Livelihood and Employment

23 February 2009

Quick stats on:

• Number of beneficiaries of microeentrepreneurship lending program
• Lending Institutions' Disbursements
• Job fairs organized
• Number of jobseekers assisted

Enterprise startups and growth

The Sikap Buhay Entrepreneurship and Cooperatives Office (SB-ECO), Social Services Development Department (SSDD), and SB Negotech Center are the lead institutions in Quezon City that provide capital assistance, training programs and after-care monitoring to building micro-entrepreneurs.

The SB-ECO and SSDD facilitate capital loan assistance to thousands of Quezon City residents who realize that doing business, even in small scale, opens opportunities to growth and productivity. The SSDD provides trainings in making candles, chocolates, doormats, perfumes, virgin coconut oil, vinegar, semi-precious stone jewelries, balloon designs, and many more. They also teach marketable packaging, business financial management and product development, while regularly monitoring the progress of their beneficiaries. The SB Negotech offers TESDA-accredited courses that give them opportunities to continue studying to higher apprenticeship levels.

The Sikap Buhay lending program has graduated 50,139 micro-entrepreneurs from 2001 to 2008, and has released close to P791.5 million in seed and growth funds for livelihood in 135 barangays.

The program’s conduits have grown to seven, with the addition of the Center for Community Transformation, Uplift Philippines and the Bagbag Multipurpose Cooperative. Studies have shown that beneficiaries’ incomes have increased by 200% to 600%, and the program has inculcated credit discipline, self-reliance and greater financial independence for their families.

Because of Sikap Buhay’s high impact delivery, it drew the attention of the International Labor Organization. In the ILO impact study, the Sikap Buhay lending program is seen as an effective poverty alleviation tool for the entrepreneurial poor. The program has enabled a rise in incomes that makes it possible for the poor to send their children to school, provide them nutrition, undertake home improvements, as well as develop the confidence to make key life decisions and lead their communities.

The Social Services Development Department has its own barangay-based skills building programs, whose graduates have reached close to 166,761 people so far, while SB Negotech has trained 4,933.

Through the SSDD, Quezon City provides technical know-how in putting up micro-businesses under the Small Income Generating Assistance (SIGA) Program. Together with the Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD), the City government has extended P2 million in capital assistance to 533 thriving entrepreneurs.

It also implements the Tindahan Natin project, a national government initiative which provides low-priced but quality rice, noodles and sugar for marginal earners. About 288 individuals were extended capital assistance amounting to P5.76 million.

Consistent with the City’s no dole out policy, livelihood projects are being strengthened and improved so that they can be implemented by private sector partners. Training more trainors and partnering with NGOs will multiply the City’s resources.

To further encourage entrepreneurship, the City pushes for the full implementation of the Barangay Micro-Business Enterprises Act. Ordinance 1576 cuts the rate of local business taxes in half for micro-entrepreneurs.

Another office that fosters entrepreneurship initiatives is the Public Employment Services Office (PESO). In 2007, it assisted 575 individuals in establishing their micro-businesses. It promotes self-employment and entrepreneurship while still maintaining its regular employment facilitation functions.

Some 45,554 jobseekers have been assisted by the City government through PESO’s regular employment facilitation services and 258 job fairs, the highest number of job fairs organized by the department in the last eight years.

For better employer, employee skills match and to further bring employment closer to where the workforce resides, the IRO-PESO continues the skills registry databanking or Project Skil-Lista.

This comprehensive skills mapping aims to fast-track employment facilitation by establishing skills registry centers in Quezon City barangays. These registry centers match skills of registered jobseekers in the communities to manpower demands of both foreign and local labor markets.

In the first quarter of 2008, the IRO-PESO has established skills registry centers in 107 barangays, that is 75% coverage of all barangays in Quezon City. The aim is to establish skills registry centers in all 142 barangays.