Shopee and the Iloilo City Government are taking their partnership with local entrepreneurs a step further, moving beyond a one-time training session to sustained, quarterly digital commerce coaching for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The partnership, announced during the culmination of the first year of the Tatak Pinoy MSME Roadshow in Iloilo City, is being carried out under the city government’s Sustainable Income Generation Through Entrepreneurship (SIGE) Asenso program.
The initiative marks the first sustained local government partnership under the Tatak Pinoy MSME Roadshow, with Shopee coaches set to return to Iloilo every quarter to provide continuing guidance to entrepreneurs enrolled in the city’s capability-building initiatives.
The development comes as the Tatak Pinoy MSME Roadshow wraps up its first year, having brought practical digital commerce training to more than 1,200 businesses across 20 cities and municipalities.
Rather than limiting the program to a single workshop, Shopee said the experience from its first year showed the value of providing entrepreneurs with continued support as they apply what they learn.
“Meeting entrepreneurs in different communities gave us a clearer view of what they need when starting or growing a business online. Bringing practical training closer makes it easier for them to access support, but we also learned that continued guidance matters as they begin applying what they learn,” said Jack Ng, Head of Commercial, Shopee Philippines.
“That’s what’s shaping how we’re evolving the Roadshow into its second year,” he added.
From one-time training to continuing support
Under the Iloilo City partnership, participating MSMEs will receive quarterly coaching from Shopee, SPX, and Monee, covering different aspects of running a business online.
Eligible graduates who begin selling on Shopee will also receive a six-month onboarding support package, while entrepreneurs can access continued coaching between sessions as they put their learnings into practice.
The program will likewise provide information on business registration and related government services.
For Iloilo City Mayor Raisa S. Treñas, the partnership complements the city government’s existing efforts to strengthen the capabilities and income-generating opportunities of local entrepreneurs.
“Entrepreneurs need different kinds of support as their businesses develop. This partnership complements what the city is already building through SIGE Asenso, giving participants regular access to practical guidance that can help them start selling online or improve how they currently operate,” Treñas said.
The partnership also brings together different forms of support for MSMEs. Shopee provides guidance on starting and growing businesses online, while SPX provides expertise on logistics and fulfillment and Monee provides financial literacy support, including managing finances and cash flow.
Bringing government services closer to entrepreneurs
The Tatak Pinoy activity in Iloilo also featured a one-stop shop where entrepreneurs could seek guidance on business registration and related government services.
Participating agencies included the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Department of Agriculture (DA), and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), along with other national government agencies and local government offices.
The approach allows entrepreneurs to access not only digital commerce training but also information and assistance related to the formalization and operation of their businesses.
For Shopee, the Iloilo partnership provides a model that could be replicated and further developed in other communities.
As the Tatak Pinoy MSME Roadshow enters its second year, the company said it will explore deeper and more sustained partnerships with other local governments, taking into account the lessons and needs identified during its first year.
“We want to give entrepreneurs practical support wherever they are in their business journey. What we learned from our partnerships in Year 1 and now with Iloilo City will help shape how we build similarly meaningful collaborations with other local governments going forward,” Ng said.
For Iloilo’s MSMEs, the shift means that digital entrepreneurship support is no longer limited to a single day of training. Through the Shopee–Iloilo City partnership, entrepreneurs enrolled in SIGE Asenso will have regular opportunities to learn, ask questions, apply new strategies and receive guidance as their businesses grow.
