Supreme Court E-Library
Information At Your Fingertips

officialgazette.com.ph

[ EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 485, June 09, 1998 ]

ESTABLISHING THE YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM AND CREATING THE NATIONAL COOPERATORS COUNCIL, PROVIDING FOR ITS FUNCTIONS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

WHEREAS, Section 2 of R.A. 8044, series of 1995 or the “Youth in Nation-Building Act” provides for the encouragement of youth involvement in character building, development activities for civic efficiency, stewardship of natural resources, agricultural and industrial activity and participation in structures, policy-making and program implementation to reduce poverty incidence and accelerate socio-economic development;

WHEREAS, the National Youth Commission (NYC) pursuant to its mandate under R.A. 8044, series of 1995, has formulated the Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP) which aims to develop the entrepreneurial skills of the youth and encourage them to participate and organize business enterprises;

WHEREAS, under the Medium Term Youth Development Plan (MTYDP): 1999-2004, the YEP is one of the flagship programs for the sector, with five major components as follows: Business Plan Development and Training, Credit Assistance and Lending, Mentoring, Market Syndication and Linkaging, and Business Information Network; and,

WHEREAS, there is need to create a body that will assist the NYC in ensuring the successful implementation of the YEP.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FIDEL V. RAMOS, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by Law, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. Approval of the Youth Entrepreneurship Program (YEP). The YEP as formulated by the NYC is hereby approved for implementation. The Program, which is envisioned to develop the entrepreneurial skills of the youth and thereby contribute to nation-building, shall have the following components:

a. Business Plan Development and Training, which involves the provision of technical assistance such as basic skills training on the preparation/development of business plans, starting and managing business enterprises, continuing entrepreneurship education and competence development activities aimed at improving business operations;

b. Credit Assistance and Lending, which involves the provision of information on available credit and lending facilities in government agencies and the system/mechanism to access available resources for viable and profitable business proposals;

c. Mentoring, which involves the establishment of a mentor-apprentice relationship between the agency and the youth and provide opportunities for young entrepreneurs to meet and receive advice from senior businessmen/executives who are experts in business development;

d. Market Syndication and Linkaging, which will link the young entrepreneurs with the market through the organization of trade fairs and/or business matching activities; and,

e. Business Information Network, which involves the provision of continuing information assistance to young entrepreneurs concerning market trends, other business opportunities and technologies that will improve products, services, and business operations through publications or internet access.

Sec. 2. Creation of the Youth Entrepreneurship Program National Cooperators Council. There is hereby created the Youth Entrepreneurship Program National Cooperators Council, hereinafter referred to as the “Council”, that will oversee, plan and coordinate the implementation of the YEP.

Sec. 3. Composition. The Council shall be composed of the Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry as Chairman, the Chairperson of the NYC as Co-Chairperson, and senior officers with the rank not lower than Assistant Secretary (or its equivalent) of the following agencies, as members:

a. Department of Labor and Employment;
b. Department of Social Welfare and Development;
c. Department of Interior and Local Government;
d. Department of Agrarian Reform;
e. Department of Science and Technology;
f. Commission on Higher Education;
g. Presidential Management Staff;
h. Development Bank of the Philippines;
Land Bank of the Philippines;
j. Quedan Rural Credit Guarantee Corporation;
k. Livelihood Corporation;
Technology and Livelihood Resource Center;
m. Technical Education and Skills Development Authority;
n. Cooperative Development Authority; and,
o. Small Business Guarantee and Finance Corporation.

Section 4. Functions and Responsibilities of the Council. The Council shall undertake the following:

a. Formulate implementing guidelines that may be necessary in ensuring the successful implementation of the Program;
b. Strengthen existing youth-oriented entrepreneurship projects and/or develop new projects as may be necessary, for possible integration/enrollment into the Program;
c. Undertake proper coordination with government agencies and the private sector to facilitate provision of technical and funding assistance to Program beneficiaries;
d. Provide regular update reports to the President on the implementation of the Program; and,
e. Perform such other functions as may be assigned by the President.

Section 5. Enrollment of Programs under the YEP. The members of the Council shall identify and/or develop youth-oriented entrepreneurship programs (consistent with their respective mandates and policies), for enrollment under the Program. These enrolled programs shall be classified along the following major components: Business Plan Development and Training, Credit Assistance and Lending, Mentoring, Market Syndication and Linkaging, Business Information Network.

Section 6. YEP Action Officers. Concerned members of the Council shall designate their respective YEP Action Officers from their existing personnel, both in the national and regional levels, and whenever applicable, at the provincial, city or municipal levels. The YEP Action officers shall have the following responsibilities:

a. Act as the point person of the agency in the implementation of the Program;
b. Coordinate the implementation of the agency’s YEP-enrolled program, as provided in Section 4 of this Order;
c. Prepare and submit implementation reports of the enrolled program in support of the overall objectives of the Program;
d. Liaise with the Program Secretariat regarding the implementation of policies and activities agreed upon by the members of the Council.

Section 7. Institutional Linkages and Partnerships. The Committee is hereby authorized to call upon any department, bureau, office, agency or instrumentality of the Government, including government-owned or controlled corporation for such assistance as it may need in the discharge of its functions.

The Council may call on the private sector groups (business community, academe, social and civic organizations) and other non-government organizations to provide technical and funding assistance for the Program.

The Council is further authorized to enter into partnership agreements with the private sector and with the concerned committees of Congress, whenever necessary, provided that all legal requirements and government rules and regulations are complied with, including rules and regulations of the Commission on Audit (COA).

Section 8. Funding. The concerned agencies involved in the implementation of the Program are hereby authorized to appropriate and/or allocate funds from their respective 1999 budgets, subject to existing government auditing and accounting rules and regulations.

To augment funds for the Program, the Council may solicit funding support and contributions from the private sector and foreign institutions for the program, subject to existing government rules, regulations and legal requirements of COA, Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), as may be necessary.

Section 9. Program Secretariat. The NYC shall provide secretariat, administrative and technical support to the Council.

Section 10. Effectivity. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 9th day of June in the year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety Eight.

(Sgd.) FIDEL V. RAMOS
President of the Philippines

By the President:

(Sgd.) ALEXANDER P. AGUIRRE
Executive Secretary