FROM THE MARGINS
Every Christmas, J.R.R. Tolkien’s children would receive a letter from “Father Christmas.” Each letter came in an envelope with North Pole stamps and postage marks designed by Tolkien. He sent these letters for over 20 years, starting in 1920, when his oldest son was only three. The letters shared Father Christmas’ experiences every year – from an accident-prone polar bear to goblin wars in caves beneath the house – and are riddled with life lessons. The book, “Letters from Father Christmas,” compiles all these short stories and would be a delightful read to share with your families this holiday season.
As I thank the Savior for all the blessings He has bestowed upon me and everyone I hold dear, I say a little prayer for every Filipino family, especially those who are poor or undergoing life’s many difficulties. I wish I were like Tolkien, whose gift of storytelling could make things magically better. I do not have the gift of gab, but I hope the inspiring stories of microfinance clients that I encountered recently could help bring light and hope to my kababayans.
Two weeks ago, I was invited by a group of microfinance institutions (MFIs) that recognize clients who were able to move themselves out of poverty with their hard work and entrepreneurial spirit. The MFIs provide services related to financial inclusion (savings, loans, microinsurance and others), while the “Mga Likha ni Inay” (Mothers’ Creations) program provides product development, promotions, and market access for micro-producers. Every year, there is a search process called “Pagkilala sa mga Likha ni Inay Award” for microfinance clients whose microentrepreneurial success serves as inspiration to many.
The story of Nanay Rosario Atanacio Agarin, a 59-year-old entrepreneur from Sipocot, Camarines Sur is really inspiring. She has been a microfinance client for 22 years. She started her first business with only ₱100: she sold barbecue and ihaw-ihaw in the neighborhood. She joined an MFI in 2002, and borrowed ₱4,000 start-up capital to produce pili (sweet almond) candies, which she peddled in bus stations and offered to commuters and travelers in Bicol. She completed several loan cycles to grow her business, offering pili candy products to different stores in the province, even reaching as far as Manila. Since she was regularly delivering goods in the city, she thought of buying from Manila some products which she could sell in Bicol. This became her initial foray into the appliance buy-and-sell business. It was a lucrative venture, leading her to open an appliance center and continue to expand her pili business — her MFI continuing to provide support with her most recent loan of ₱1 million.
Today, Nanay Rosario has six branches of Agarin Pilinut Delicacies Pasalubong Store, whose products are sold not just in Bicol and Manila, but also Tagaytay City and Baguio. These stores’ collective gross sales reach up to more than ₱7 million, while her Agarin Electronic Appliance Center has gross sales of about ₱12.5 million. These businesses do not just support her family; they also provide employment to the community. Nanay Rosario employs two full-time staff, six on-call employees and eight family members. Her husband and their six children (five college graduates and one still studying) are all part of the business. They adopt sound management practices to motivate employees, like giving commissions and incentives for meeting targets and helping loyal employees send their children to school. They use social media to promote and market their products.
Her advice to microentrepreneurs or those who want to start a business is to be determined and grab every opportunity that comes their way. In her own words:
“Sa lahat ng pagkakataon, kahit saan o kailan man ay wala akong pinapalampas na pagkakataon. Lagi akong nagmamasid sa paligid para makita at malaman ko lahat nang pwedeng makatulong sa aking negosyo.”
For Nanay Rosario, the best gift comes from the heart. She is generous in sharing her experiences with others. She usually serves as a resource person in community livelihood programs, and trains women in income-generating activities like making pili candies, longganisa and tocino. Taking advantage of the Christmas season, she taught other Nanays how to make parols (lanterns). She also buys the products of the women she has trained to support their start-up businesses.
Nanay Rosario wants to help others because she was inspired by the MFI that first gave her a loan without collateral, trusting that she could realize her dream of building a business with her family. She wants to give others hope, too, never forgetting that before she was a successful businesswoman, she was just an ordinary street vendor.
I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! Like Nanay Rosario, may we also share our blessings to keep the holiday spirit always alive in our hearts. I echo what Harlan Miller once said: “I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month.”
(Dr. Jaime Aristotle B. Alip is a poverty eradication advocate. He is the founder of the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development Mutually-Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI).)