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Life has been good for Yolanda Inazarrea. She is now
reaping the fruits of her labor after years of hard work and she has
no plans of slowing down. And one of the reasons for her success was
a “partner” in the form of microfinancing through ABS-CBN
Bayan Foundation.
“Nung una, wala akong alam
tungkol sa programang microfinance ng ABS-CBN Bayan Foundation.
Ang alam ko lang ay takot ako sa utang. May tindahan pa kami noon at
gumagawa ng ref at aircon (At first, I was not aware of the
microfinance program of ABS-CBN Bayan Foundation. All I know is that
I’m scared of having debts. We had a store back then and would fix
refrigerators and aircons),” the 52-year-old tricycle and pedicab
operator said.
However, her passion and desire
to expand her business made her curious what ABS-CBN Bayan
Foundation has to offer. She studied how the microfinance system
works and gathered friends and neighbors to join her in the seminars
hosted by the foundation.
“Dahil sa Pangkat-Buhayan ng
foundation, nakabili ako ng apat na pedicab at ngayon ay may
tricycle na din ako. Nakapagpundar ako ng mas malaki para sa aking
negosyo [Because of the foundation’s Group Loan, I was able to buy
four pedicabs and now I also have a tricycle. I was able to invest a
larger amount for my business too],” Aling Yolanda revealed.
Since 1993, the foundation has
helped families from marginalized sectors through microcredit and
entrepreneurship training. Aling Yolanda is just one of the 50,000
“partners” of Bayan Foundation in “building the nation from
below the economic ranks.”
“Microfinance is a very
effective means of contributing to the wealth of majority of
Filipinos. It can reduce poverty through increasing income levels
and has been noted to improve the lives of children, women, and the
community in general,” said Dr. Eduardo Morato, president of ABS-CBN
Bayan Foundation, explaining how the organization is a “partner”
of an entrepreneur like Aling Yolanda.
For the love of the team
“Dalaga pa ako nung sumali ako
sa foundation noong July 1999. Ngayon ay may mga anak na ako. Nung
nag-umpisa ako dito sa Balubal, Marikina , walang bubong ang mga
bahay dahil sa bagyo (I was still single when I joined the
foundation in July 1999. Now, I have kids. When I started here in
Balubal, Marikina , the houses have no roofs because of a
storm),” said Lot Chicote, Microfinance Officer of Balubal.
Ms. Lot realized that Balubal is
a community that needs help. She handles eight buklods (divisions)
including Balubal, which is composed of six to nine groups of
microfinancers. Each member is expected to help one another in
improving the business, paying on time and enjoying the camaraderie.
“Isa itong group responsibility
—ang bawat isang kasapi sa grupo ay nagtutulungan para makabayad
ang lahat sa kanyang hiniram sa tamang oras [This is a group
responsibility—each member of the group helps so that everyone can
pay his/ her loan at the due date set],” said Josephine Laroco, a
canteen owner from Balubal.
Balubal Buklod Leader Shirley
Girangaya was able to receive an MPL worth of P50,000 recently,
which she aims to pay for six months only. The 46-year-old sari-sari
store owner only started barrowing P5,000 eight years ago. Because
of her discipline, she was able to upgrade her owner jeepney and
provide the needs of her kids. Now, she’s motivated to build a
house with a garage, with the help of her store and Bayan
Foundation.
Raising the bar
Like Aling Yolanda, 51-year-old
Boy Bautista didn’t join Bayan right away. He first observed the
group’s activities and saw for himself how each member was
benefiting from microcredit. From a capital of P6,000 for his
charcoal business in 2003, Mang Boy now said that he at least earns
up to P1,000 a day.
Beverage dealer Meriam Centeno
couldn’t agree more. She started delivering 35 cases of softdrinks
and through Bayan’s loan program, she now delivers 300 cases per
day. She also has a truck and a motorcycle that distributes the
goods. Centeno was able to build her house through the business.
Microfinance plus plus
Dr. Morato said that for 2007,
Bayan is going the “extra mile” of being a “microfinance
plus plus”—meaning that the microfinance services will now be
complemented by livelihood and enterprise development programs.
“Nation building from below
means developing small and microenterprises which in fact has the
greatest impact for a majority of our citizens,” he added. “The
objective of lending, we believe, should not end with collecting but
for the building of the capabilities and challenging these people to
become entrepreneurs.”
With this new development,
Bayan Foundation has recently launched the Enabling Network for the
Upliftment of Filipino Families or ENUFF, a new team that will
spearhead the foundation’s social development mission.
“We saw the need to rigorously
push the strategies of microenterprise development for wealth
creation and train people in communities on entrepreneurship. More
importantly, we want to strengthen families through the training
intervention on livelihood and education on entrepreneurship,”
said Irma Cosico, Director of ENUFF. “We would actively link with
like-minded institutions who share the vision of uplifting the lives
of Filipino families.”
As a nurturer of entrepreneurs, a
generator of jobs and a formator of family values and welfare, ABS-CBN
Bayan Foundation through ENUFF aims to become a catalyst of change.
For inquiries, call 410-3453/
927-9365, or text 0920-3047690, or e-mail: info@absbayan.pinoy-central.com.
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