FROM THE MARGINS Christmas is the season of warmth and togetherness. I spent Christmas week surrounded by family and loved ones. Though work continued, the Christmas spirit infused every moment: meetings were filled with shared laughter, and meaningful traditions brought joy to our offices....
FROM THE MARGINS Last week, I wrote about the 2024 SineMaya Community Film Festival, the microfinance industry’s version of Cinemalaya. The SineMaya film fest also aims to promote Filipino independent films, but it is focused on the clients of microfinance and social development organizations...
FROM THE MARGINS Last week, I watched 16 short films created by microfinance and social development organizations across Southeast Asia. These films – submitted as entries to the 2024 SineMaya Community Film Festival – are based on the real-life experiences of ordinary people, documenting...
FROM THE MARGINS Decades ago, I started my microfinance journey by providing credit to landless rural women for enterprise and community development, with a holistic vision of fighting poverty. I have seen firsthand how microfinance can improve people’s lives. By offering a myriad of...
FROM THE MARGINS December is here. Even as we look forward to the Christmas season, many are still reeling from the devastation caused by the recent round of typhoons that visited the country. Typhoons Nika, Ofel, and Pepito caused almost ₱2 billion-worth of damages to agriculture...
FROM THE MARGINS The past weeks have been challenging for millions of Filipinos, especially the vulnerable clients of microfinance institutions (MFIs). At least five strong typhoons affected more than 500,000 families in areas where we operate, and as was our wont, we conducted relief operations to...
FROM THE MARGINS An average of 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year. But climate change is making them stronger, more frequent, and harder to predict. Just last week, Tropical Storms “Marce” and “Nika” battered Northern Luzon, even as we were bracing for Typhoons...
FROM THE MARGINS I visited Vietnam recently, reconnecting with old friends and partners in development. I met the leaders and clients of the Tinh Thuong Microfinance Institution (TYM or Affectionate Fund), Vietnam’s first licensed microfinance institution, and I remember what Kofi Annan,...
FROM THE MARGINS Even as we were preparing for Severe Tropical Storm Leon, my family and I spent the weekend repacking goods for distribution to communities that were devastated by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine. It was the most destructive storm we have had this year — killing more than a...
FROM THE MARGINS Last week, Henry Tan, a partner at SGV & Co., published an article entitled, “Why Entrepreneurs are Critical to the Philippine Economy.” Citing worldwide and local statistics, he made a very convincing point on why we should celebrate the success of entrepreneurs and why we...
FROM THE MARGINS It is difficult to speak truth to power, but if we want social reforms, we need to do it. Through the years, the concerted efforts of advocates of social and financial inclusion to engage with policymakers and government regulators have yielded positive results. We had...
FROM THE MARGINS Last month, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. signed into law Republic Act (RA) No. 12022, the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, one of the priority bills of his administration. The passage of the law is a welcome development in the government’s fight against agricultural...
