On June 15, 2024, the Chinese Filipino Business Club, Inc. (CFBCI) Young Entrepreneurs’ Committee (YEC) held the first segment of the “Entrepreneurial Journey Seminar Series” at Roma Salon, The Manila Hotel, Ermita, Manila. Sixty young entrepreneurs and professionals attended the seminar organized through the guidance of Vice President (Committee Adviser) Jocelyn Johanna See and Director (Committee Chairman) William Rogando.
The seminar, hosted by Vice Chairman Atty. Kesterson Kua, began with the welcome remarks of President Samuel Lee Uy in which he used the acronym “G-O-D” where G stands for “gratitude,” O stands for “openness to learning,” and D stands for “dealing with other people like dealing with your friends.” In summary, President Uy shared his unique business journey, emphasizing that life is a continuous learning journey that shall be traversed with God’s guidance.
Afterwards, Vice President See delivered a short speech about the mission and vision of the YEC. The YEC aims to empower and inspire young people in venturing the field of entrepreneurship through expert while preserving Tsinoy heritage and values of diligence, integrity, strength, and innovation. “We envision a legacy of excellence and success for the next generation, and this seminar is the first step,” said Vice President See.
The first speaker, Dr. John Luis D. Lagdameo, professor at the Ateneo De Manila University (AdMU), discussed the topic “Making Sense of Entrepreneurial Landscape.” At the heart of his presentation, Dr. Lagdameo stated that understanding the marketplace and the consumer needs and wants is the primary step in exploring the entrepreneurial landscape. In developing a business enterprise, considering consumer demographics is very important. “Who are you serving and what is their profile?” shall be asked. Competition is also an inevitable aspect of entrepreneurial journey, “who else is supplying those needs and demands?”
The second speaker, Asst. Prof. Arturo J. Patungan, Jr., a professor at the University of Santo Tomas, shared his expert knowledge on the topic “Data Science, Analytics, and AI: Transforming Business and Society.” The participants enjoyed the comprehensive introduction to the types of artificial intelligence (AI) based on capabilities and functionality. Asst. Prof. Patungan also shared his expert knowledge on the role of AI in health, finance, transportation, retail, and education while acknowledging its challenges in terms of privacy concerns and security. With the increasing use of this technology, “AI will not replace people; people who use AI will replace those who don’t,” he said.
After the expert talks, an open forum was held through which interesting questions were answered by the guest speakers. Then, CFBCI officers awarded a plaque of appreciation to each of the speakers. All in all, the seminar was successful and everyone is looking forward to the next one.
菲華工商總會訊：本會青年企業委員會在副理事長兼督導施茵茵及董事兼主任杜祖蔭的精心策劃下，於六月十五日（星期六）下午，假座馬尼拉大飯店羅馬沙龍（Roma Salon）舉辦「創業之旅」系列講座第一期，邀請馬尼拉亞典耀大學(AdMU)教授John Luis D. Lagdameo博士及聖多道瑪斯大學副教授Arturo J. Patungan, Jr.擔任主講人，吸引了近六十位華裔青年企業家出席參加。理事長黃書瑋，執行副理事長曾國強，青年企業委員會副主任楊榮輝、黃愛儀、楊佳玲等人，均到場支持。
活動由常務理事柯偉順律師擔任主持人，在莊嚴肅穆的菲律濱國歌及黃愛儀帶領祈禱後拉開序幕。理事長黃書瑋致歡迎詞，他在致詞中使用英文縮寫詞「G-O-D」做開場，其中G 代表「感恩」，O 代表「開放學習」，D 代表「與别人打交道就像和朋友打交道」。理事長黃書瑋分享了他獨特的創業歷程，強調人生是一個不斷學習的旅程，應在上帝的指引下前行。
隨後，副理事長兼督導施茵茵發表了簡短的演講，她介紹了本會青年企業委員會的使命和願景，旨在通過專家指導，激勵年輕人從事創業，同時保留菲律濱華人的優良傳統美德，勤奮、誠信、實力和創新的價值觀。「我們希望為下一代留下可以傳承的好榜樣。這次研討會就是我們邁出的第一步」。
第一位主講人是John Luis D. Lagdameo 博士，主題是「了解創業前景」。他指出瞭解市場和消費者的需求是探索創業的首要步驟。了解消費者人數及知道你的競爭對手，這些都是發展企業過程中重要的資訊。
緊接第二位講員Arturo J. Patungan, Jr.副教授，主題是「數據科學、分析和人工智能：改變商業和社會」。他全面介紹了人工智慧（AI）類型的能力和功能，並就人工智能在醫療、金融、交通、零售和教育等領域的作用分享了他的專業觀點，同時指出了人工智能在隱私和安全方面所面臨的挑戰。最後結論是：「隨著這項技術的使用越來越多，人工智能不會取代人類；而是使用人工智能的人將取代不使用人工智能的人。」
當講座結束後，隨即開放與會者提問題，兩位主講人詳細答覆華裔青年企業家們針對議題內容提出的各項問題。最後由本會領導層及青年企業委員會成員頒贈感謝牌予John Luis D. Lagdameo博士與Arturo J. Patungan, Jr. 副教授。執行副理事長曾國強致閉幕詞，他首先感謝兩位講員豐富的信息內容，開拓了青年企業家們的新視野，瞭解商業模式創新。接著鼓勵與會青年要擴大自己的交友圈，讓生活更豐富多彩，從中吸取不同的觀點和體驗，對開展事業將會有不可預計的益處。
本次「創業之旅」系列講座第一期研討會，在歷時三個多小時，最後在全體合影留念後，圓滿結束。相信與會青年皆受益匪淺、收穫滿滿，增強了他們在創業道路上的信心，成果豐碩。接下來本會青年企業委員會還將定期舉辦各類商業相關議題的講座。
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