JEDDAH, 31 May — Participants in the ongoing entrepreneurship seminar organized by the OFW Cooperative Council (OFWCC) will now take up e-business today.

Nonato Austria, the current president of the PICPA chapter in the Western Region, will share his knowledge about e-business transactions, according to OFWCC spokesman Fred Castolome.

The four-Friday seminar, which opened last week, is being held at the Tropicana Restaurant along Tahlia St., corner Madinah.

E-business is in the order of business for the morning session. For the afternoon session, small-scale business ventures will be discussed by Manolo Carandang of the Philippine National Bank (PNB), while livestock (duck and swine raising) will be handled by Manny and Ed Laroza, said Castolome in a press statement.

Many of those who had registered for the seminar reportedly failed to make it early during the opening day because of a sudden change in venue. Participants were earlier told that the seminar was to be held at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) inside the Philippine Consulate.

The OFWCC’s livelihood and entrepreneurship seminars are supposed to be part of the Philippine government’s K-2000 Livelihood training program.

But in a letter, Consul General Kadatuan Usop turned down the group’s request to use the POLO without stating any reason.

“Some of those who wanted to attend the seminar also back out because they were not prepared to spend for the use of the restaurant,” said the OFWCC statement.

During the opening session, the Welfare Officer Mustapha Glan expounded on the benefits a migrant worker is supposed to get from out of their $25 OWWA membership fee and 900-peso ($18) OWWA Medicare premium.

OFWs are being forced to pay $25 as OWWA membership fee every time they go to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to get their required overseas employment certificate (OEC).

The OEC, which costs 100 pesos in Manila and 15 riyals in the Kingdom, is a requirement for migrant workers, new or old, to be allowed to leave the Philippines for work abroad.

During last week’s afternoon session, Ernie Geslani, a past president of the OFWCC and now chair of a Pangasinan cooperative, talked about what is needed to become a successful entrepreneur.

Gil Martos of PICPA talked about business planning and how to prepare a feasibility study. He presented an actual feasibility study on aquaculture as a model for the participants.

Hand-outs of last Friday topics shall be available to those participants who are coming on Friday and the following Fridays. Castolome said the seminar is still open to those who want to attend the forthcoming sessions. Interested parties may contact Manny Alkuino at 667-7769 or e-mail: [email protected].