Senate tackles bills promoting social enterprises to address poverty
On February 16, PRESENT Bills filed in Senate were deliberated in the Joint Committee Hearing on Trade, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship; Subcommittees on Exports and Investments Development, Economic Affairs; Social Justice, Welfare, and Rural Development; Ways and Means and Finance presided by Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara.
The Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA) President and Poverty Reduction through Social Entrepreneurship (PRESENT) Coalition Convener Dr. Marie Lisa Dacanay led the coalition’s contingent composed of UP Institute for Small-Scale Industries (UP ISSI), Lasallian Social Enterprise for Economic Development (LSEED), Append Inc., Oxfam Pilipinas, IDEALS, Inc, and Foundation for a Sustainable Society (FSSI) in advancing the Coalition’s position supporting the 6 PRESENT bills authored by Senate President Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Deputy Minority Leader Senator Risa Hontiveros, Senator Sonny Angara, Senator Grace Poe, and Senator Jinggoy Estrada.
Majority of national government agencies such as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Agriculture (DA), National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Education (DepEd), Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), and National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), among others have expressed their willingness to support the passage and implementation of the bill.
To date, discussions on the bills were further continued in four (4) Technical Working Group (TWG) Meetings in March and April. Moreover, the Joint Committees are currently preparing the Committee Report that incorporates the inputs and discussions from the TWG meetings into a harmonized version of the PRESENT Bill.
Watch the recording of the Joint Committee Hearing here.