CEDAW/C/PHI/5-6 404. In June 2002, the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) developed a special savings program, the Maginhawang Manggagawa Saving Account, for SSS members from the informal sector. It aims to facilitate payment of SSS premiums by informal sector workers by combining regular savings account and an automatic debit arrangement of the SSS member’s savings account. It is being tested in three cities in Metro Manila, Cebu City in the Visayas, and Davao City in Mindanao. Women entrepreneurs 405. In 1995, Congress passed RA 7882, mandating the government to assist Filipino women in their pursuit of owning, operating and managing small business enterprises. Under this law, any woman who is certified to have received appropriate training by any government or government-accredited training institution is eligible to avail of loans from government financing institutions that have been tasked to set aside five percent of their loan portfolio for women’s projects. In 2001, the trade and industry department reported that the DBP and Land Bank of the Philippines combined had released close to PhP4 billion to implement RA 7882, aiding about 4,000 women nationwide. 406. As discussed under Article 10, the government instituted in 1996 an affirmative action policy in TESDA to ensure that women are trained in industrial courses traditionally dominated by men, thereby preparing them for higher level of employment, responsibilities and pay. The policy requires that at least 10 percent of total TESDA annual training graduates are women. TESDA has since been training women in non-traditional skills. In 1998, a total of 317 women graduates have undergone training in non-traditional courses (Annex Table B10.5). For 19992001, a total of 479 women were trained in traditional trades, while 172 women were trained in non-traditional courses such as automotive, welding, ceramics and electronics. 407. Apart from TESDA, the trade and industry department’s Specialized Training Centers and regional offices also conducted skills and livelihood training in areas, such as gifts and houseware, garments and accessories, electronics and telecommunications, metal engineering, construction services, agro and forest-based activities. They also had training programs for wholesalers, retailers, cooperatives, managers and supervisors. The Cottage Industry Technology Center offered training in the following livelihood areas: dressmaking, flower making, bag making, holiday décor-making, novelty items, homemade paper-making, food processing, handloom weaving, basketry and pottery. 408. Interest in lending to women SMEs has been spurred by legislative action and advocacy by the trade and industry department and women in business, all of which crystallized in the National SME Development Plan. In support of this plan, GFIs collaborated to design a uniform lending program, tailoring it to meet the funding needs of SMEs. Called the SME Unified Lending Opportunities for National Growth or SULONG, the program seeks to simplify and standardize lending procedures, thereby creating a “wider, borderless financing system” to address the short-term and long-term needs of SMEs. Among the participating GFIs are DBP, LBP, National Livelihood Support Fund (NLSF), Philippine Export and Import Bank (Philexim Bank), Quedan and Rural Credit Guarantee Corporation (Quedancor), and Small Business Guarantee and Finance Corporation (SBGFC). The expanded access of SMEs to funds has reportedly created jobs. The government claims that from January to October 2003, lending to 111