Press Release
January 20, 2015

Villar pushes for social entrepreneurship

Senator Cynthia A. Villar has pushed for social entrepreneurship, citing the "direct and fast" benefits they provide to the people, especially our poor countrymen.

In a statement, Villar noted that social entrepreneurship does not need capital because the raw materials can come from wastes. As a social entrepreneur, Villar said she has established livelihood projects in more than 500 towns and cities all over the Philippines.

She said the raw of materials of these livelihood enterprises are from wastes or garbage.

She said they use water hyacinths for their waterlily basket-weaving enterprise and the handmade paper factory. They tap waste coconut husks for the coconet weaving enterprise and charcoal-making factory and kitchen wastes for the organic fertilizer composting facility.

She also said plastic wastes are being turned into 'sturdy and durable" plastic chairs which are distributed to public schools.

"Being a social entrepreneur, I will continue promoting these livelihood projects," assured the senator as she called on more people and groups to create social enterprises.

She said this was one of the reasons why she and her husband, former Senate President Manny Villar, built Villar Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance or Villar SIPAG.

"It does not merely serve as a home of all our efforts and endeavors in fulfilling our advocacies. It is a working hub and a proactive center. Its name alone highlights and promotes the value of hard work as a tool in overcoming poverty," she said.

On top of that, the senator also said they nurture and recognize community-based social enterprises through continuously scheduled workshops, training sessions and symposia.

"We also recognize the leading and promising community enterprises through the yearly Villar SIPAG Awards, which started last year. It recognizes good practices or innovations of community enterprises, which grow jobs and increase household income. It also highlights outstanding initiatives of community enterprises as models of good practices in income poverty reduction," related the former congresswoman of Las Piñas.

Acknowledging that poverty continues to be a major development challenge for the Philippines, she expressed hope the awards can help contribute to reduce poverty by recognizing and promoting Philippine innovations at the community level.

The chair of the Senate Agriculture and Food committee likewise related they are happy that there is an increasing number of schools and universities are now offering entrepreneurship courses.

She noted that a few months ago, Senate Bill No. 2212 or the Youth Entrepreneurship Act of 2014, which she co-authored was passed in the Senate.

She said this will further promote entrepreneurship among the youth, since it calls for the inclusion of entrepreneurship as a separate subject in secondary education of our students.

"We really need to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset among the youth," she concluded.

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