Sumakses!, a three-part weekly webinar series, aims to empower Filipinos to start businesses and control their financial future. The series, facilitated by OPAPA, DTI, and over 100 small business founders, collaborates with government, industry, and community voices. It features real-life case studies from MSME founders, many of whom started their businesses with limited resources. The series also includes a financial literacy segment to provide practical tools and insights for entrepreneurs to sustain their ventures and improve long-term economic resilience.
The series featured over 100 successful small business founders, many of whom have already scaled into small factories from their humble beginnings as home businesses. The success stories enlighten viewers on how to jumpstart their ideas and how they sustained them with small business solutions and wealth-building tools such as GCash for Business.
Behind the series was the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Poverty Alleviation (OPAPA), established by the Office of the President to coordinate and strengthen national poverty reduction efforts. With a mandate to craft and oversee strategic, multi-sectoral programs, OPAPA focuses on uplifting poor and marginalized Filipinos through grassroots empowerment, inclusive economic development, and sustainable livelihood.
OPAPA aims to champion long-term solutions, shifting from charity schemes to programs that foster self-reliance and entrepreneurship. Its advocacy centers on equipping Filipinos with the tools, opportunities, and agency to escape poverty through meaningful work, financial inclusion, and enterprise.
“Poverty alleviation must begin at the grassroots level,” said OPAPA Secretary Lorenzo “Larry” Gadon. “We believe in equipping Filipinos not just with livelihood but with lasting capability, and we welcome the contributions of MSME founders to this effort.”
The initiative addresses a vital segment of the economy. According to the Department of Trade and Industry, MSMEs account for 99.5% of registered businesses in the Philippines and employ over 63% of the workforce. Yet despite their prevalence, many MSMEs face barriers to digital adoption and financial education, particularly in rural areas and among first-time entrepreneurs.
GCash contributed to the program through a weekly financial literacy segment hosted by Joseph “Chippy” Dimayuga, GCash customer success partnerships manager. In his segment, Dimayuga talks about accessible finance tools such as GLoan, GSave, and GInvest and GCash for Business, a suite of digital solutions tailored to MSMEs with minimal capital.
“With a proper business mindset, it can be simple to earn money, but keeping that hard-earned income is where the real challenge begins,” said GCash customer success partnerships manager Joseph Dimayuga. “We want to help aspiring entrepreneurs discover ways to make money and learn how to manage it wisely, grow it sustainably, and protect it for the long haul. Financial literacy is the foundation that allows small business owners to turn a good idea into lasting success.”
By combining entrepreneurial storytelling with inclusive financial education, Sumakses! Offers a practical roadmap for ordinary Filipinos to rise above poverty through sustainable business ownership.
For more information, visit www.gcash.com.
