QUEZON CITY—The House of Representatives has passed on second reading the “Government Employees’ Entrepreneurship Development Act of 2011,” a bill which seeks to enhance productivity among public workers.

Representative Jane Tan-Castro (2nd District, Capiz), principal author of House Bill 3861, said the measure aims to make government a partner in developing the entrepreneurial skills of its employees.

This, Tan-Castro said, will ensure the employees’ continued productivity even after working in government and enable them contribute to making the Philippines a “country of employers” and less of a “country of job seekers.”

The bill provides a better chance of improving employees’ lives by encouraging them to organize into cooperatives, and savings and loan associations in their offices as outlets for entrepreneurial skills to generate financial resources, Tan-Castro said.

She said the measure requires all government offices and agencies to establish post-service Entrepreneurship Development Programs (EDP) for their employees based on guidelines prescribed by the Civil Service Commission.