TO help more Filipinos recover faster from the social and economic impacts of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), civil society organizations on Sunday called on legislators to prioritize the passage of a measure promoting social entrepreneurship.
The groups led by the Philippine office of Oxfam International are calling on lawmakers to fast track the passage of the Poverty Reduction through Social Entrepreneurship (Present) bill, as they anticipate the opening of the 19th Congress on Monday.
“At the heart of the proposed social entrepreneurship bill is the aspiration to help members of low-income communities and vulnerable groups, especially women, earn a decent living and escape poverty,” Oxfam Pilipinas Country Director Maria Rosario Felizco was quoted in a statement as saying.
The groups, who banded together as the Present Coalition, said the proposed policy measure aims to promote social entrepreneurship as a strategy for poverty reduction. The coalition is being supported by Oxfam Pilipinas through its Gender Transformative and Responsible Agribusiness Investments in South East Asia program.
“This bill, if passed, will enable the creation and strengthening of social enterprises as transformational partners of the poor and marginalized,” Present Coalition Convener Marie Lisa M. Dacanay was quoted in the statement as saying.
Filling the gap
DACANAY added that without systematic government support, social enterprises have grown from 30,000 in 2007 to more than 164,000 before the pandemic.
“With systematic government support, a vibrant social enterprise sector can address poverty on a grand scale while ensuring inclusive recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic towards accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of zero poverty, no hunger, reduced inequality, women’s economic empowerment, and building resilient and sustainable communities,” she added.
Felizco said despite the comprehensive assistance given by social enterprises to the communities that they serve—from training and jobs creation to entrepreneurship support and market intermediation—they still face many challenges with the current policy environment.
“Social enterprises (SEs) are forced to fit into the mold of for-profit businesses or non-profit organizations but they are neither,” Felizco said. She added it was time to recognize a social enterprise as a different entity altogether that requires its own set of definitions and assistance.
“Especially in rural and far-flung areas, these social enterprises are filling the gap that the market and the government do not have the capacity or the expertise to fill,” Felizco said.
Distinct, systematic
IN Mindanao, for example, the social enterprise Coffee for Peace has helped farmers “many of them from indigenous peoples” develop high-quality coffee through local innovations that is not only export-quality but has also gained a local following. Through such intervention, more local farmers have entered entrepreneurship and are now sought after by different markets.
The coalition said it is collaborating with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to help build a database of social enterprises after the Micro Small and Medium Enterprise Development Council passed a resolution recognizing social enterprises as partners of government in poverty reduction and inclusive recovery.
“With a clear picture of what and where social enterprises are in the Philippines, we can put together distinct and systematic government programs, services, and incentives to support their development and growth,” Dacanay, also president of the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA) said.
She said that before the last Congress ended, the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship had already directed the creation of a Technical Working Group to reconcile the various versions of the proposed bill filed in the Senate.
“We hope the new Congress will take such progress into consideration and fast track the bill,” Dacanay said.
Uplift, secure
A study by the Philippine Social Enterprise Network and the British Council, supported by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, showed that there were around 164,000 social enterprises or more than 15 percent of all businesses in the country before the pandemic.
Another study by the ISEA in 2020 showed that 55 percent of social enterprises experienced major downturns; 41 percent experienced some setbacks, and only 4 percent reported any positive impact.
Oxfam Pilipinas and the Present Coalition said social enterprises are innovating to survive the long-lasting effects of the pandemic. However, they believe that innovation alone cannot see them through.
“Social enterprises do not just create decent jobs—they uplift communities and vulnerable groups; they secure the future of agriculture and sustain the interest of the youth in local business,” Felizco added. “Social enterprises can feed Filipinos for many lifetimes if only they are given enough support.”