CEDAW/C/PHI/5-6 SMEs reached a total of PhP21 billion, compared with PhP6 billion from July 1998 to December 2000 (SONA 2004). Moreover, 52 SMEs were said to have graduated to a higher level within six months of program implementation. 409. The Women’s Business Council of the Philippines (WBCP) was created by the trade and industry department in 1997 to be “the premiere advocate and resource for the Filipino women in business.” Since then, the council has conducted a three-country study (Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines) of women’s contribution to the economy and the impact of the 1997-1998 financial crisis on women’s businesses. It also has various programs that aim to improve women entrepreneurs’ access to skills, information, markets, and credit. a. Access to skills and information. The WBCP developed and conducted gender-sensitive seminars, including those on business entrepreneurial startup; business improvement, survival, and expansion; business development; and trainers’ training. These capabilitybuilding programs and the greater awareness of training graduates of their rights as women and entrepreneurs have reportedly honed their decision-making abilities and selfconfidence, enabling them to become more assertive and more active in community activities. b. Access to markets and business linkages. The WBCP helped link Filipino women entrepreneurs with markets overseas through training in exports of handicrafts to Canada. This has allowed 60 women entrepreneurs access to practical information on how to enter the Canadian market, resulting in an expanded network among local women exporters; the hosting of an international convention that focused on business matching; participation in an international live video conference linkup with Australia, China, Malaysia, and Singapore; and membership and leadership in international organizations of women in business, such as the Confederation of Women’s Business Councils in APEC and the Global Summit on Women. c. Access to credit. A few years after its creation, the WBCP successfully negotiated a PhP3.1 billion lending window for women in SMEs with leading government financial institutions (GFIs), such as the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), and the Small Business Guarantee Financial Corporation (SBGFC), and private banks, like Banco de Oro and Equitable-PCI Bank. The council has actively disseminated the trade and industry department’s SME Unified Lending Opportunities for National Growth (SULONG) and has assigned two consultants to assist and mentor WBCP members on the program. 410. Women entrepreneurs can also tap the Transactional Guarantee and Direct Financing Facility, a program that aims to meet the financing needs of SMEs for specific or one-time transactions. In August 2001, the government restored the policy of providing government guarantees to SMEs. Since then, guarantees for 466 loan accounts, amounting to PhP1.7 billion, have been approved. 112