Bayan Academy and Citibank partner to boost micro-entrepreneurship

MANILA, Philippines - Since 1997, ABS-CBN Bayan Foundation, Inc. has been spearheading a movement for building this nation from below, that is, from the level of micro- and small entrepreneurs. Its programs are anchored on promoting change through the three E’s of Entrepreneurship, Education and Employment. With the help of various organizations, it has been able to democratize entrepreneurship and bring training and assistance to over 50,000 entrepreneurs who manifest potential, allowing them to succeed and provide a better life not only to their families but also to the communities where they belong.

In 2006, Bayan Academy’s flagship Entrep-Eskwela Program, also known as Grassroots Entrepreneurship and Management (GEM) Program, had a total of 21 program licensees. These licensees are now implementing GEM in their own organizations through 426 accredited trainers who have undergone the trainers’ training. The reach of this program is estimated to be 500,000 microentrepreneurs who will now be able to bring their enterprises to a higher level.

As of 2010, ABS-CBN Bayan Foundation’s individual loans and executive loans numbered at approximately 4,000 enterprises. Tapping the potential of the micro, small and medium enterprises is very important since it comprises 99 percent of all registered businesses in the country and employs close to 70 percent of our workforce. However, these businesses, especially the microenterprise, face the most risk of failure due to lack of basic management skills.

With this, Bayan Academy, a social development institution dedicated to entrepreneurship education, received support and funding from Citi Foundation, a like-minded institution that shares the same mission of helping build the capabilities of microenterepreneurs, in opening the Citi Microenterprise Development Center (CMDC).

The CMDC will seek to address various issues by providing a place where entrepreneurial Filipinos can learn management and receive constant mentorship and advice from professionals. The center, located at Bayan Academy in Quezon City, will be training 300 microentrepreneurs engaged in a wide array of industries, from trading to manufacturing; from retailing to servicing.

“Aside from the general concept of entrepreneurship, it is Microenterprise Development that has been proven to help those who are ‘below’ the economic strata,” said Dr. Eduardo Morato, chairman of Bayan Academy. “Microfinance gives motivation and power to housewives, senior citizens, and even ordinary folks to engage in business and become employers themselves, thus cascading benefits to a wider scale. With the CMDC, Citibank is one with us as we build the nation from below. The program allows us to reach out to small and medium entrepreneurs where experts in the field will guide and assist them; they will be exposed to the best practices which they can implement in their own business.”

On the part of Citi Foundation, the partnership with Bayan is not only time-tested but has also brought immense benefits.

 “Our partnership with Bayan Academy dates back to 2004, and each time we come together, we’ve always found our collaboration to be rich in learning and results,” said Aneth Lim, corporate affairs director of Citibank, who spoke on behalf of Citi Foundation during the launch of CMDC. “We’re excited to bring to a new level our partnership on supporting microentrepreneurs with the CMDC. Last year, we largely focused on rolling out training programs but this year we are expanding to include consultancy services with industry experts.”

On a global scale, Citi Foundation is committed to economic empowerment and helping create vibrant communities. It believes in providing a “hand up” instead of a handout and this program is in line with its goal of designing sustainable ways of lending assistance. This commitment was underscored when senior Citi executives, led by Shirish Apte, Citi Asia Pacific CEO and a board member of Citi Foundation, and Sanjiv Vohra, Citi country officer for the Philippines, visited the CMDC on Nov. 5 and witnessed an ongoing Small Business Advisory and Coaching Services session on finance by Estelita Catacutan, managing director for Bayan’s Enterprise Developers, Growers and Evolvers (EDGE) Program. They saw that the beneficiaries are passionate about bringing their businesses to the next level since they were asking relevant questions and soliciting advice on how to improve their products and services. 

“The CMDC also presents a unique opportunity for our officers to contribute towards nation building by sharing their expertise and serving as mentors and coaches to the microentrepreneurs,” added Lim.

The program will benefit 200 microentrepreneurs in the Citi-Bayan Entrep-Eskwela Program, a nine-day course on the basics of enterprise management. Aside from classroom training, the Citi Small Business Advisory and Coaching Services will be opened to 300 graduates of the Entrep-Eskwela as a venue for their marketing, operations, human resources, finance, technical and regulatory concerns in their enterprises. The participants will be coming from various microfinance institutions all over the NCR.

For inquires on the CMDC, call 927-9365, 426-3140 or visit the website at www.abs-cbnbayanfoundation.com.