FBP 015: Work At Home Opportunities for Persons With Disabilities with Dandy Victa of NCDA

Dandy Victa and I met during one of Freelance Blend Manila’s meetup events sometime in January of this year at the Cucina Andare, the weekend market outside Glorietta Center in Makati City.

I remember us ordering the same German sausage (it was so good) from this food stall and that’s when we first chatted. He told me he was able to listen to the Fitz Villafuerte podcast interview and I really felt so glad at that time because he was the first person (besides my wife, of course) to tell me that he or she actually listened to the show. I had just released the very first episode at that time and didn’t even know if anybody will ever listen to the podcast. Having someone come up to me to say that was really very surreal (even up to now).

And so, I learned more about Dandy that night and the next Freelance Blend Manila meetups to come. In a recent event sponsored by Elance Philippines, I met Dandy again and talked more about his work at the National Council on Disability Affairs, his soon-to-be released book, his passion for helping Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), and his dream of using freelancing to eradicate poverty in the Philippines. Here are the takeaways from the show.

Key Takeways

His work for the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA).
Why he is passionate about Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
What is a bureaucrat and technocrat and what it entails to become one.
The complexity of transacting with the Philippine government for entrepreneurs.
How entrepreneurs can leverage the Philippine laws and use it to their advantage.
The bi-lateral agreement between the Philippines and Australia and how he used it to his advantage.
How people can apply for a scholarship to study in Australia for free (with allowance).
The benefits of receiving Australian education.
The requirements to apply for Australian education.
His Re-Entry Action Plan: “Work At Home Entrepreneurship for Persons With Disabilities” and how he will implement it.
How he applied the education that he got from Australia here in the Philippines.
The different interpretations and applications of the words “Entrepreneurship” and “Innovation” in Australia and in the Philippines.
The “Idea First” question.
The 3 types of Innovation (incremental, disruptive and open).
The book that he is working on – “Work At Home Entrepreneurship: A Guidebook for Filipino Persons With Disabilities”.
How he found Freelance Blend and why he joined the group.
The Philippine government’s support of Dandy’s plan.
How entrepreneurship can help reduce poverty.
Why helping PWDs is close to Dandy’s heart.
15% of the world’s population has some form of disability, according to the World Health Organization, and what needs to be done to address it.
PWD-friendly companies in the Philippines.
The United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of PWDs.
His discoveries and challenges about PWDs while writing the book.
A successful work at home person who is blind.
Marv’s suggestion on how the private sector can help.
A gist of Dandy’s talk on legally starting a business in the Philippines.
The Anti-Red Tape Act.
Barangay Micro Business Act – exempts a business from paying income tax for the next 2 years as long as your asset is below Php 3 million.

Resources and Links

Contact Dandy

dandeevee@yahoo.com
0947- 2452825

Quote-Unquote

“Sabi nga nila in the West it should be idea first. Dito sa Pilipinas kasi, capital first. Bago ka mag-start ng business, ang unang tanong nila: “May kapital ka ba?”

“You cannot actually reduce poverty if you will not create more entrepreneurs.”

“PWDs are human beings who have rights and that government should be able to provide the avenue para ma-access ‘to ng PWDs.”

“They don’t want really yung “awa” , what they want is respect and yung assistance whenever they need it.”

“Hindi natin ini-envision yung charity model na libre ito. We want them to own it and pay for it.”

“In the Philippines, it will take you 35 days to legally start a business. So ganoon siya katagal…In New Zealand, it will only take you a day to start a business. In fact, kalahating araw lang. ”

What is your opinion on the plight of the PWDs here in our country? Are they being well treated by the government and by society? Tell us what you think on the Comment Box below.

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