A group of student entrepreneurs from the University of Pangasinan in Dagupan City will have the opportunity to showcase their products at trade fairs, in addition to receiving other assistance from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
The group composed of Ara Mae Monserate, Alethea Cavago and Rachelle Castro, with their coach Eunicia Casilang, won the Business Pitch Competition during the Youth Entrepreneurship Summit 2025 initiated by the SM City Urdaneta Central management in partnership with the DTI and the Commission on Higher Education-Ilocos Region on Thursday.
The three young entrepreneurs introduced their Ecofeline Furries Cat Litter product made from rice husk and peanut shell, which they plan to sell for PHP79 for the unscented version and PHP89 for the scented one.
“Of course, they will be registered. They will have a business name. Later on, they will participate in training seminars on capability building, entrepreneurship, product packaging and labeling. All the DTI assistance will be offered to them,” DTI-Ilocos Region Assistant Director Natalia Dalaten said in an interview on Friday.
The other winners out of the 13 schools that competed are the University of Eastern Pangasinan for coffee made of sweet potato (2nd place); Collegio de San Juan de Letran for nutritious noodle product (3rd place); and Saint Louis College for egg tray made of seaweed (4th place).
Dalaten said DTI will help them put their business ideas into practice.
“Some of them want to formalize their business. Others are informal in the sense that they don’t have a business name yet, but they are already doing it. We will help them to formalize their business,” she said.
SM City Urdaneta Central mall manager Abraham Malicdem, in a separate interview, said there are investors interested in the products of the winners.
“They will also have the chance to promote their products in our Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises hub to showcase their unique products,” he said.
The entrepreneurship summit aimed to inspire young people to take an interest in business and turn their ideas into reality, helping them become future entrepreneurs. (PNA)