Right Table (L-R):Dr. Rosalinda Ofreneo (Homenet Philippines); Dr. Rene Ofreneo (Freedom from Debt Coalition); Dr. Benjamin Quiñones, Jr. (ASEC); Ms. Maricris Aureta, Chief, Labor and Employment Officer, QC-PESO.
Strengthening SSE Communities for the Future By Dr. Ben Quiñones, Jr., Co-Coordinator, ASEC-Philippines
The Quezon City Public Employment Service Office (QC-PESO) conducted the Quezon City Social Solidarity Economy (QC-SSE) Forum 2025 on October 15-17, 2025 with around 50 participants from 29 community-based organizations, QC-PESO, and ASEC-Philippines. The QC-SSE Forum is an annual gathering of SSE practitioners who have joined the SSE movement coordinated by QC-PESO in partnerships with ASEC-Philippines.
Representatives of ASEC-Philippines included Dr. Rosalinda Ofreneo, Co-Coordinator, ASEC Philippines: Dr. Quiñones, Jr., Co-Coordinator, ASEC-Philippines; Dr. Rene Ofreneo, President, Freedom from Debt Coalition; Ms. Patricia De Vera, Chairperson, Homenet Multipurpose Cooperative, and Paul Casuga, Communications Officer, ASEC-Philippines.
In his inaugural talk, QC-PESO Manager Rogelio “Batoy” Reyes cited the achievements of the SSE movement. Among the major milestones are the establishment of the Informal Economy Development Council (IEDC) and the Migrants Development Council (MDC).
The IEDC focuses on the transition of workers in the informal economy to the formal economy. The IEDC was instrumental in the organization of the Association of Palerong Manggagawa (waste pickers), an association of waste pickers in Quezon City, and the provision of technical support to the recycling business of the association members.
The MDC focuses on the promotion of social enterprises owned and operated by the families of migrant workers, also known as the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). The most common enterprises run by households are urban organic farming, tricycle operation, tailoring, merchandise retailing, and recycling.
Dr. Benjamin Quiñones, Jr. gave an overview of SSE in the global context and future directions. He reported on the participation of ASEC in the 2025 GSEF Global Forum on Social and Solidarity Economy in Bordeaux, France on 29-31 October 2025, particularly in the GSEF session on “SSE Continental Dynamics in Asia “ and in the RIPESS panel on “The Role of the SSE in the Multilateralism Agenda in a Post-2030 vision”.
At the Asian continental level, Dr. Quiñones cited the 2025 ASEAN SDG-SSE Forum organized by the All-Party Parliamentary Group of Malaysia for the SDGs (APPGM-SDGs) in partnership with ASEC, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on May 22-23, 2025, with some 120 participants from 8 countries (China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Thailand, Vietnam) participating.
The Forum focused on inclusivity and sustainability, highlighting the importance of SSE in achieving inclusive growth and sustainable development across ASEAN member states. It developed a strategic plan, the ASEAN SDG-SSE Roadmap 2026-2030, and promoted collaboration and knowledge sharing among government representatives, the private sector, civil society, and academia in carrying out the Roadmap.
At the national level, Dr. Quiñones mentioned the 2025 Philippine Social Enterprise Roadmap Conference, scheduled on November 5-7, 2025 at the M.I.C.E Bldg, Quezon City. The theme of the conference is “Technology Innovations in Social Enterprise and the SSE for the SDGs”. The APPGM-SDGs will moderate a session on the ASEAN SDG-SSE Roadmap 2026-2030, and ASEC will be actively involved in the sessions on Impact Investing and on SSE/Social Enterprise Impact Assessment.
Future Directions
For the future directions of the SSE movement, Dr. Quiñones recommended the following actions:
- Organize a ‘Fair Trade’ Show/Exhibit once every quarter to promote SSE access to market,
- Train 30-40 youth as content providers for the Crowdera digital infrastructure;
- Conduct impact assessment of 30-50 social enterprises in Quezon city; and
- Initiate planning meeting with the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) and the Bayan Family of Foundations to make preparations for the ASEAN SDG-SSE Forum in 2026.
