7 th National Conference, “Building Capacity and Competency in

Entrepreneurship Education: Convergence”

ENEDA-NCR CHAPTER REPORT

By: Maria Luisa Benig-Gatchalian
President, ENEDA NCR Chapter
Faculty Member, Entrepreneurship Department
CBEA-Miriam College

The recently concluded 7th National ENEDA Conference in Bohol ushered renewed commitment
among entrepreneurship educators to find solutions to the many problems besetting
entrepreneurship education. It was attended by more than 180 educators and business and
entrepreneurship students from all over the Philippines. Various topics, issues and concerns were
tackled as the participating educators called attention to various needs: to raise educators’
professional competency; to elevate entrepreneurship to a full course offering in colleges where it is
still offered merely as a subject; to increase enrollment in entrepreneurship courses; to tap various
government and non-government institutions to help equip schools with the necessary facilities and;
to devise ways to help students overcome various obstacles, notably the scarcity of funds for start-up/
incubation costs. Through it all, there was a high level of resolve as participants agreed that
entrepreneurship is the way to propel the new economy!

ISSUES, CONCERNS and RESOLUTION

1. There is a scarcity of entrepreneurship teachers and there is a need to raise the level of their
proficiency. Indeed, there was a clamor among many of the provincial participants for training.

The training requirements for teachers of entrepreneurship were identified in a work-in-progress

Teaching Competency Training Program aimed at professionalizing and certifying entrepreneurship
educators. The program also addresses the need to propagate techniques and teaching methodologies
that will truly engage students and urge them to venture into business. Students in the tertiary level
require specific teaching methods that are teen/young adolescent-appropriate.

2. The question was raised: Are the schools are producing the kind of entrepreneurs that the
academe and ENEDA envision?

Already, in the NCR, Dr. Corazon Lim of Assumption College San Lorenzo Makati, Prof. Emilina R.
Sarreal, Chair of the Business Management Department of De La Salle University Taft., and Dr. Elenita
Soriano, Program Director of Univeristy of Asia and the Pacific, have expressed support in various
ways through the provision of research, training, resource facilitation and exchange, and values
formation. This has been initially taken up with the ENEDA NCR represented by Maria Luisa B.
Gatchalian of Miriam College.

The next level would be to set collaborative meetings to line up resources, both materials and human.
This is in line with the program being presently developed by the NCR to tap the existing resources that
these institutions are willing to generously share, first for the benefit of raising the proficiency of the
entrepreneurship educators; then to motivate and energize the students; and later on to uplift
marginalized communities, especially “under served women”, as part of the academic institutions’
social responsiveness.

3. Very few student take entrepreneurship courses in the regions outside of Manila because they are
seen as expensive. Start-up capital is required for entrepreneurship projects and many students
cannot sustain their studies in the program. This is one of the reasons why “entrepreneurship” is
offered only a subject in some cases and not as a full course.

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This author had the opportunity to confer with DATBED officers during their program presentation in
Miriam College in February of last year. Their experience is that parents initially complain that it would
be better for their children to help them in their farm instead of spending so much money in school,
studying and experimenting on their business. Eventually, after semesters of engagements with their
financial/investment program, the parents become very appreciative of the results of their children’s
venture programs.

Aggressive promotion of entrepreneurship education among parents, and the community in general
should propagate the message that the course is one of the most effective ways to attain their dreams
of a better livelihood, economic independence, job creation, and wealth creation.

Still, there is the very real problem of the lack of start-up capital for the students’ projects. There are
agencies like the DATBED program of DOST that can help address the problem of “investment lack”.
Aside from DATBED, there are other agencies, institutions and means that a little “search and
research” can uncover. Already, ENEDA NCR in Miriam College during the 1st Roundtable Discussion in
February 2008 has engaged Planters Bank to help work on the issue.

It is also worth noting that Miriam College has been invited by the Marikina City Government to take
part in the Business Plan Challenge – a presentation/competition among their youth/student
constituents and neighboring schools to promote business and industry by awarding start up
investment money and other support resources to those with business plans deemed worthy of
pursuing. Perhaps proposing a similar scheme to the education and economic program office of towns
and cities in other parts of the country should be made. “Angel investors” can be sourced. There are
probably many other ways and means.

Another good way is to enjoin the CHED, ENEDA and government agencies to give “special treatment”
for incubation projects of students, like a dedicated facility for business registration at the DTI;
discounted or waived fees or dues or taxes; materials and facility accommodation from Department of
Science and Technology and its allied agencies for information, research and technical consultations;
waived local/municipal/city business fees for student incubation/start up requirements.

A case in point is Dr. Antonio Lopez’ experience in getting exemptions and concessions from the BIR of
Quezon City regarding the business/income status of MC Café Entrep. He wrote several offices and
presented a position paper of the incubation project of MC Café Entrep. He sought endorsement from
the CHED, citing that the incubation project is part of the curriculum requirement. This is one area that
ENEDA National can work on policy making bodies and government agencies to lend support to
incubation and student venture/product prototype projects.

ENEDA as a body can present these issues collectively and work on them on a national level.

5. How to tap various institutions, administrators, educators, students, non government agencies,
even individuals who share the same vision, as well as policy making bodies in the government like
the Commission of Higher Education, the local and national government agencies - to truly help
create a culture of responsible, capable, competent and ethical entrepreneurship.

6. Points were presented in the conference about the value of a full course in Entrepreneurship. In
many schools, entrepreneurship is still just a subject offered within different business courses. How
can schools take up the challenge that CHED posed:

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7 th National Conference, “Building Capacity and Competency in
Entrepreneurship Education: Convergence”

“All existing entrepreneurship programs, such as, Bachelor of Science in Commerce major in
Entrepreneurship, or Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Entrepreneurship, shall
be phased out and converted to the BS Entrep.” Dr. H.Lagrada, CHED Director.

Managing the course and the students (number per class) is extremely difficult, time consuming,
and requires the availability of the educator even at odd hours. Aside from this, teachers need
extra money to spend for communicating, commuting and other expenses as they go out to
monitor student projects.

Overall, the conference brought to fore minds, achievements, work-in-progress, developments that
were all inspiring and gave much hope for the teachers as we all build our capacity and competency.
There are large areas, difficult ones that need to be addressed. ENEDA is taking them to the next
level. There’s so much to be done by educators, student, parents, classroom/course management,
administrators, schools, governing bodies and many, many more. ENEDA National and its chapters,
friends and all who share the same vision need to band together to advance the mission of
responsible and ethical wealth creation for all!

THE FULL CONFERENCE PROGRAM

1. Entrepreneurship in the Philippines Amidst Global Crisis
Dr. Carl Balita, Keynote Speaker
A presentation of motivational techniques through case stories on failures and beginning
again on the road to many successes.

2. A Model on Teaching Competency

Maria Luisa B. Gatchalian, Miriam College
A presentation which aims to:
a. Professionalize the teaching of entrepreneurship;
b. Develop a training program that taps into government and private institutions,
NGOs, and practicing entrepreneurs and eventually; and
c. Certify teachers as highly qualified entrepreneurship education professionals.

Phases of the Teaching Competency Program:

Phase 1: An appreciation of the peculiar nature of the entrepreneur; Phase 2:
Entrepreneurial planning and development; and Phase 3: Teaching it in the tertiary level
with a deep understanding of the nature of the specific needs of students in their particular
developmental phase. Enhancing teaching competency that is deeply rooted in
professionalism and the dignity of one’s work. Efficiency in teaching through various learning
and engaging techniques; monitoring, coaching and mentoring with specific assessment of
the student achievement level.

3. Social Entrepreneurship
Rev. Javier Alpasa, Ateneo de Manila University
With the success story of Rags to Riches as the backdrop, the concept of social
entrepreneurial initiative within the context of the poor was presented.

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7 th National Conference, “Building Capacity and Competency in
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4. A Symposium on Best Practices: Program and Teaching Methodology

Dr. Gloria S. Chavez & Dr. Alice T. Valerio, De La Salle University
A presentation of the best practices both in the international (Harvard, Cornell, Bobson,
Stanford, University of Victoria, and McGill University) and local (DLSU Dasmariñas) levels.

5. The BS Entrepreneurship Curriculum: Issues and Challenges

Dr. Heracleo D. Lagrada, Director of Office of Programs and Standards. The Commission,CHED
A presentation of the programs for higher learning in both the undergraduate and graduate
levels aimed at being globally competitive and at par with international standards.

Research papers presented

The following research papers were presented in parallel sessions:
a. Comparative Study of E-Learning approach and Traditional Approach in Teaching
Accounting by Dr. Jonathan F. Abasques
b. Microfinance Rural Banks in Calabarzon by Dr. Aurrora de la Cruz Santarin
c. Social, Cultural and Economic Determinants doe Entrepreneurial Success: Bases for A
Relevant Curriculum Design for Entrepreneurship by Dr. Fatima Winniclare Q. Jayme
d. Open for Business: The Case for Entrepreneurship Distance Education by Prof.
Elizabeth P. Ong
e. Supply Chain Management Improvement Among Selected Fresh Vegetables in the
Philippines by Dr. Annie L. Deriada
f. Management and Profitability of Food Chain Firms in Davao City by Prof. Leslie
Sherill T. Remulla
g. Status of Nito Industry in Panay by Prof. Cecil O. Legaspi
h. Hanging the Pirates: A Philippine Case on Pirated Compact and Video Disk by Prof.
Michael del Rosario

Student participation
The conference was also attended by about 50 entrepreneurship students from different
regions during the first phase and was later on gathered by the YES National (the ENEDA
student organization counterpart) to take up a separate program among which is a farm/
observation visit to Bohol Bee Farm. Other highlights were:
a. Search for the Best Business Plan Pitch for the most viable business entry with an
initial investment of up to PhP5,000. Miriam College won the search through the
efforts of its students Laverne Castro and Allysa de la Torre for their Rainbag.
b. Search for the Outstanding Entrepreneurship Student. Ateneo de Naga’s Jerick
Carascal emerged as the champion with Ma. Theresa Cruz of Miriam College as first
runner up.

Search for the Outstanding Entrepreneurship Educator. De La Salle University Dasmariñas’

Dr. Aurora Santarin was this year’s recipient.
Elizabeth Ong, Editor
14 March 2009

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