair. "We look forward to collaborative and insightful discussions during the next two days keeping in mind the goal of creating prosperity for all in ASEAN."

For more information, you may visit their website at http://www.abis2017.com. To watch the livestream online telecast of the summit, kindly go to the Official Facebook Page of Go Negosyo at facebook.com/gonegosyoofficial/.