Congress priority urged for ‘PRESENT’
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
Civil society organizations (CSO) on Sunday called on legislators to prioritize the passage of the Poverty Reduction through Social Entrepreneurship (PRESENT) bill to help more Filipinos recover faster from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“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 Lot Felizco said ahead of the opening of the 19th Congress on Monday.
The Poverty Reduction through Social Entrepreneurship (PRESENT) Coalition, which is supported by Oxfam Pilipinas through the Gender Transformative and Responsible Agribusiness Investments in South East Asia (GRAISEA), said the proposed policy measure aims to promote social entrepreneurship as a strategy for poverty reduction.
“The bill, if passed, will enable the creation and strengthening of social enterprises as transformational partners of the poor and marginalized,” said Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia president and PRESENT Coalition Convener Dr. Marie Lisa Dacanay.
“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,” Dacanay added.