FROM THE MARGINSAug. 17 to 24 is National Microfinance Week. It remains an important anti-poverty measure, now subsumed under the broader financial inclusion advocacy. With an enabling environment fostered by regulators, the Philippine microfinance industry continues to thrive, serving millions of...
FROM THE MARGINS
How do the best microfinance institutions (MFIs) ensure financial sustainability while targeting poor clients? In my last three columns, I wrote about microfinance best practices in empowering clients and training account officers. This time, I would like to focus on the...
FROM THE MARGINS
In microfinance, clients must come first. Microfinance institutions (MFIs) differ from traditional financial institutions because they maintain close relationships with their clients, who are organized into ‘centers’ that meet weekly with their account officers (AOs). The...
FROM THE MARGINS
Happy Fathers’ Day! I send greetings to all the husbands and fathers of our microfinance clients, especially the Tatays who have joined our programs to take better care of their families. You are an inspiration to all of us!
As the world honored fathers yesterday, I thought...
FROM THE MARGINS
Happy Independence Day! As we commemorate this very important milestone in our nation’s history, let us try to go one step further: to celebrate our independence while also pursuing freedom from poverty. Since microfinance is an important component of poverty eradication,...
FROM THE MARGINS
Most of us are familiar with loan sharks or “5-6” informal lenders that the poor resort to because they have limited access to finance. Traditional financial institutions usually consider the poor risky borrowers, possessing neither the credit score nor the collateral...
FROM THE MARGINS
Working for the public good, whether as a private citizen or as a civil servant, is just two sides of the same coin. It is all about serving the people.
I am often introduced as a microfinance expert and financial inclusion advocate, but years ago, I was just a humble public...
FROM THE MARGINS
Last Sunday, I received a shocking text message, telling me that one of my best friends, Dr. Ramon Yedra, has passed away. From the US, I immediately called Mon’s wife, Reby, who confirmed the sad news. My heart broke when she told me that Mon – always considerate – asked...
FROM THE MARGINS
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. There is one microfinance institution (MFI) that always comes to mind whenever I hear this phrase.
I have the utmost respect for the Kasanyangan Center for Community Development and Microfinance Foundation, Inc. (KCCDMFI), because...
FROM THE MARGINS
Eid Mubarak to our Muslim brothers and sisters, who celebrated Eid'l Fitr last April 21! Eid'l Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, a month-long period of fasting, introspection and communal prayers for Muslims. Since 2002, Eid'l Fitr has been declared a regular holiday to honor the...
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...
