For many Filipinos, the Manila Bulletin has long been part of the morning ritual — delivered to doorsteps, shared in offices, or read over coffee. Today, its digital edition is accessed on phones and computers everywhere. For more than a century, it has documented the nation’s history.

From my elementary years through high school, my mother, a public school teacher, instilled in me and my siblings a deep respect for reading and staying informed. She was strict about it. Every day, even on weekends, we were required to read the newspaper from cover to cover. At the time, it was Manila Daily Bulletin, which later became Bulletin Today, and is now known as the Manila Bulletin. After reading, we were asked to report on the news, current events, and stories that stood out. This routine quietly shaped how I understood the world and my place in it. That is why I felt deeply honored and excited when I was later invited to become one of its columnists. I hope that mothers today will also encourage their children to read newspapers, to help open their minds and sense of purpose.

Beyond being a chronicler of events, the Bulletin has played a quieter yet powerful role: shaping aspirations and inspiring action. Over the years, its stories — particularly those that shine a light on entrepreneurship, community initiatives, and inclusive growth — have moved individuals and organizations to step forward and do something meaningful.

I have seen this impact firsthand.

For 126 years, the Manila Bulletin has chronicled the nation’s milestones, struggles, and steady pursuit of progress. Beyond reporting events, it has consistently chosen to highlight stories that matter, especially those emerging from the margins.

Time and again, its pages have celebrated ordinary Filipinos who dared to start small businesses, cooperative leaders who mobilized communities, or social enterprises that chose purpose alongside profit. These stories may not always dominate headlines, but they resonate deeply because they reflect lived realities — reminding us that progress comes not only from grand policy pronouncements, but from persistent, everyday efforts to improve lives. Feature stories on micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), along with editorials on many issues affecting the marginalized, have broadened public understanding of what inclusive growth truly means. Opinion pieces on access to finance, digital transformation, and the need to reach the unbanked have framed these issues not as niche concerns, but as national imperatives.

A concrete example is a Manila Bulletin editorial published in 2022, “Microfinance: Where Small Enterprises Start Success Stories,” which highlighted how access to modest financing enables microentrepreneurs to build livelihoods, support their families, and contribute to their communities. By framing microfinance as a pathway to dignity and self-reliance rather than charity, the piece reaffirmed the paper’s long-standing support for financial inclusion as a national development priority.

These writings do not just inform. They encourage individuals to do more, influence conversations among policymakers and practitioners, and prompt organizations to invest in inclusive programs. When media consistently highlights solutions, it nurtures a shared belief that progress is possible and already underway.

It is within this tradition that I am grateful to write a regular column in the Manila Bulletin focused on financial inclusion, microfinance, and social-entrepreneurship. A mainstream publication giving space to these themes sends an important message: that the experiences and aspirations of low-income Filipinos deserve a central place in national discourse.

Financial inclusion is often discussed in technical language — percentages, platforms, policies — but at its core, it is profoundly human. It is about a woman running a sari-sari store who gains confidence through savings, a small farmer protecting his family with microinsurance, or a microentrepreneur reaching new customers through digital payments. These are not peripheral stories; they are the building blocks of inclusive and resilient communities.

By publishing on these issues, the Manila Bulletin bridges worlds that rarely meet — policymakers and communities, institutions and grassroots realities — while normalizing conversations about savings, credit, insurance, and digital finance.

Advocacy requires visibility and continuity. One article can spark awareness, but sustained engagement through news and regular columns build understanding and momentum. Equally important, the platform affirms those already doing the work. Microfinance practitioners and development organizations often labor quietly, far from public recognition. Seeing their efforts reflected in a national newspaper validates their mission in poverty eradication. For microentrepreneurs, these stories serve as mirrors, affirming that their struggles and successes are seen, valued, and worth telling.

As the Manila Bulletin marks its 126th year, its legacy is defined not by longevity alone, but by impact. By continuing to open its pages to articles that advocate for financial inclusion and social progress, the Bulletin affirms a powerful truth: Stories can move people to act — and giving voice to those at the margins helps bring them closer to the center of our shared future.

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“Journalism is a great way to do public service, to have an impact on your community.” — Bob Schieffer