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Non-government Women’s Business Council (WBC) on
Wednesday appealed before the government to expand the lending
windows for female entrepreneurs through government financial
institutions.
Aurora Garcia, president of the
WBC Philippines, said the GFIs must expand their lending funds for
entrepreneurs as the move would further strengthen small and medium
enterprises, the backbone of Philippine industry.
She said, “Majority of [our]
entrepreneurs are women, these are the owners of small and medium
business. If the government really wants to beef up such industry,
it should go for a bigger funding.”
In 1999, the Land Bank of the
Philippines set aside P3.1 billion solely for women entrepreneurs.
But Garcia said the money has
been “taken up” and circulating.
She said the government should
endorse another P3 billion lending fund, or even higher, from GFIs
exclusively for women entrepreneurs.
WBC has 50 main members, most of
them business leaders, entrepreneurs and top executives. The
non-government organization has been pushing for women’s
financing, training, networking and marketing developments.
--Katrina Mennen A. Valdez
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