M. A. P. Insights — Pacita U. Juan
Someone said: “because your network is your networth!” True, connections and being known or knowing influencers is how the world moves now. We often hear the phrase “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” You can say the same about politics, changing dispensations, a new administration, and you also see movement of people who think his or her network needs some refurbishing (going to the middle aka fence sitting or the other side of the fence).
AWEN or Asean Women’s Entrepreneurship Network is my network of friends and associates since it was established just three years ago in Hanoi, Vietnam. First chaired by Vietnam Women’s Union’s head Madame Minh Thi Tuyet, the chairpersonship was transferred to the Philippines (thus to me as de facto chair of Women’s Business Council of the Philippines) since May 2016. One year later, and we can review what has happened to our circle of associates in ASEAN.
First, the realization that AWEN is a daughter of ASEAN. We are contained in the Charter and it was actually established under the Social Pillar of ASEAN. This makes us directly under the ASEAN Committee on Women or ACW. This means we did not just decide to group together, but we were organized for a better reason — to get together the private sector MSMEs in the member states to make bigger change for the lives of our fellow women entrepreneurs and businesswomen. In some countries like Indonesia which has 17,000 plus islands, members of IWAPI (our Indonesia focal point) has over 30,000 members. How do they connect with the rest of the 300 million women in ASEAN? Through AWEN.
Second, that we are though under the social pillar, we are really on the path of economic moves to better the lives of the women in ASEAN. Because economic empowerment is important in addressing social challenges, such as human trafficking, domestic abuse, and other reasons why women are marginalized in some sectors. In some countries, women still cannot own land, and are not able to apply for loans even if we are known to be good repayers of loans, globally speaking. Repayment rates of women borrowers are higher than male borrowers. Yet, access to finance is still an issue.
Third, our network allows us to have hands and feet across the region. And, of course, the brains to collaborate with well-meaning agencies of our dialogue partners like USA, Canada, Japan and Australia to name a few. And working with ASEAN agencies and offices who work with the United Nations, OECD, and other global multilaterals. I have been invited to a conference, a meeting almost every week which I share with my co-members so that our network can participate in most if not all these meetings. Recently, we were represented by our Malaysian focal point in an important meeting in Kuala Terranganu, Malaysia. Her presence also made us aware that some sectors still have not heard of us or what we do.
Fourth, because we can collaborate in putting up important meet-ups or conferences where our being ASEAN makes a lot of sense. We are similar, yet different, in our cultures, language and ways of doing business. While the ASEAN-Business Advisory Council (ASEAN BAC) has big business as members, we at AWEN support the MSMEs. This is why we put up conferences like STEAM Ahead in March 2017 here in Manila, exactly to leverage on Technology as a means to equalize the playing field as opposed to bigger business who have the strength to do so even by themselves.
Finally, in August, we will mount a week-long event from Aug. 28 to Aug. 31 to be monickered ASEAN Women’s Business Conference where each day will be a focus on various topics as sponsored by UNESCAP, Australia, USAID, and finally leading to the Philippines as host country of ASEAN on the final day.
Why network? Because it’s the way business is done, whether you are an MSME or a large corporation. But unlike playing golf, we may instead discuss over coffee or tea, or get down to serious business while travelling the 10 member states. For me and my business partners, we have invested time and resources to travel to Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos as they are not the usual destinations like Bangkok or Hanoi. Kuala Lumpur or Jakarta are also already known to us. Next up will be Brunei in our ASEAN bucket list if you will. What is good now is that there is a friend or business associate in every part of ASEAN.
If travelling is not your cup of tea, then connect via the web or the net. The Great Women Program is our tool to connect to all our ASEAN sisters. We have added ASEAN to its very name — now Great Women ASEAN. In our Manila showroom, we feature textiles and crafts from Laos, Myanmar, and Indonesia for example. You need not go far to appreciate ASEAN’s culture. You can also touch the fibers that are similar yet distinct through textiles and other weaves. And it will be the same unique experience when you go to Malaysia, Cambodia and Brunei — soon, very soon.
So why are we here today? To weave the threads to bring 300 million women together. To connect these women to the bigger markets. Already, the South Asians are inviting us to collaborate — Nepal and India have signified interest to connect to AWEN. Slowly but surely, even Japan has an ASEAN-Japan Center to connect us to markets. And Korea and Australia are just a stone’s throw from us, too.
So, we are AWEN. We will work together with ASEAN-BAC and AMEN (ASEAN Mentors) because we believe economic moves will be the driving force for social issues to disappear into oblivion, sooner if not later. And it will happen before our watch is over, hopefully.
The article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines or the MAP.
Pacita “Chit” U. Juan is the Chair of the Trade, Investments and Tourism Committee of the MAP. She is the Chair of the ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network (AWEN); Chair of the Women’s Business Council of the Philippines (Womenbizph); and Founding Chair of the Women Corporate Directors PH chapter.
You may reach her at Linked in:
Pacita Juan or Twitter
@chitjuan
