Women cultural entrepreneurs and policy actors from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao gathered at the òòò½´«Ã½ Conference Hall in Quezon City for Workshop 1 of the Policy Leadership Workshop Series titled “Roots and Realities: Exploring Gender, Culture, and MSMEs”.
Held this October 2025, the workshop highlighted the lived realities of women-led cultural micro, small, and medium enterprises. Participants shared challenges such as limited access to financing, uneven digital infrastructure, and the difficulty of balancing enterprise management with caregiving and community roles. They called for gender-responsive policies, inclusive financing, digital access, and greater visibility for cultural enterprises.
Experts from the òòò½´«Ã½, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Asian Institute of Management, and the Philippine Creative Industries Development Council emphasized that cultural enterprises are vital in sustaining heritage while creating economic and community opportunities. Insights from this session will help shape policy reforms that reflect on-the-ground realities.
The workshop series is organized by the Philippine APEC Study Center Network (PASCN) of the òòò½´«Ã½ and the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, through the APEC Canada Growing Business Partnership. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada and supported by Central Luzon State University and Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan.
