MSMEs take center stage as DITO opens BizBayani Awards nominations

• In partnership with DTI and top industry giants, DITO officially opens national nominations to honor entrepreneurial grit, digital transformation, and community impact.

Filipino micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are taking center stage as DITO Telecommunity officially opened nominations for the DITO BizBayani Awards, a national recognition program that seeks to honor entrepreneurs for their resilience, digital adoption, workplace practices, industry impact, and innovation.

The initiative seeks to recognize MSMEs not only as businesses, but as everyday builders who create jobs, support families, strengthen local commerce, and help bring essential products and services closer to communities.

The awards were launched at Revel at the Palace in Taguig City, giving communities the chance to nominate local business owners, community-based enterprises, and MSMEs whose stories reflect the grit, creativity, and nation-building spirit of Filipino entrepreneurs.

With the theme of empowering the nation through MSMEs, the initiative highlights the role of small businesses as drivers of the Philippine economy. According to DITO’s presentation, MSMEs make up 99 percent of all registered businesses in the country.

Public nominations will be available through the awards website. Under the selection process, nominees will undergo deliberation to determine five finalists per award category. The top five nominees per award will then proceed to public voting, with the final score based on 70 percent panel deliberation and 30 percent public voting.

Atty. Adel A. Tamano, Chief Commercial Officer of DITO Telecommunity, said the program was built around the Filipino idea of “bayani,” highlighting entrepreneurs whose work goes beyond profit and contributes to their families, communities, and the country.

“Today we celebrate our entrepreneurs. There is a word in Filipino that does not fully translate into English — Bayani. A bayani is not just brave. A bayani builds — not for themselves, but for something larger: for family, for community, for the nation,” Tamano said.

“The most consequential builders in this country are not found in boardrooms. They are found in palengkes and small workshops. In home kitchens turned commissaries,” he added.

Tamano also said connectivity has become an important tool for MSMEs, helping small businesses reach more customers, expand their operations, and overcome geographical limits across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The awards program brings together government, business, and industry partners, including the Department of Trade and Industry, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, GCash, JobStreet, DCME Holdings, Philippine Franchise Association, Philippine Retailers Association, Philippine AI Business Association, and the Philippine Council for Small & Medium Businesses.

The DITO BizBayani Awards will recognize MSMEs across five categories: BizBayani in Growth Excellence Award, BizBayani in Digital Engagement Award, BizBayani Employer Excellence Award, BizBayani Industry Impact Award, and BizBayani Innovation Award.

The BizBayani in Growth Excellence Award, in partnership with DTI, will recognize businesses that have shown outstanding growth, resilience, and contribution to local economic development.

The BizBayani in Digital Engagement Award, in partnership with GCash, will recognize brands that know how to connect, create content, and engage audiences through digital platforms.

The BizBayani Employer Excellence Award, in partnership with JobStreet by SEEK, will honor MSMEs that create jobs and open meaningful opportunities for Filipinos.

The BizBayani Industry Impact Award, in partnership with PCCI, will recognize MSMEs that strengthen industries, help shape markets, promote sustainable enterprise, and support community growth.

The BizBayani Innovation Award, in partnership with PAIBA, will celebrate bold thinkers who use artificial intelligence and emerging technology to design fresh ideas, solutions, and game-changing concepts.

Each winner will receive a DITO BizBayan trophy, a DITO Biz Kit, and a business learning or workshop trip to China, where they can learn the latest MSME and technology trends through sessions with technology partners in the region.

DITO Telecommunity Chief Executive Officer Eric R. Alberto said the launch reflects a shared effort to support Filipino entrepreneurs and amplify their stories.

“Before we raise our glasses, I want to take a moment to recognize the people who made today possible, because this launch is not a DITO story alone. It is a story of partnership, and it deserves to be told that way,” Alberto said.

“To the BizBayanis of the Philippines, the builders, the riskers, the believers, this one is for you. Ladies and gentlemen, please raise your glasses. To the DITO BizBayani Awards. To our partners. And to every Filipino entrepreneur who dares to build something worth celebrating,” he added.

Luigi Lopa, Head of DITO Business, formally opened the nationwide nomination period and urged communities to help surface the stories of MSMEs making a difference.

“An awards program is only as powerful as the stories that fill it. And those stories are out there right now, in every corner of our communities. This is where the real work begins, and we need your help,” Lopa said.

“I am incredibly proud to announce that nominations for the DITO BizBayani Awards are officially OPEN! Please visit our official portal, nominate a hero today, and let’s prove together that when it comes to empowering the Filipino spirit: Kaya. KAYA DITO,” he added.

Filipinos nationwide may nominate local business owners, community pioneers, or their own enterprises through the official DITO BizBayani Awards online portal.