Winning micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will have another chance to reap awards and incentives this October.

NWPC Executive Director Ma. Criselda Sy made this remark as she invited all MSMEs to join the 2023 Productivity Olympics, a national competition of the productivity programs and practices of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) nationwide.

With the theme “From Striving to Thriving: Reset and Reposition for Impact”, the national competition will be open to all MSMEs nationwide.

“The Productivity Olympics aims to elevate national awareness towards quality and productivity by highlighting exemplary productivity improvement programs and practices that have been skilfully designed and effectively executed,” Executive Director Sy said.

She said the biennial competition is open to all MSMEs that are duly registered with the appropriate government agencies; compliant with general labor and occupational safety and health standards; and registered in the Annual Establishment Report on Wages (AERW) online system.

Winners each have a chance to win a cash prize of PHP120,0000, a trophy, and priority endorsements to NWPC and DOLE agency training programs and services, she added.

Regional Productivity Olympics

Several RTWPBs, including RTWPB-10 and RTWPB-13, already launched their Regional Productivity Olympics campaigns in April this year.

RTWPB-13 Chairperson and DOLE Regional Director Joffrey Suyao enjoined enterprises to continue to adopt productivity practices and motivate workers to be productive and competent.

According to him, taking good care of workers is the “best means” to make a company productive.

Edgar Allan Aquino, RTWPB-13 Board Member representing the Labor Sector, underscored how the competition would help build a stronger relationship between labor and management.

“By joining this competition, you are giving importance to how good the labor-management relationship in your own own respective companies in terms of showcasing the collective efforts of workers and management in productivity improvement,” he said.

Confident boost

Aside from getting a trophy and over a hundred thousand pesos richer, winning in the Productivity Olympics will also serve as a confidence boost to winning micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Jackilyn Borja, RTWPB-NCR focal person and trainer, said winning the Productivity Olympics gives MSMEs “bragging rights” for their achievements.

“You can use this award to show clients that you support and follow the Department of Labor and Employment. We gain a new kind of confidence when we know that we adhere to the mandates of the government,” Borja, who is also Supervising Labor and Employment Officer, said in Filipino.

Nine MSMEs will be named Productivity Olympics national winners from the nine categories – micro, small, and medium enterprises for agribusiness, service, and industry sectors. They will be judged by the following criteria—business excellence (30 percent), employee engagement and expansion (50 percent), innovation and green initiatives (15 percent), and corporate social accountability (5 percent).

After undergoing regional and national screening, a tripartite body headed by DOLE Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma and assisted by representatives from the labor management and government sectors and a productivity and quality expert will select the 2023 PO national winners. The awarding ceremony for national winners will be in October, in time for Productivity and Quality Month.

On February 16, 2023, the NWPC convened at the DOLE Building in Intramuros, Manila to propose the criteria, mechanics, and guidelines for the 2023 PO, including the objectives, the indicative timeline of activities, awards, and budgetary requirements.

After deliberation, the members of the Commission approved the criteria, encompassing business excellence, employee engagement and expansion, innovation and green initiatives, and corporate social accountability. The NWPC also approved the mechanics, selection process, timelines, awards, honoraria, and expenses related to the 2023 PO.

Present at the meeting were Chairperson-designate DOLE Undersecretary Benedicto Ernesto R. Bitonio Jr., Vice Chairperson NEDA representative Assistant Secretary Sarah Lynne S. Daway-Ducanes, Commissioners Arturo A. Basea and Milagros C. Ogalinda from the workers’ sector, Commissioners Lucila C. Tarriela and Ranulfo P. Payos from the employers’ sector, observer from the DTI, Division Chief Cynthia C. Dela Cruz and the NWPC Secretariat led by Executive Director Maria Criselda R. Sy.

The PO was first launched in 2008.