Rome – July 23, 2012 – ASSOCIAZIONE PILIPINAS OFSPES received the plaque from TFC- ABS/CBN on 16 July 2012 qualifying it as a finalist of the Global Bayaning Pilipino – Europe. The prestigious award is a joint project of ABS-CBN and UGAT Foundation that searches for associations/organizations doing projects and activities that: i) have a measurable impact, ii) highlight the value of unity (PAGKAKAISA), iii) focused on service, iv) transcend regionalism/parochialism, v) promote Filipino values and culture, and vi) participatory/people oriented.
OFSPES, in addition to other socio- economic and cultural programs, is the coordinator/organizing body of the LSE (Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship). Filipino migrants aged from 18 to 74 years old have benefited from the program. Some 450 migrants would have been reached from 2008 to 2012 covering 11 training batches, the 10th in Turin and the 11th in Milan. Over these years, the LSE alumni have become a positive force in Italy becoming change makers in their own right, in their families, and in some cases creating a ripple effect for improved community involvement in their associations or church groups.
Graduates learned to prepare business plans within a social entrepreneurship context. They have been able to instill financial discipline for themselves. Others have been able to start businesses , such as sushi bars in Turin, a cargo office in Milan, a printed magazine in Rome, to name a few.
The success of the program would not have been possible without the support of valuable partners – Ateneo School of Government, Philippine Embassy in Rome, Philippine Consulate General in Milan, Philippine Overseas Labor Office (Rome and Milan), the OWWA (Welfare Officers in Rome and Milan).
