Pilmico Foods Corporation, anak perusahaan makanan dari Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc, baru-baru ini telah menandatangani perjanjian dengan Departemen Perdagangan dan Industri (DTI) dalam upaya bersama untuk memperjuangkan pertanian di pekarangan rumah dan mata pencaharian yang berkelanjutan di negara ini.

Kemitraan ini didasarkan pada program advokasi unggulan Pilmico, Mahalin Pagkaing Atin, sebuah program yang bertujuan untuk mempromosikan mata pencaharian yang berkelanjutan melalui produk lokal dan menanamkan pola pikir "kebanggaan produk, kebanggaantempat" baik bagi para petani maupun konsumen lokal.

Pada hari Jumat, 9 Maret 2018, CEO Pilmico Sabin Aboitiz dan Sekretaris DTI Ramon Lopez menandatangani Nota Kesepakatan (MoA) yang menetapkan Pilmico sebagai Mitra Industri DTI dalam implementasi Undang-Undang Go Negosyo yang bertujuan untuk mengintensifkan promosi kewirausahaan di negara ini dan lebih jauh lagi meningkatkan bantuan DTI kepada usaha mikro, kecil dan menengah (UMKM).

Berdasarkan perjanjian tersebut, DTI akan melibatkan Pilmico dalam semua acara Mahalin Pagkaing Atin melalui penyediaan & akses ke pengusaha lokal yang terdaftar, lokakarya tentang cara memulai bisnis, dan pembiayaan mikro.

Aboitiz mengakui pentingnya perjanjian tersebut dalam upaya lebih lanjut untuk mempromosikan kewirausahaan berkelanjutan di kalangan petani pekarangan. Katanya:

"Aboitiz selalu percaya pada kemitraan. Kami dapat menyelesaikan berbagai hal dengan lebih cepat dan mencapai lebih banyak hal ketika kami bekerja sama. Dengan bekerja sama dengan mitra kami, seperti DTI, ini merupakan salah satu cara untuk memberikan kembali kepada negara dan mewujudkan tujuan kami untuk memajukan bisnis dan masyarakat... Penerima manfaat Mahalin Pagkaing Atin sekarang dapat meningkatkan permainan bisnis mereka. Mereka akan mendapatkan pelatihan dan seminar tentang cara mengembangkan bisnis mereka."

Sementara itu, Lopez mengatakan bahwa kemitraan ini sejalan dengan dorongan DTI yaitu Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan atau menyediakan lapangan kerja, bisnis, dan peluang mata pencaharian bagi masyarakat Filipina. Katanya:

"Dengan dukungan dari sektor swasta, program ini akan memberdayakan masyarakat di daerah pedesaan atau pedesaan untuk terlibat dalam lebih banyak peluang bisnis atau negosisasi di bidang peternakan."

Pertanyaan yang Sering Diajukan

What does this public-private partnership model mean for farmers and rural entrepreneurs?
For the direct beneficiaries — backyard farmers and rural entrepreneurs in the Mahalin Pagkaing Atin network — the DTI partnership means that participating in a Pilmico event now unlocks access to the government’s MSME support infrastructure: business registration guidance, certified training, and microfinancing options previously accessible only through direct DTI engagement. This bundling of private technical expertise with government business development support creates a more complete and sustainable entrepreneurship pathway than either institution could deliver alone.

What formal agreement did Pilmico and the DTI sign, and what does it establish?
On March 9, 2018, Pilmico CEO Sabin Aboitiz and DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) formally establishing Pilmico as DTI’s Industry Partner in the implementation of the Go Negosyo Act. The Act aims to intensify the promotion of entrepreneurship in the Philippines and boost DTI’s assistance to micro, small, and medium enterprises. Under the agreement, DTI engages Pilmico through all of its Mahalin Pagkaing Atin events, providing access to registered local entrepreneurs, business-starting workshops, and microfinancing support.

What is the Mahalin Pagkaing Atin program and how does the DTI partnership extend its reach?
Mahalin Pagkaing Atin is Pilmico’s flagship CSR advocacy program aimed at promoting sustainable livelihood through local produce and instilling a “pride of product, pride of place” mindset among farmers and consumers. The DTI partnership expands the program’s capabilities by adding government-backed resources: access to a registry of local entrepreneurs, structured workshops on how to start and grow a business, and microfinancing options that Pilmico alone could not provide. According to Sabin Aboitiz, Mahalin Pagkaing Atin beneficiaries would now be able to “level up their business game.”

How did DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez frame the significance of this partnership?
DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez connected the partnership directly to the DTI’s institutional thrust of Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan — providing jobs, business, and livelihood opportunities to Filipinos. He specifically highlighted the role of private sector support in empowering people in rural areas and the countryside to engage in more business and agricultural opportunities in livestock. The framing positions the partnership not as charity but as an extension of government’s own economic development agenda through a high-credibility private sector partner.

Why is Sabin Aboitiz’s emphasis on partnerships significant in understanding Aboitiz’s CSR philosophy?
Sabin Aboitiz explicitly stated that the Aboitiz Group has always believed in partnerships as a mechanism for achieving more, faster than any single organization could alone. He described the DTI partnership as one way of giving back to the country and living out Aboitiz’s purpose of advancing business and communities. This public articulation reveals a CSR philosophy grounded in collaborative multiplier logic — the belief that corporate social investment achieves its highest value when it activates and amplifies the capacities of partner institutions rather than substituting for them.