February 23-24: Bayan Academy, through the support of BPI Foundation, hosted the 2023 Philippine Social Entrepreneurship Summit with the theme: Isang Adhikain. Expanding Horizons via the online event platform, Hubilo. The Summit was presented in partnership with Bayan Innovation Group (BIG), Bayan SEARCH, the Society for the Advancement of Professional Social Entrepreneurship (SAPSE), Entrego, BPI BanKo, and Ayala Land, Inc.
From an accelerator program to a national strategic plan for social enterprise advancement in the Philippines
As early as 2015, BPI Foundation had been accelerating the growth of Filipino social enterprises (SEs) through the BPI Sinag program. In 2021, BPI Foundation leveled up its support for the country’s social enterprise sector by commissioning the development of the National Social Enterprise Development Roadmap (SE Roadmap).
The SE Roadmap, which was crafted by BIG and SAPSE, is a five-year, multi-sectoral, and nationwide strategic plan that aims to advance social enterprises in the country.
As part of the Roadmap's priority strategy, sector representatives from MSMEs, associations, cooperatives, non-government organizations (NGOs), corporations and the academe conducted a series of technical working groups. This led to the creation of the National SE Roadmap Governance Council (“the Council”), which will lead the implementation of the SE Roadmap across the country.
Summit highlights
Over the two-day event, more than 1,200 attendees participated in the Summit, with 62 speakers leading the discourse on a wide range of themes spanning the SE ecosystem and its role in sustainable development.
Day 1: Bayan Academy’s Chairman and President Prof. Francisco “Jay” M. Bernardo, III opened the Summit with the call to put social enterprises at the forefront of the national economy. He also expressed his gratitude to BPI Foundation and all partners for supporting the Bayan Family of Foundations in its continuing work to strengthen social entrepreneurship in the country. This was followed by a message from Mr. Owen Cammayo, Executive Director of BPI Foundation. An early proponent of SE in the Philippines, BPI Foundation now takes on an even bigger role as it rallies the Ayala Group in leading SE advancement in the country. Mr. Carlo Sagun, BIG’s Executive Director, then presented an overview of the SE Roadmap and how the Council was formed. With the creation of the Council, the SE Roadmap is now ready to be cascaded and implemented nationwide across the SE subsectors.
After these key opening messages, breakout sessions were conducted to introduce the Council members and the initial programs of each subsector, as well as ways for the participants and the public to get involved.
Day 2: The Summit featured a variety of sessions for the participants to choose from. One topic on spotlight was SEs as sustainable business models that can deliver not just profit but development outcomes for people and the planet.
Lanie Francisco, founder of the social enterprise, Bokashi Pinoy, shared her journey in building a sustainable business model for her SE. Bokashi Pinoy advocates for environmental sustainability by composting food waste into nutrient-rich soil. From her experience, Ms. Francisco has seen how empowering SEs is a significant step that the country can take towards national development.
In a separate session, representatives from Manila Water Foundation and PeaceBuilders Community, Inc., shared how they have created more effective interventions for the communities they work with. Other private sector groups can also look to these organizations as models for developing intentional community development and corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Tackling a lesser-known theme, Dr. Ben Quiñones, Jr., Chairman of the Asian Solidarity Economy Council, spoke on the need to build a Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) and social entrepreneurship’s role in the SSE. Building on this, Dr. Nathalie Lourdes Africa-Verceles, Director of the UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies, discussed why gender perspectives must be integrated in establishing SEs.
In a series of sessions on SE education in the Philippines, representatives from the academe shared how they built SE programs into their K-12 to Masters curriculum, research and extension services. Another highlight was the Master in Entrepreneurship for Social Enterprise Development (“MESEDEV”), which is currently being offered by the Ateneo Graduate School of Business, in partnership with Bayan Academy and BIG.
Leaders of the Philippine cooperative sector hosted a dialogue on the “co-op” model: its history and unique enterprise identity. They also discussed how cooperatives are different from traditional businesses and what traditional businesses can learn from the “co-op” model. Cooperatives are said to be the quintessential social enterprise and can serve as a model for other enterprises in balancing financial sustainability with social mission.
Another highlight of Day 2 was the presence of Ms. Ong Hui Yu from the Singapore Centre for Social Enterprise (raiSE), who shared raiSE’s experience in building an impact investment program. The Council hopes to create similar opportunities for Filipino SEs through the SE Roadmap.
In a parallel session, SEs in education technology - Studentship PH, Tinker House and Techie Seniors - showed real-life cases of how ‘edtech’ innovations can deliver beyond traditional means of education.
The way forward for social entrepreneurship in the Philippines
With the SE Roadmap in full swing, Mr. Owen Cammayo and Mr. Carlo Sagun wrapped up the Summit by sharing how the Council will move forward in mobilizing the SE subsectors. They were joined by leaders from the Ayala Group of Companies who will spearhead the SE Roadmap programs across the country for the corporations’ subsector.
On behalf of the Council and its partners, Mr. Cammayo and Mr. Sagun reiterated their commitment to the SE Roadmap and the call for SE advocates and the public to join this nationwide initiative to put Filipino SEs on the map.
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