Sen. Aquino pushes Entrepreneurship

CEBU, Philippines - Senator Bam Aquino believes that jobs creation and more employment are key to alleviating poverty in the country.

This is one of the reasons why he encouraged young legislators to push for entrepreneurship in their respective localities during a forum organized by the National Movement of Young Legislators.

“Yung battlecry ko talaga is trabaho and negosyo for people to get out of poverty. We need to support micro-entrepreneurs for greater jobs among Filipinos,” said Aquino in a press conference.

Aquino, who is also the president of Hapinoy, a social enterprise that has been awarded around the world for its poverty alleviation program using innovations in micro-enterprise, micro-finance, and the Filipino staple — the sari-sari store, believes that “we have to be a nation of entrepreneurs as one way of freeing the people from poverty.”

Within the year, a Go Negosyo Center will be put up in Cebu to provide an infrastructure on how to be entrepreneurs in support with the Department of Trade  and  Industry  and  other concerned agencies, including the local government units.

He said the country’s micro, small and medium enterprises comprise 99 percent of the businesses and 66 percent of these are the ones giving employment to the Filipino people.

Meanwhile, Aquino is encouraging youth organizations in the country, inclu-ding Cebu, to join this year’s search for Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations.

“The youth of today are portrayed in the media as juvenile delinquents, mga pasaway, but actually if you go to the different municipalities in the country, there are a lot of youth organizations that are doing extra-ordinary to their respective communities and that is we want to recognize,” Aquino said.

Now on its 12th year, TAYO aims to recognize youth leaders who have been instrumental in nation-building.

“For this year, we are expecting more than 200 entries,” said Aquino.

Deadline for submission will be on September 30, 2014 and the awarding will be on January 15, 2015.  (FREEMAN)