PRESENT COALITION

1 July 2012

HIS EXCELLENCY BENIGNO SIMEON NOYNOY AQUINO III President Republic of the Philippines

Thru: HON. SECRETARY JOEL ROCAMORA National Anti-Poverty Commission

Dear PRESIDENT AQUINO:

Good Day.

We, the Poverty Reduction through Social Enterprise (PRESENT) Coalition members are seeking your full support to our advocacy the legislation for a national policy on Social Entrepreneurship as a poverty-reduction measure. Our proposed measure is enshrined in the pending House Bill 6085 or the Magna Carta for Social Enterprises principally authored by Representative Lorenzo Erin Tanada III. HB 6085 has been referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development. The first hearing is set upon resumption of Congress and immediately after His Excellencys State of the Nation Address (SONA). We were informed by the National Anti-Poverty Commission Secretary Joel Rocamora in a meeting about HB 6085, (Magna Carta for Social Enterprises) that your leadership works on a strategy of convergence and thus, this proposed measure would be very appropriate. Social enterprises have proven to be effective models in creating employment, scalable local productivity and building the capabilities of poor communities in terms of managing their own resources.

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Mr. President, we define Social Entrepreneurship as wealth-creating organizations that entail innovations designed to explicitly improve societal well-being, housed within entrepreneurial organizations, which initiate, guide or contribute to change in society. The discourse about Social Entrepreneurship in the Philippines started in the 60s when successes of cooperativismhas been experienced in Europe. These are enterprises with social and environmental missions that are considered alongside economic and financial gains. There are now more than 30,000 active and existing social enterprises in the country that are coming together and wanting a policy for an enabling policy that would make social enterprises grow and develop to terms that would impact poverty alleviation at local levels or within specific economic value chains. Attached herewith is a briefer about what social enterprise is all about, how it has continuously helped in social inclusion citing concrete experiences and the salient features of HB 6085, the Magna Carta for Social Enterprises. The PRESENT Coalition members are seeking for Your support and requests that the SE Bill or Magna Carta for Social Enterprises be considered as a priority legislative agenda as You speak in the State of the Nation Address. To date, we have had conducted dialogues with DSWD and NAPC in lieu with this proposal and we are glad that they have received this warmly as they see the convergence of social enterprise practitioners and advocates with the vision of the Aquino government for social and economic development. It is also our fervent hope that your Excellency would consider this measure, HB 6085 as one of your priority bills upon the resumption of the 3rd Regular Session of the 14th Congress and to be announced in your next State of the Nation Address (SONA). Should you need more information to help you through your decision-making, we would be more than glad to be of service to you. We could be reached

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through (+632) 9288671 (telefax),jay@fssi.com.ph (email) and +639209063885 (mobile number). , Very truly yours,

[Sgd] DEAN ANTONIO LA VINA Ateneo School of Governance Convenor, PRESENT Coalition

[Sgd] JAY BERTRAM LACSAMANA Executive Director, Foundation for a Sustainable Society (FSSI) and Co-Convenor, PRESENT COALITION