Yamsuan backs hikes in 2027 budget for programs aimed at spurring development of MSEs

Parañaque 2nd District Representative Brian Yamsuan has expressed his strong support for proposed funding increases in the 2027 national budget for the implementation of government programs designed to spur entrepreneurship and the development of micro and small enterprises (MSEs).

During the meeting of the Budget Amendments Review Subcommittee (BARSc), Yamsuan backed the proposed P870.5 million hike in the 2027 allocation for the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the additional P50 million for the Small Business Corporation, which implements the Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-Asenso Program (P3).

“Increasing the allocations for these programs would benefit more Filipinos and boost entrepreneurship as an engine of our country’s economic growth,” Yamsuan said.

Yamsuan has also filed separate measures to institutionalize the SLP and the P3.

On the SLP, Yamsuan pointed out that this commendable program by the government has helped many aspiring entrepreneurs in his district who do not have access to bank loans and other traditional lending sources obtain funding to start their own micro businesses.

“We should institutionalize the SLP so that later on, our kababayans would always have access to this kind of opportunity to improve their lives,” Yamsuan said during the BARSc meeting held Thursday (Oct. 1, 2026).

Yamsuan also said increasing the budget of SBCorp, the financing arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), would enable more MSEs to access collateral-free, low-interest loans to expand their businesses.

“I have seen how SBCorp functions and I have seen how many small businesses in my district have been helped by SBCorp,” Yamsuan said.

Yamsuan’s House Bill (HB) 2580 aims to institutionalize the SLP to ensure that the government would continue to invest in this livelihood-building measure intended to help poor and marginalized Filipinos break the cycle of poverty.

The SLP provides seed capital and skills training to qualified beneficiaries to enable them to operate micro businesses under its Enterprise Development Track. The program also has an Employment Facilitation Track, which provides financial aid to those seeking employment or pursuing technical and vocational skills.

Yamsuan has also filed House Bill (HB) 9472 or the proposed Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso Act, which seeks to institutionalize the P3.

If the bill becomes law, it would benefit more than 90 percent of enterprises classified as micro businesses and about 9 percent classified as small enterprises.

HB 9472 provides for the creation of the P3 Fund, which shall be lent out to qualified MSEs without collateral and with interest rates of not more than 1 percent per month for direct lending, and not exceeding 2.5 percent for lending through accredited partner financial institutions (PFIs). Interest earnings shall accrue to the Fund.

Yamsuan said institutionalizing both the SLP and the P3 would shield these programs from annual budgetary whims and shifting priorities of any administration, Yamsuan said.

“Our proposed measures will ensure the continuity of these programs and secure their regular funding through the national budget,” Yamsuan said.