Almost 150 women from all over Pampanga attended our Connected Women Launch and #SheMeansBusiness workshop! Next stop, Iloilo!

Connected Women’s programme objective is to increase the economic participation of women in the Philippines through entrepreneurship and the adoption of technology for business success.

Not even the ongoing rains or a non-working holiday could stop the ladies of Pampanga and neighboring places from coming full force last June 16 to the fifth Connected Women #SheMeansBusiness event. It was the BIGGEST turnout ever, with 147 attending.

Connected Women, in partnership with Facebook’s #SheMeansBusiness, aims to develop skills for women entrepreneurs in the Philippines, using Facebook and Instagram tools to improve their business. For this event, many came from Pampanga, as well as neighboring areas like Bulacan, Cavite, and even Metro Manila.

Pampanga’s Significance: Rebuilding After Losing Everything

The location, Pampanga, is especially meaningful to Connected Women co-founder, Gina Romero, since it is her hometown. The date of the event is exactly 27 years after the eruption, which happened in June 15, 1991. “I never would have thought I would be back here today, in my home town, launching #ConnectedWomen #SheMeansBusiness,” said Gina at the event. “I’m so grateful that I had that life changing experience to better understand the struggle and pain of losing everything, and to see for myself the incredible resilience and strength it takes to rise up from a disaster. Looking at Pampanga now, literally rising up from the ashes makes me so proud. Every time you fall, just remember that grit, love and faith will always pick you up.”

Gina Romero speaking to the 147 women participants of #ConnectedWomen #SheMeansBusiness Pampanga.

Learning Skills For Online Employment

A group that came from Cavite composed of RIS (rural impact sourcing) graduates of DICT (a program that trains people with digital skills for online jobs) attended the event along with the DTI Provincial Director for Pampanga, and some entrepreneurs in the program. The group began last July 2017. They are trained to build a website with a MSME partner, promote in social media, and also promote their own freelancer accounts. They have also created a group called Digiworkz Carmona. Several months after the training, they are now a registered cooperative and accept website design and development, photography and graphic designs. The group has helped give employment to formerly jobless moms who are now working and selling online.

The members of Digiworkz shared some of their insights on attending #SheMeansBusiness in Pampanga. “We heard about the Pampanga event through Cheryl Ortega, DICT Director Cluster 2 Region 4A,” narrated Bam Valencia, a member. “We came because we wanted to connect with other women freelancers and businesswomen, and also we wanted to learn more about Facebook marketing. The impression of connecting with other women outside your circle will make you realize the value of interacting, getting out of your hole and there’s more to learn when it comes to finding more friends. It inspires me to know that women have strength to face challenges. Women can stand the odds and can support themselves.

“We came to expand our learnings and collaborate with other freelancers, businesswoman and network,” says Lea Purificacion, their general manager. “In line with our newly established business which is digital in nature, learning further about Facebook ads and marketing would be our advantage. #SheMeansBusiness is packed with heart melting experiences and valuable tips that we could use with our daily lives as a freelancer or aspiring entrepreneur. I even remembered Gina said, “OPPORTUNITIES NOW HERE,” and it was a blast. In behalf of our team we are very grateful that we became part of the event. We took home loads of information. Indeed, it was a clear illustration of WOMEN POWER.”

Welcoming And Inspiring The Attendees

The program at Pampanga began with a welcome by Connected Women’s events manager, Noreen Bautista, who thanked the ladies for coming and explained what the #SheMeansBusiness program is all about. She then talked about what would happen that day.

Gina then talked more about #SheMeansBusiness, and how the initiative helps women be better as entrepreneurs through technology. This was when she also talked about how special her hometown Pampanga is to her, and how the rebuilding of the province can be likened to women who rebuild their lives.

Learning How To Use Social Media Better

Facebook’s representative then spoke to the women about the goals of the #SheMeansBusiness initiative by their organization. There were delicious snacks, selfie breaks, appetizing lunch, photo ops, and freebies present throughout the day. Music with themes that empowered women from artists like Gwen Stefani and Kelly Clarkson, was the soundtrack.

Those who attended were given a comprehensive and informative crash course on how to use Facebook and Instagram better to market their businesses. They also connected with like-minded entrepreneurs and freelancers like themselves.

Prof Aries, a member of Facebook’s training community, again delivered the training content, where he discussed online marketing, content strategy, and Facebook’s tools. More specifically, the following were the topics discussed by Prof Aries:

Online Marketing

• The difference between marketing vs branding vs advertising,
• Why a relevant business needs online marketing,
• Key questions to ask yourself before you dive into online marketing, and
• What the main difference is between organic and paid marketing.

Facebook Pages and Admin Tools

• Creating/Refreshing a Facebook Business Page
• How to use the Page Admin tools
• How to monitor Page Insights (analytics)
• How to add a ‘Call To Action’ button, and
• The basics of creating a Post

Attendees were also given a 10 minute break to do more selfies and Boomerangs. The participants were also competitive and motivated to do their best, since there is a business for the best ones. An event survey was then conducted while waiting for winner results.

Department of Information and Communications Technology – Luzon Cluster 2 Driector, Ms Cheryl Ortega.

DICT Director Cheryl Ortega gave the final remarks by sharing what the program can do for the women of Pampanga. “I find it heartwarming that despite the [rainy] weather, a big number [of women] showed up,” she said. “Basically it’s an appreciation for Connected Women for bringing this activity in Clark which didn’t just benefit the women of Pampanga, but also those from surrounding areas. It just goes to show that women would play a role in the responsible use of technology as a productivity tool. Not only for education but also for opportunities. [The number in this event shows many women aspire to be entrepreneurs, freelancers, online workers.] Even I myself learned from the talks. Women empowerment in DICT is a good thing and it’s not a myth. It’s happening.”

One of the most eagerly anticipated segments of the event was the announcement of winners. Here is the list:

The third place for selfie:

Meanwhile, second place for selfie:

First placer in selfie:

Wefie winner

Boomerang Winner 1:

Boomerang Winner 2:

Early bird (she arrived a little before 8AM and event started past 9!): Marylene Castilan

Comfortable And Generous Setting, Useful Prizes

Awesome prizes are always given at #SheMeansBusiness events, and the ladies were rewarded for their efforts with framed inspirational quotes and gadgets like OTG USB, power bank and Bluetooth speaker. DICT also gave mugs and caps that the participants were excited to use.

Royce Hotel and Casino in Clark, Pampanga was the location for this #SheMeansBusiness event. The hotel, with its four-star accommodations, huge ballroom, and excellent staff, was able to provide comfort to the participants who got to the location conveniently.

The event ended with attendees networking, exchanging calling cards, and getting to know each other.

Again, there were many inspiring stories, tech lessons learned, and creativity shown. Connected Women’s event in Pampanga was truly a milestone!

We’re headed to Iloilo next, share the news with your friends
connectedwomen.co/iloilo

Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. Helping businesses connect with the people they care about is part of that mission and, to that end, the Facebook #SheMeansBusiness initiative is committed to helping female small business owners and entrepreneurs.

Department of Information and Communications Technology–Luzon Cluster 2

The Department of Information & Communications Technology is the lead implementing agency of the government in all ICT-related efforts.