FROM THE MARGINS The values of shared wealth and people participation distinguish the Kabuhayan sa Ganap na Kasarinlan Credit and Savings Cooperative (K-Coop) from other microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the country. K-Coop, which evolved into a cooperative from a microfinance NGO, turned seven...
FROM THE MARGINS And just like that, time flew by and January is ending. January was named for the Roman god Janus, who has two faces: one looks into the past and the other looks into the future. Just like January, which straddle the ending and beginning of each year. I felt a bit like Janus a few...
FROM THE MARGINS January is National Microinsurance Month. Microinsurance is crucial to financial inclusion and has immense social and economic benefits because it provides poor people with safety nets to help them cope with unexpected shocks. Its growth was facilitated by the Insurance Commission...
FROM THE MARGINS My visit to Bacolod last week brought back memories of my days with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP). I worked with the corporate-led social development foundation from 1978 to 1987, initially tasked to manage a demonstration farm in Laguna to show that a farmer...
FROM THE MARGINS Today, we return to work after all the Christmas shopping, gift-giving, parties and get-togethers. I am sure some are still feeling holiday hang-overs, while others are wishing that Christmas would last for just a little bit longer. But is Christmas over now that all the...
FROM THE MARGINS In my previous article, I lamented the declining contribution of agriculture to the country’s gross domestic product. As we are an agricultural country that is rich in natural resources, we should aim to grow our agricultural sector to a level that surpasses services and industry...
FROM THE MARGINS Once touted as something of a miracle cure for global poverty, microfinance used to be a high-profile and generously-funded development intervention. In recent years, however, support for the sector has dwindled, with development finance institutions moving on to new disruptive...
