Background Information

What/Who/Why/the KDF

The KDF was organized in 1987, composed of business and professional Kapampangans, united as an apolitical group that will focus on assisting and organizing small and medium size enterprises of the Province of Pampanga and neighboring pampango speaking towns of Concepcion, Province of Tarlac, and San Miguel, Province of Bulacan.

The Vision/Mission of KDF was premised on “Saving Jobs” and “Creating Jobs” of small and mediums size manufacturing enterprises via Technical, Financial, Marketing support that KDF undertook via an acronym:

RICH – Rural Industrialization Can Happen slogan

Substantial activities were undertaken, focusing on the principles of NETWORKING w/NGO’s and GO’s on the RICH concept. The challenges were encouraging, particularly due to the reforms and agenda of the then Cory Aquino term (Land Reform, Cooperatives and Peace with Activist groups.)

Mt. Pinatubo Eruption

The eruption of Mt. Pinatubo on June 1991, after more than 600 years of dormancy was an act of God and Nature, devastating areas where many KDF supported enterprises under the RICH program were located.

As a consequence, KDF refocused its activities from development oriented activities to humanitarian assistance to the numerous helpless communities devastated by the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. The developmental programs slowed down considerably as many of the Network partners were themselves victims of the Mt Pinatubo calamity.

Year 2002-2006

Subsequent developments were introduced by the new national government leadership. Among these were focused on the majority of business enterprises. The SME’s comprised more than 90% of domestic business establishments, and employing an estimated 67% of total employment in the country.

Among the key programs of the national government as the enhancement and formation of the SMALL/MEDIUM ENTERPRISES DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL (SMED) in all the provinces in cooperation with the local chambers of commerce and industry. The Metro Angeles Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MACCI) nominated and elected Benigno N. Ricafort as SMED Chairman for the Province of Pampanga.

Ricafort, having been a co-founder of the KDF, put in place the time tested principle of NETWORKING. The SMED Council Networking partners was organized, which included the Holy Angel University (HAU), the , Rotary District Officers of Pampanga and Government Offices (DTI, DOST, TESDA,NEDA,DOLE,DAR).

Thereafter, the program of CAPACITY BUILDING and COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT for SME’s was introduced in cooperation with the above enumerated network group. The SMED Council and KDF formulated business plans that were presented to and assisted by the National Government.

Sometime in 2007, several key organizers/members of KDF were invited by the Ateneo University School of Governance to their program for newly elected LGU leaders/officials. On this occasion, the invited KDF members agreed to renew and expand program efforts the original RICH concept, which included lead initiatives on Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) programs.

Thus the acronym HELP was established:
H- Health
E- Education
L- Livelihood
P- Province
and as originally conceived, the KDF activities based on the principle of NETWORKING, was to undertake projects that can serve as TEMPLATES for other Philippine Areas.

Year -2011- onwards

1. With the encouraging support and enthusiasm of three (3) key State Universities (Bulacan, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija), the KDF decided that initiatives should be put in place to re-introduce the project for SME’s. and if still feasible, the Corporate Social Responsibility programs.

These three (3) State Universities (Bulacan, Tarlac, and Nueva Ecija) will likewise usher the strong possibility of introducing the KDF Template Organization Principles as their local sector of NGO’s and GO’s are involved in the Education and Livelihood development components of the KDF Program Template.

2. Further, in the Agriculture related livelihood prospects, the Pampanga Agricultural College (PAC) has agreed to develop a plan for a small scale backyard farming concept for CASH CROPS planting that will utilize ORGANIC METHOD / SYSTEM.

The Cooperation with a selected LGU’s, the orientation process is now under formulation with their Local Social Welfare units , and NGO’s (religious/church base groups, community service oriented groups – Rotary, Lions, Zonta, others, Gawad Kalinga, and GO’s – DA, NEDA, others)