THE House of Representatives (HRep) Committee on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Development technical working group (TWG) led by Bukidnon Rep. Jose Manuel Alba on Tuesday continued to fine-tune the draft substitute bill on the proposed “Poverty Reduction through Social Entrepreneurship (PRESENT) Act.”
The substitute bill consolidates House Bills (HBs) 2112, 4566, 6952, 8192, 4911, 5554, and 6091, which seek to promote the growth and development of social enterprises (SEs) to alleviate poverty, establishing for the purpose the PRESENT Program.
The Micro-, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Council of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) would be expanded and renamed as the National Enterprise Development Council (NEDC) to effectively spur the growth of MSMEs and SEs throughout the country.
An SE Committee would be created under the proposed NEDC to ensure that the Council is able to fulfill its additional mandates.
Among the amendments discussed today was to include the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) in the SE Committee.
Further, the National Center for Social Enterprise Development (NCSED) would be established under the NEDC tasked to provide capability trainings, develop a research and development system, and manage a Social Enterprise Marketing Assistance Program (SMAP), among others.
TWG members concurred to include the NAPC and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in the list of agencies the NCSED would coordinate with in the implementation of its programs.
The panel also amended the “Social Entrepreneurship Education in Schools” provision to read as: “All higher learning institutions and vocational schools shall integrate SE content to the extent applicable.” Rep. Alba said that the panel would discuss in the next meeting ways to offer adequate support for SEs, such as providing these SEs with guarantee cover when asking for funds from financial institutions.
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