CCT Microfinance Recipient Honored

Rosario Caparas,
special awardee for innovation
 in the 11^th Citi Microentrepreneurship
 Awards.

Rosario Caparas, microfinance recipient of the CCT Savings and Credit Cooperative, is one of seven microentrepreneurs honored in the 2013 Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards  (CMA).

Rosario, a pioneer member of the CCT Co-op branch in Binan, Laguna, received a special award for innovation.  She and her family are owners of Buchi King, a restaurant that serves buchi with non-traditional fillings. She received a cash prize of P100,000, a laptop computer and one-day training on how to use it, three-year health and life insurance coverage, and scholarship to a four-week entrepreneurial course. 

Established in August 2012 with an initial capital of P1,500, Buchi King posted sales of P6.5M and a net profit of P1.4M in its first year of operation.

This is the third time in as many years that a CCT ‘community partner’ has been chosen to receive a CMA award.  The first two are Andresa Javines of General Santos City, a producer of tuna packaging material, and Rabia Mangumpig of Cotabato City, a wedding gown designer.  

Christian Caparas, Rosario's son and Buchi King finance manager, said,  "Nagpapasalamat kami sa Lord sa mga pinagkakaloob Niya sa Buchi King.  Parang hindi  kami makapaniwala.  Sobrang overwhelmed  na marecognize, considering na kaka-one year pa lang ng business na ito!"

The Binan branch office and the loan officer assigned to Rosario also each received a prize of P10,000.

Dennis Monong, CCT Co-op general manager, said, “More than the prizes, what matters most to CCT  is the opportunity to help transform the lives of our community partners and their families.”

Jovelee Maala, a junk shop owner and junk dealer from Payatas, Quezon City, was also nominated by CCT to the awards program.  She and Rosario were among 21 semi-finalists chosen out of 107 nominees submitted by 23 microfinance institutions from across the country.

Other winners are Enrico Fojas, national award winner; Marylyn Cleto, Luzon winner; Regina Paller, Visayas winner; Necy Ann Ty, Mindanao winner; Maria Guidella Argabio, special awardee for agri micro-business; and Jennilyn Antonio, special awardee for microenterprise leadership.

Formerly known as the Citi Microentrepreneur of the Year (MOTY) Awards, the CMA is a nationwide search for outstanding microentrepreneurs.  Funded by Citi Foundation, the CMA was launched in 2002 as part of the celebrations for Citi’s 100^th year in the Philippines.  The program is a partnership among the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Citi Philippines, and the Microfinance Council of the Philippines. 

Held just four weeks after Supertyphoon Yolanda devastated several provinces in the Visayas, the awarding ceremony on December 3 was an emotion-charged event.  According to a situationer given on the storm’s effect on the microfinance industry, some 390,000 clients of MCPI member-organizations were affected, including seven past CMA winners.   

The 2013 CMA winners(left to right): Marylyn Cleto, Regina Paller, Rosario Caparas,

 Enrico Fojas, Jennilyn Antonio, Necy Ann Ty, and Guidella Argabio 

The winners with the CMA national selection committee (left to right): Robina Gokongwei-Pe,  president and 
COO, Robinsons Retail Group; Batara Sianturi, CEO, Citi Philippines; Amando M. Tetangco Jr.,
 governor, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas;  Marixi Rufino-Prieto, chair, the Philippine Daily Inquiter; 
 Antonino L. Alindogan Jr., member, board of directors, Philippine Airlines; 
 and Jose Ma. A. Concepcion III, president and CEO, RFM Corporation. 

Mila Bunker, Microfinance Council of the Philippines chairperson, inducts the 2013 awardees

  into the CMA alumni network. She challenged the winners to “Make a commitment not for yourselves

 but to help those affected [by Yolanda].”  The awardees
 pledged to “Persevere for family, co-workers, and colleagues,
 and pay forward the trust and guidance of the microfinance industry through livelihood generation.” 

Rosario Caparas, flanked by son Christian (second from left)

 and nephew Alvin Abaja,  receives a trophy and her cash prize from Dr. Felipe Medalla,  

BSP monetary board member.  Also on the stage is BSP Deputy Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. 

...with (left to right) Dennis Monong, CCT Savings and Credit Cooperative general manager; Jhyna Gacu,
 covenant community builder (loan officer); and Allan Pardico, regional peer servant for Cavite and Laguna.

Owners of the Buchi King restaurant:  Christian and his mother, Rosario;  Alvin and his mother, Erlinda Abaja.  

...with other CCT staff:: Myra Gaculais del Rosario (far left), writer; Melissa Magalona (4th from left),
 mentoring coordinator; and Edwin delos Santos, (far right) partnership development officer.

Photos: Michelle Taway

TEE Attendees Observe 5Ws

 

Micro finance workers from  nine different countries visited fellowship groups of the Center for Community Transformation (CCT) Savings and Credit Cooperative in Silang, Cavite  as part of the learning activities during the third Transformative Economic Empowerment (TEE) training session held in October 2013. The visit allowed the TEE participants to talk with micro entrepreneurs from the area and observe how weekly meetings of CCT micro finance recipients are held. 

The TEE attendees are from Sri Lanka,  Peru, India, Moldova, Zambia, Kenya, Thailand, Uganda, and the US.

CCT fellowship groups are composed of about 20 micro finance recipients who live within the same neighbourhood and who meet once a week to study the Bible and to pay their dues.  Weekly meetings of CCT micro finance recipients (referred to as community partners in CCT circles) throughout the Philippines follow the 5Ws format. 

 The 5Ws:

• Welcome (10 minutes). The covenant community builder (CCB, often called  loan officer in other micro finance institutions) or the fellowship coordinator calls the roll, greets those celebrating a birthday, and leads the singing of the National Anthem and the reciting of the CCT Partners’ pledge.
• Worship (10 minutes). Here the group prays and sings songs of praise and worship.
• Word (30 minutes). The CCB leads devotions using a study guide specifically written with needs of CCT communities in mind. Community partners may share testimonies at this time.
• Work (30 minutes). Here loan payments are made and records are updated. Savings build up withdrawals are also made during this period.
• Wrap-up (10 minutes). The CCB does a recap of important points made during the Word portion, gives a quick summary of the collection status, and leads a closing song and prayer.

 The TEE training session is a collaborative activity of CCT and the CCT Ka-Partner Network, a consortium of US-based organizations ministering to the poor through partnership with MF institutions or churches in other countries.  The founding members of the network are endPoverty, Five Talents, Hope International, and Peer Servants.

CCT MF Community Partner is CMA Awardee

Rosario Caparas,  pioneer micro finance recipient  of the CCT Savings and Credit Cooperative branch in Laguna has been named special awardee for innovation in the 2013 Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards (CMA) program. 

Nanay Rosario is co-owner of Buchi King Restaurant,  the signature product of which is buchi with non-traditional fillings such as cheese, strawberry, chocolate, white chocolate, and sweet cream. Her prizes are P100,000, life and health insurance coverage, a laptop, one-day computer training, and scholarship in an entrepreneurial course.  Nanay Rosario co-owns Buchi King along with son Christian Caparas and nephew Alvin Abaja.  

Formerly called the Citi Micro entrepreneur of the Year Award, CMA is now on its 11^th year. The awards program is funded by Citi Foundation and is held in partnership with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Citibank Philippines, and the Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc. 

Previous CCT winners in the CMA are Andresa Javines of General Santos City and Rabia Mangumpig of Cotabato City. 

CCT Pastor Dies in Road Accident

Ramil Nicolas, CCT area pastor for General Santos City 2, was killed as the result of a motorcycle accident on October 8.  He was on his way to speak at a community worship service at the Malakas branch when, according to eyewitnesses,  he overtook a multi-cab, got caught on its side mirror, and lost control of the motorcycle he was riding. He expired in a hospital shortly afterward. He would have turned 40 this November.   Pastor Ramil is survived by his wife Romelie, regional peer servant for General Santos and Saranggani, and  by their three daughters, Keziah Esther Rain, 5, Micah Asher, 4, and Genesis Sophia, 1 year and 10 months.

In a letter to board members and staff, Ruth S. Callanta, CCT president and founder, said: 

"I will always remember Pastor Ramil for his steadfastness.  If he set his mind on something, he followed it through to completion.  He is one of a handful of CCT staff who completed the difficult, rigorous leadership character formation program of Semilya sa Kinabuhi in Bukidnon where one learned patience, diligence, and the value of money by tilling the soil and doing other farm work with one’s hands.  This is where he met Romelie whom he courted with steadfastness and married a few months later.   

"Psalm 37:25 reads, Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread. At CCT we have a policy of taking care of the family of staff who pass away while serving the Lord through this organization. We are committing to send one of Pastor Ramil’s daughters to school until she completes her college education.  This is our role in showing Romelie and the girls as they grow that our Lord is consistently faithful toward the children of the righteous.

"The Christian life is a paradox. It requires faith in a God who sees the future, and knows what is best for us even when we find today’s circumstances hard to understand.  Please intercede for Romelie and the extended Nicolas family  as they go through the deep pain of this sudden loss; please remember in prayer  as well the GenSan staff and community partners who were close to Pastor Ramil.  As we extend our love and sympathy we must also be reassured  that as believers in Jesus we have a blessed hope of His return and of a grand reunion someday with loved ones who have gone on to heaven ahead of us. 

In a Facebook post, Romelie said, "By faith, I know that the God who took my husband will be the same God who will take care of me and my three kids as we  face another chapter of our journey." 

Buchi King Owners Speak at TEE Opening Night

Christian Caparas, co-owner of Buchi King restaurant, speaking before micro finance workers from 
several countries during the TEE training in Tagaytay City, Philippines.

Alvin Abaja speaks of how he (along with cousin Christian) started Buchi King after he had a vision of himself
making buchi. 

Alvin Abaja and Christian Caparas, co-owners of Buchi King, a restaurant in Binan, Laguna, shared the story behind the  success of their growing business during opening night of the third Transformative Economic Empowerment (TEE), an international training session for micro finance workers.  

Alvin and Christian, who are cousins, manage Buchi King along with Christian's mother, Rosario Caparas.   Rosario is a pioneer member and micro finance recipient  of the Center for Community Transformation Savings and Credit Cooperative branch in Binan.

The cousins spoke of how they started their business after Alvin had a vision, during the pastoral prayer at their church one Sunday, of  himself making and selling buchi.  Soon afterward they started selling buchi to office mates and church mates.  When orders grew, they both resigned from their jobs with private corporations to be able to focus.  They opened the restaurant in December 2012. 

The  signature product of Buchi King is buchi, a ball of glutinous rice stuffed with a variety of fillings.  Traditional fillings are macapuno (coconut), ube (purple yam), and sweetened  mung bean paste.  The innovative cousins have made their buchi a hit with such fillings as cheese, sweet cream, chocolate, and white chocolate.  The restaurant also serves rice meals, pasta, and Chinese noodles.

Aside from being micro finance recipients, the Buchi King owners have benefited from CCT’s mentorship program where  Christian businessmen offer time and expertise coaching fledgling business owners in both spiritual and business matters. 

The TEE training where the cousins shared their testimony was a joint activity of CCT and the Ka-Partner network, a consortium of US-based organizations ministering to the poor. Attendees were from Peru, India, Moldova, Zambia, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uganda, and the US.  

The founding members of the Ka-Partner network are endPoverty, Five Talents, Hope International, and Peer Servants.  

Ruth Callanta, CCT founder and president, said the training session allows the sharing of CCT’s best practices and stories, benefiting the poor of other nations.  

Participants in the TEE training session during opening night of the week-long activity. 

14 Couples Married in CCT Negros Mass Wedding

Fourteen couples were recently married in a mass wedding organized by staff of CCT Negros.  Of the 14, five are recipients (referred to as community partners) of CCT micro finance assistance, while the rest are children or relatives of community partners. 

Amie Balboa of  CCT Negros said the decision of the community partners to become legally married after years of being common-law husbands and wives  is an indication of spiritual growth and a desire to please God by living according to His will.   

Except for one, all of the couples had been living together for several years without the benefit of marriage.  The oldest couple had been living together for nine years and already had three children. 

The wedding ceremony was officiated by Pastor Rene Bajalan.  CCT Negros has organized and held a mass wedding once a year since 2003.   

Dev't Practitioners Observe CCT 5Ws

A community partner reads a Bible verse during the Word  portion of a CCT
fellowship meeting. Looking on is Maribel Bernal, covenant community builder. 

Development practitioners, many of them executive directors and managers of faith-based organizations, observed how the 5Ws  format is used in meetings of CCT community partners, during a visit to a community in Silang, Cavite. They also got a chance to  talk with recipients of micro finance loans and see how the loans have had an impact on their lives and micro enterprises. The exposure trip was part of a two-week modular course titled Spirituality and Culture in Transformational Development recently run by the Institute for Studies in Asian Church and Culture and CCT.

The 5Ws is the standard pattern followed in weekly fellowship meetings of micro finance recipients, referred to as community partners at CCT.

The 5Ws are:

• Welcome (10 minutes). The covenant community builder (CCB, often called  loan officer in other micro finance institutions) or the fellowship coordinator calls the roll, greets those celebrating a birthday, and leads the singing of the National Anthem and the reciting of the CCT Partners’ pledge.
• Worship (10 minutes). Here the group prays and sings songs of praise and worship.
• Word (30 minutes). The CCB leads devotions using a study guide specifically written with needs of CCT communities in mind. Community partners may share testimonies at this time.
• Work (30 minutes). Here loan payments are made and records are updated. Savings build up withdrawals are also made during this period.
• Wrap-up (10 minutes). The CCB does a recap of important points made during the Word portion, gives a quick summary of the collection status, and leads a closing song and prayer.

 The ISACC training was held from July 29 - August 11, 2013. 

The fellowship secretary collects and records loan payments during the WORK portion of the meeting. 

The gold-colored booklets at left are passbooks where  loan releases and payments and
savings deposits and withdrawals of community partners are recorded.
Book on the right is a collection of Bible study guides for use in
weekly fellowship meetings.  Because devotion to one's country is given emphasis at CCT
 the book also carries 12 lessons,each one focusing on a line from the Philippine national anthem. 

Brian Shiel, missionary with World Venture / Conservative Baptist Mission chats with a micro entrepreneur...

...as do Marilyn Lalunio, program director for scholarship of Real Life Foundation; Edwin delos Santos,
CCT partnership development officer; and Grace and Bill Dyrness, ISACC co-founders. 

Photos courtesy of the Institute of Studies in Asian Church and Culture.

CCT Staff Join Pork Barrel Protest

More than 200 CCT leaders, staff, and community partners joined the August 26 rally in Luneta to protest misuse of taxpayers' money.  CCT's participation began with a march to the park from the CCT office on Taft Avenue, after which they joined a program prepared by the Institute for Studies in Asian Church and Culture, and walked around a portion of the park singing the nationalistic song Pilipinas Kong Mahal. Along with Ruth Callanta, CCT president, and Melba Maggay, ISACC president, the group raised voices to heaven, imploring God to "Let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream (Amos 5:24)."

Photos courtesy of Noeh Vios and Ging Guerrero 

Quezon City Men Graduate from CTDI, Receive TESDA Certification

Graduates of  a  CCT TDI short-term course on carpentry and masonry proudly hold up their certificates. 

Twenty-six men from Bagong Silangan, Payatas, Commonwealth, and Batasan in Quezon City recently graduated from a special short-term course on carpentry and masonry  at the CCT Training and Development Institute, Magdalena, Laguna campus.  Except for two, the men  passed assessment tests given by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, have received certification from the agency, and now have a better chance for employment.

The men are  husbands, sons, nephews, and in-laws of CCT micro finance community partners.

Graduation day, held in Bagong Silangan,  was a much-awaited and joyful event for the men and their families since many of them had never completed high school or grade school.

The course was run in partnership with the Wholistic Transformation Resource Center.  A second group of 30 men will start similar training this month.

Nanay Elisa Takes Second Place in 2013 Lydia Awards

Elisa Gomez, 2013 Lydia award 2nd placer, talks about her organic bath soap made with malunggay leaf extracts.

Elisa Gomez,  CCT micro finance community partner from Apopong, General Santos City, is the second placer in the 2013 Lydia Awards program sponsored by PEER Servants.

Nanay Eliza Gomez, is a pioneer member of the CCT Savings and Credit Cooperative in General Santos and has received micro finance loans from CCT since 1998.  She produces bedroom slippers, organic soap, native bags, and fashion accessories.  These businesses provide part-time jobs for working students and also fund missionary work among the B’laan tribe in Saranggani.

The Lydia award is named after Lydia, the businesswoman mentioned in Acts 16 who was devoted to the Lord and who played an prominent role in the early Christian church and ministry.

After being healed of cancer when she was 28, Elisa, now 62, committed her life to serving the Lord among the less fortunate.  She has a heart for children growing up without proper support, guidance, and care from their own families, especially those she describes as, “Yung mga pagala-gala” (“Those who wander aimlessly”).  Among those she has helped to   complete their education is an engineer, a teacher, and several others who finished two-year technical courses. Everyone she takes in or helps send to school has to help with the slipper-making business. 

For about 10 years now, Elisa and her husband, a lay pastor, have spent a month each year among members of the B’laan tribe who live in the hinterlands of Saranggani province (the province borders General Santos City).  They bring clothes, do evangelistic work and lead Bible studies, hold literacy and livelihood classes,  teach proper hygiene, and, using Elisa’s own asunting and moringa soaps wash and treat those with skin problems. The couple have another trip planned for November of this year.

Elisa has been a positive role model for joyful generosity to those she has helped send to school and to church mates who accompany her and her husband when they minister among the B’laans.  Another impact of Elisa’s businesses is the positive work attitudes instilled in all of those she has helped. The teacher she helped send to school says, “If you work hard enough, you will have food to eat.”

The Lydia Awards is sponsored by Peer Servants, a Christian micro finance organization based in Massachusetts, USA, to recognize micro enterprises that are growing in their capital base, employing people, strengthening the church, and having a positive impact on their communities.   Through the Lydia award, Peer Servants hopes to encourage this same behavior among the entrepreneurs within its network of micro finance organizations in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.

As second placer, Elisa receives a $1,000 grant for her businesses. 

The 2013 Lydia award overall winner is Richard Tunya, a cassava processor from Uganda.

Extracts from asunting  (acapulco) leaves, explains Elisa Gomez,
  go into a soap that heals scabies.

Nanay Elisa makes bedroom slippers using used blankets
bought from ukay-ukay stores. 

Nanay Gomez shows Gerlie Diaz, Apopong branch team servant, some of the wallets she makes. 

Hidden Manna Avila, daughter of a couple employed by Elisa Gomez's
slipper business, helps her parents after school by stitching slipper straps together.
This step makes the slippers wearable for as long as five years.   

CCT Operations in Oriental Mindoro Ongoing

Some 344 residents of Calapan city, the capital of Oriental Mindoro, have become community partners of  the newest branch of the Center for Community Transformation Group of Ministries by joining its micro-finance program. The community partners are from baranggays  Pachoca, Calero, Balite, Canubing, Camilmil, San Vicente, Lazareto, San Antonio, Libis, Ilaya, Sto. Nino, Lumang Bayan, Bayanan 1, and Lalud.

The branch holds 23 fellowship meetings each week and discipleship sessions are to begin soon. Corporate worship services were started in June, with the worship hall of the United Evangelical Church in Baranggay Lalud as venue.  Corporate worship services are held simultaneously on Saturday mornings at all CCT branches nationwide.

The Calapan branch was formally opened in April 2013. The work was begun upon the invitation of Cesar Tallada, former colleague of CCT founder Ruth Callanta, who is now a pastor.  Pastor Cesar and Calapan staff King Horlador, Melchor Reyes, Jay Erwin Faminiar, and Gabriel Artiola received training in branches in Manila before returning to Mindoro to start the micro finance program there. Cavite team servant Rommel Laciste was temporarily assigned to Calapan to see that the culture and and DNA of CCT is established.

Oriental Mindoro is the 26th province in the Philippines where CCT has operations.

Team Servant Rommel Laciste speaks at one of the initial
 corporate worship services of CCT's newest branch, the Calapan, Oriental Mindoro branch.

Pastor Cesar Tallada leads CCT staff and community partners in prayer during a 
Saturday morning corporate worship service.

Nanay Aurora Masongsong thanks God for the blessing of 
capital for her  micro enterprise through a micro finance loan from CCT. 

CCT Cooperative Members Hold General Assemblies

Members of the Center for Community Transformation Savings and Credit Cooperative have been attending general assemblies in their respective areas since May. The highlights of these assemblies are the president's report giving updates on the programs and services of CCT, the treasurer's report stating CCT's financial performance in 2012, and recognition of loyal community partners.  The assemblies are expected to be held until August.  In 2012 the CCT Co-op had a total outreach of 147,000 in 145 branches nationwide.

Pictures below are from the general assemblies of the National Capital Region 1 and Negros areas.

Dennis Monong, general manager of the CCT Savings and Credit Cooperative, delivers the president's report
on behalf of Ruth Callanta, CCT president and founder. 

Mark Rullona, CCT Co-op general accountant
discusses the cooperative treasurer's report. 

A replica of a cheque showing P22,670,000 in patronage refunds and interest on shares is
symbolically turned over to CCT Co-op members.

Janice Ondrade, team servant at CCT's Araneta branch leads community volunteer development council
officers and Araneta staff in singing You Are My All in All.

Mardy Cabalo expresses gratitude to God for having been
named Thurman Awardee for 2013.  For full story, please visit:
http://cctgeneralnews.blogspot.com/2013/05/
ccts-mardy-cabalo-is-2013-thurman.html

Loyal cooperative members from Quezon City, recognized for membership with the CCT Co-op for
 five years or more, pause for a picture with their certificates of appreciation and with CCT staff. 

Children and grandchildren of co-op members from the Munoz, Quezon
City branch do a dance interpretation of  Lead Me Lord. 

CCT Co-op members and staff in Negros hold a replica of a cheque representing patronage refunds 
and interest on shares to be distributed among co-op members nationwide. 

Photos: Michelle Taway 

Thurman Awardee Mardy Cabalo Receives Prizes

 Mardy Cabalo, micro entrepreneur from Quezon City,
 receives her trophy as 2013 Thurman awardee from Christian businessman Carson Tan, representing
CCT and Hope International .

Mardy Cabalo received her prizes as 2013 Thurman overall awardee during the joint corporate worship service of Center for Community Transformation branches in Luzon on June 8, 2013.  The prizes are a  trophy and $500.00.  Joining Mardy during the brief ceremony were her daughters Chloe May, Jodeline, Jesusa, and Hannah,  staff from the Araneta, Quezon City branch, and her business mentor Carson Tan.

The Thurman Award recognizes microfinance and savings partners who demonstrate the values of perseverance, compassion, strength of character, and creativity. It was established in honor of Eric Thurman, the first CEO of Hope International, and his wife, Pennie. Hope International is a ministry partner of CCT based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA.  Its network operates in 16 countries around the world.

Winners of the award for 2013 were announced in April 2013 following a nomination period that began late in 2012. Vicky Nevado, regional peer servant, representing CCT, accepted the award on behalf of Mardy during Hope International's annual dinner held in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on May 16.

This is the first time a CCT community partner has been chosen as the overall Thurman awardee.  Abegail Yape, a junk shop owner from Payatas was named honourable mention for Asia in 2008, and in 2010, Linda Rondina, owner of five panciterias in Rizal, was also named honourable mention for Asia.   

Ruth Callanta, CCT president (holding trophy), encourages micro finance staff to nominate community partners 
for  awards such as the Thurman Award, while Bertram Lim,  CCT chair (right), listens. 

Mike Salili, regional peer servant for the national capital region, hands Mardy her prize of $500 in cash.

(L to r)  Carson Tan, a volunteer with CCT's business mentoring program and Mardy's business mentor;
 Ruthie Monterde, area servant leader NCR 1; Mardy; Janice Ondrade, team servant for the Araneta,
Quezon City branch; Mike Salili; Gabriel Ortiola, covenant community builder. 

Photos: Michelle Taway