Philippines Business for Social Progress (PBSP)


Philippines Business for Social Progress (PBSP) is an example of the umbrella model, set up in December 1970 as a response by the Philipines Council for Economic Development, the Philipines Business Council and the Philippines Association for Social Action to the social unrest and economic downturn that characterized that year in the Philipines. Based on a Venezuelan programme of corporate social action, PBSP was a means by which the Philipines business community could rationalize and co-ordinate its funding and technical support to socio-economic projects and programmes across the country.

Although PBSP is a corporate programme, it is essentially community-group focused using the community development model to reach its clients. It has a primary committment to fostering the establishment and improvement of local community organizations, such as various sorts of cooperatives, marketing groups, village-level NGOs involved in delivery of community services, education bodies and local professional and civic groups. PBSP's credit-based income generating programme (CIGP) involvement is, therefore, largely one implemented at arms length through loans and grants to such organizations for CIGP purposes. PBSP also sees itself as being able to play an important part in poverty alleviation in the Philippines as a broker between micro-enterpreneurers in poverty and those domestic and foreign agencies in the formal modern economy that have resources currently denied the poor for one reason or another. In both the brokering role and as a direct lender to community-based groups, PBSP channels resources that are on-lent for income-generation purposes,. BEtween 1971 abd 1987, an estimated USD 2 million was channelled to CIGPs, which is approximately one-quarter of PBSP's ttotal income for this period.

Ultimately PBSP sees itself as a foundation dedicated to the establishment of community-based credit extension structures that will enable the poor, who do not usually have access to formal credit sources, to improve their livelihood prospects. These extension activities include CIGPs plus a range of training, expert consulting services and administrative supports designed to improve the prospects of successfully establishing institutions and community structures that can ensure the viable continuation of the programme after PBSP is no longer involved. PBSP hopes that this grassroots strategy (1988-91) result in the creation of 1,800 new full-time jobs, 150,000 self-reliant households and the organization of 15 provincial federations of poverty groups in the Filipino community.

PBSP has the distinction of being a self-reliant indigenous NGO. Its major sources of income are contributions from member companies (67 percent) and interest income from funds loaned to PBSP's poverty programme (28 percent). Each of its 118 member companies contributes 0.6 percent of pre-tax income as its share of PBSP annual income, which in 1987-88 amounted to Peso 74.8 million (USD 3.6 million).

Expertise & Training Programs

Expertise Project No: 1

Area of Expertise
Management of small enterprises
Development of small-scale industries
Title: Enterprise Development and Promotions
Implemented in: Philippines
Start Date: 01/01/70
Type of Exp/Trg: On-the-Job Training/Technical Assistance

Expertise Project No: 2

Area of Expertise
Community organization
Title: Community Organizing
Implemented in: Philippines
Start Date: 01/01/70
Type of Exp/Trg: On-the-Job Training/Technical Assistance

Expertise Project No: 3

Area of Expertise
Institutional development
Title: Institution Building
Implemented in: Philippines
Start Date: 01/01/70
Type of Exp/Trg: On-the-Job Training/Technical Assistance

Expertise Project No: 4

Area of Expertise
Technology
Title: Technology Development
Implemented in: Philippines
Start Date: 01/01/70
Type of Exp/Trg: On-the-Job Training/Technical Assistance

Expertise Project No: 5

Area of Expertise
Corporate management
Corporate planning
Title: Corporate Involvement
Implemented in: Philippines
Start Date: 01/01/70
Type of Exp/Trg: On-the-Job Training/Technical Assistance

Training Program No: 1

Area of TrainingHuman resources management
Title: Productivity Improvement for Admin. Staff
Language(s) Used: English, Pilipino
Times per year: 1-2
Type of Exp/Trg: Vocational/Technical
Duration/Cost : 5 days

Training Program No: 2

Area of Training
Disaster/emergency relief planning
Emergency relief
Title: Disaster Management
Language(s) Used: English, Pilipino
Times per year: 1-2
Type of Exp/Trg: Vocational/Technical
Duration/Cost : 5 days

Training Program No: 3

Area of Training
Community development
Community participation
Title: Updating course in Community Organizing/Basic CO
Language(s) Used: English/Pilipino
Times per year: 1-2
Type of Exp/Trg: Vocational/Technical
Duration/Cost : 5 days

Training Program No: 4

Area of Training
Human resources management
Human resources studies
Title: Enhancing Supervisory Skills
Language(s) Used: English/Pilipino
Times per year: 2-3
Type of Exp/Trg: Vocational/Technical
Duration/Cost : 5 days

Training Program No: 5

Area of Training
Accounting/auditing
Title: Bookkeeping for NGOs
Language(s) Used: English
Times per year: 1-2
Type of Exp/Trg: Vocational/Technical
Duration/Cost : 5 days

Sources:
Descriptive writeup: Remenyo, Joe, "Where Credit is Due: Income-generating programmes for the Poor in Developing Countries" London: IT Publications, 1991.

Details on Exterpise and training programmes: UNDP-INRES

PBSP Contact Address:

Maria Aurora F. Tolentino
Head
PSDC Building, Magallanes Corner Real Sts. Intramuros,
Manila
Philippines

Tel: (632) 497041
Fax: (632) 5301076

Hari Srinivas - hsrinivas@gdrc.org
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