CCT Credit Co-op Receives CDA Award

Marilyn Martin, CCT Credit Cooperative area servant leader for NCR-South,
representing Mike Salili, operations head,  receives a certificate from the
Cooperative Development Authority - Manila Extension Office
recognizing the CCT Credit Cooperative as
 "an effective and efficient business enterprise in terms of total assets."

The CCT Credit Cooperative was recently recognized as one of the  top 50 cooperatives out of more than 2000 cooperatives in the national capital region.  The event was attended by members of cooperatives from several sectors of Philippine society, including men in the armed forces, market vendors, seafarers, TV station employees, and micro entrepreneurs.

Salvador Valeroso, acting regional director of the CDA-MEO explains the significance of
holding the awarding event on December 21: "The first consumer
 cooperative store was opened on December 21, 1844 in Rochdale, Lancashire, England."
The members were workers in the cotton textile industry; the store sold small amounts of
flour, butter, sugar, and oatmeal.   

Hon. Emmanuel M. Santiaguel, PhD., in his keynote speech said, "It's about time
that we increase our membership.  It's about time that we implement performance audits,
social audits, and financial audits." Dr. Santiaguel is CDA chairman. 

For more information on cooperatives here and around the world, please visit: http://www.cda.gov.ph/website/html/news_2011_10_iyc.html and http://www.2012.coop/en.

CCT Partners Level Up!

Praise God for the success of CCT's 1^st Partners’ Day, a one-day showcase of products from Luzon partners. Some 126 micro entrepreneurs from six CCT Luzon areas exhibited their products and learned from mini-lectures  at the CCT Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center on November 26, 2011. 

Products on display included: handicrafts, buko juice,  native cakes, t-shirts, curtains and bed sheets, relleno (stuffed milkfish), boneless milkfish, gold and silver jewelry,  accessories, processed meats,  peanut butter, straw bags and hats, coin purses made of drinking straws, shoes,   accessories, house decor made of drinking straws, bags made of recycled newspaper, charcoal stoves, pastries, perfumes,  pizza, blinds, ready to wear clothes and much more!

Kerwin Tan (left) owner of Jimini Pizza and  program coordinator
 for CCT's Business Mentoring Ministry,
and Alice Pineda (right), head of the Business Development team,
 with a partners' day awardee.  During the morning session
  Kerwin shared the story of how his business
grew from one brand ten years ago
to six brands and 136 branches today,
and from two persons  (himself and a 
quality control person)
to 250 employees today. "We leveled up after
we dedicated our business to the Lord," he said.

Jinggoy Buensuceso, artist, speaking on
market trends and product design. Other
seminar topics were on food marketing,
 product branding, kape't buhay (coffee and
life), and helps from the packaging center
of DOST and from the design center
of DTI.

Several participants received awards at the end of the day. These were:  

• Kool Kalan - Level-up award - product with the most potential of  leveling -up 

• NCR South Taguig - Branch level-up award -  the  CCT branch where the level- up partner is involved

• Central Luzon Pangasinan - best food  product display – surpasses other products in terms of presentation attractiveness, creativity

•  Espasol with moringa (malunggay) - Best food product concept:    product is unique or creative, original,  flavorful and marketable

• Recycled Bag, NCR - Best non-food product concept:  product is unique or creative, original, and marketable

• Dishwashing liquid, Cavite - Best packaging  (non-food category): – for microentrepreneur  whose packaging of her product is a cut above the rest: attractive , creative, suitable to the product

• Cavite - Best area booth design – CCT area whose showcase of products is creative, well arranged, original, and culturally oriented 

• Laguna and Batangas - Best participating area – CCT area staff who are well organized and who gathered the most products and qualified partners for the event

Micro entrepreneurs with product displays were from the following CCT areas:

• NCR South – Pasay, Cabrera, San Andres, Tondo, Taguig, Paranaque

• NCR North – Bagong Silangan, Payatas, Araneta, Batasan, Novaliches, Munoz, Commonwealth, Tandang Sora 

• Cavite  - General Mariano Alvarez, Tanza, Tagaytay

• Laguna – Calamba, Cabuyao, San Pedro, Sta. Rosa, Binan

• Batangas

• Rizal  - Antipolo, San Mateo, Cainta, Taytay, Montalban, Pasig

• Bulacan and Central Luzon – Malolos, Pulilan, Magalang, Dagupan, Urdaneta

• Camanava – Malabon, Caloocan

Photos by Ciara Tan

Nanay Andresa Meets Head Office Staff

Nanay Andresa Javines (second from left), supplier of tuna packing material, at the CCT head office in Manila.
To her  right is eldest daughter Analee. 

CCT’s first Citi Microentrepreneur of the Year awardee, Nanay Andresa Javines,  personally shared with Manila staff the story of how God has blessed her business and family, during a lunch fellowship at the head office.   

Here is the full text of Nanay Andresa’s speech:

Magandang araw po sa inyong lahat, pagbati po galing sa ating Panginoong Hesus na tagapagligtas. Sa aking testemonya sa oras na ito, hindi ko po sukat akalain na ako’y naparito sa Maynila kasama ang aking anak.  Akin pong iniisip na itong lahat ay panaginip lang, panaginip na ngayon ay nagkakatotoo, kaya sa oras na ito ako po’y nakatayo sa inyong harapan.

Bago ko po ipagpapatuloy ang aking testemonya, ako’y magpapakilala muna.  Ako po pala si Andresa Marquez Javines, may asawa, may anim na anak, nakatira sa FVR Village, Fatima General Santos City, Mindanao.

Sa aking testemonya ngayon kung paano ako nakapag-umpisa. Dalaga pa po ako, ako’y nagnenegosyo na.  Nakapag-asawa at 15 years kaming nangngupahan, hanggang may nakita kaming hulugang lote. Nag-umpisa akong magtinda sa aming bahay na kung tawagin ay sari-sari store.  Yong aking kaibigan nag-imbita sa akin na sumama at makinig ng programa ng CCT at sumama naman ako.  Ako po ay nag-observe, dahil ako po ay Christian.

Na bless po ako dahil una po sila’y nanalangin, pangalawa, may sharing, pangatlo, may salita ng Dios.

Sabi ko sa sarili ko, hindi lang pala pautang ito kundi spiritual upbringing pala --  iba sa lahat na micro finance.

Nagsimula ako sa CCT noong year 2000.  Unang loan ko po ay P4,000. Binayaran hanggang sa nagtiwala sa akin yong P.A. at manager. Year 2003, nakapagpatayo ako ng bahay at nagsimula akong magbusiness ng tuna. Year 2005 nakabili ako ng dalawang motor, apat na lote at pinatayuan ng boarding house with eight rooms, at hindi lang diyan nagtatapos ang kabutihan ng Panginoon.  Nakapagtapos din ang aking tatlong anak sa kolehiyo at ngayon ay nakapagtrabaho na.  My dalawa pa po akong anak na nag-aaral ngayon at yong isa ay HI (hearing impaired).

Maliban sa tuna business ko para export, ako na rin ngayon ang nagsusupply ng gel ice at tuna materials for export sa mga suki sa fish port. Dagdag kita din po ito.  Ganyan ako pinagpala ng Panginoon.  Napakabuti ng Panginoon sa aking buhay kaya hanggang ngayon ako’y nagpapatuloy na naglilingkod sa Kanya.  Akin pong pinanghahawakan ang salita niya sa Mateo 6:33. Unahin po natin ang Panginoong Dios at ibibigay Niya ang mga pangangailangan natin, kaya kahit may mga pagsubok hindi po kami bumibitaw sa Kanya.

Sa ngayon, kami po ay namumuhay na masaya kahit may mga problema.  Para sa akin, ang CCT ay ginamit ng Panginoon upang kami ay manirahan nang may masagana at maunlad na pamumuhay.  Salamat sa CCT dahil kami ay natulungan at naiahon sa kahirapan.  Sa mga P.A. at manager namin sa GenSan, salamat sa pagtityaga at pagtitiwala.

Sa prize money na aking natanggap – una po ay ibibigay ko ang 10% para sa Panginoon, at ang pangarap ko pong magkaroon ng ‘top down’* ay matutupad na. At may pandagdag na rin po akong capital sa aking mga negosyo. Salamat Panginoon at salamat CCT.

Ang sabi ng Bibliya sa Jeremiah 29:11: Sapagkat batid kong lubos ang mga plano ko para sa inyo, mga planong hindi ninyo ikakasama kundi para sa inyong ikabubuti, ito’y mga planong magdudulot sa inyo ng kinabukasan at punong-puno ng pag-asa.

Dalangin ko po na pagpalain pa ng Dios ang CCT at palalaguin, para marami pa silang matulungan na katulad ko datin na naghihirap.  Sadyang napakabuti ng ating Panginoon. Hindi po matatapos ang buong araw para ihayag sa inyo ang kabutihan ng Panginoon sa aking buhay.  Siya’y pinagkakatiwalaan at puno ng pagpapala. 

Purihin ang Panginoon at mabuhay ang CCT! 

AB Albania sings More Than Words.

Froi Parado gives the welcome
remarks.

Walt Davis of Hope International (left) and
Jill Hall of Kiva with Partnership Development /
Communications Department staff  (left to right)
Edwin delos Santos, Marie dela Cruz, Keren Tandico,
and Lala Yaun Salili, communications head and ...

Photos by Ciara Tan

Nanay Andresa Receives Award

Nanay Andresa Javines, 2011 Maunlad Awardee for Mindanao - Citi Microentrpreneur of the Year Awards, with
(left to right) BSP Monetary Board Member Atty. Armando Suratos, GMA Network Chairman and CEO Atty. Felipe
Gozon, CCT Fatima Branch Team Servant Marifi Sayon, and CCT Savings and Credit Cooperative Corporate
Secretary Froilan Parado.  

Nanay Andresa Javines, a pioneer micro finance partner of the CCT General Santos branch, has received her P100,000  award as the Maunlad awardee for Mindanao in this year's Citi Microentrepreneur of the Year Awards program.    

Along with seven other winners, she was recognized in a ceremony held at the Metropolitan Museum, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Malate, Manila.  She hopes to use the money to make partial payment on either a 'topdown' (a pick-up style multicab) or a tankal, a motorcycle with open sidecar that she can use for transporting her products between her home and the GenSan fish port. 

Nanay Andresa, a supplier of  tuna packing material, has successfully used loans from CCT -- her initial  loan  was just P3,000 -- to grow her business and improve the quality of life of her family.  Over the past 11 years she has sent three children to college, renovated her house from a hut made of light material to a concrete bungalow,  and helped provide supplementary income to neighbors.    

Her clients are two exporters in General Santos who send sashimi-grade tuna to the US, Canada, and Japan.  She also produces gel ice, slow-melting ice made with corn starch and salt. (Gel ice is placed inside the tuna cavity to keep it fresh longer.) 

The Citi MOTY Awards program is a nationwide search for outstanding Filipino microentrepreneurs. It is now on its ninth run. This year, a total of 140 microentrepreneurs from all over the country were nominated to the awards by 38 micro finance organizations. Twenty-four semi-finalists were selected, from which 15 finalists were chosen, out of which eight winners were named.  

Funded by Citi Foundation, the program is implemented in the country by Citibank Philippines together with BSP and the Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc. It was launched in 2002 to celebrate Citi’s centennial year in the country. 

The Citi MOTY awards has two categories.  The Masikap awards focus on the achievements of microentrepreneurs who have set up businesses that are now providing a reliable source of income for their families. The asset size of the microenterprise in this category must be below P300,000. Under this category, one National Awardee gets P200,000, while three Island Group Awardees (one each for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao) receive P100,000 each.

The Maunlad Awards, on the other hand, recognize enterprising individuals who have grown their businesses and are now providing employment to others outside their family circle. The asset size of the microenterprise in this category must be between P300,000 to P1 million. As with the Masikap category, one National Awardee gets P200,000, while three Island Group Awardees receive P100,000 each.

Microfinance institutions that produced winners this year are Tulay Sa Pag-unlad, First Agro-industrial Rural Bank (FAIR Bank), Rural Bank of Liloy, Inc. , Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation, Inc., Valiant Bank, and CCT Savings and Credit Cooperative. 

Froi Parado, CCT Savings and Credit Cooperative corporate secretary, said Nanay Andresa's winning should encourage staff in the microfinance program to nominate a larger number of community partners  to the MOTY awards program next year. 

 "We do this because we think this is the right thing to do.
This is Citibank's contribution...to nation building.
This is part of a proactive solution to  poverty in
the Philippines," said  Mr Sanjiv Vohra, country officer of Citibank
Philippines, in his welcome remarks.   

Nanay Andresa with other Maunlad Citi MOTY winners
(front row) and members of the national selection
committee.

Winners all (left to right): Anastacio Postrero, seaweeds and danggit dealer;  Jocelyn de Guzman,
 maker of slippers; Corazon Bautista, sewer of  ready-to-wear clothing; Andresa Javines,
supplier of  ready-to-use tuna packing
 material;  Danilo Castro, bottler of herbal medicine; Carina Gonato, producer of chicken lumpia;
 representative of Natividad Gabriel, fish trader; John Cabillon, fresh squid dealer.

Part of the photo exhibit of winners

Nanay Andresa arrives at the awarding
ceremony venue --the Tall Galleries of the
Metropolitan Museum,
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Complex, Malate, Manila. 

with eldest daughter, Analee. 

Analee, Nanay Andresa, Froi Parado,
and writer Myra Gaculais del Rosario.

Bam Aquino, master of ceremonies.

Nanay Andresa: Maunlad Micro Entrepreneur of the Year

Nanay Andresa watches as fish port workers weigh
sashimi-grade tuna ready for packing for export to the US. 

Nanay Andresa Javines, pioneer community partner of CCT's General Santos City branch was recently selected as one of the winners in the 2011 Citi Micro entrepreneur of the Year (MOTY) Awards Program. (For more information on the program please click on http://cctgeneralnews.blogspot.com/2011/10/gensan-nanay-is-citi-micro-entrepreneur.html)

When she was interviewed and photographed for nomination to the awards program, Nanay Andresa said she would pray hard to be a winner. She needs the money for medical treatment for her husband who has a heart condition.  Her faith has been rewarded!  Here is the original write-up submitted to Citi MOTY about her:

Nanay Andresa Javines has come a long way. She belonged to a brood of 15 children and never graduated from grade school because of her big family's poverty. Having little education (and not being able to speak Tagalog or English) however was not a hindrance for her becoming successful in business. After several years of working at the fish port in General Santos City, she decided to become a supplier of material used to pack tuna for export.

She buys Styrofoam boards, polythelene rolls, and corrugated boxes and sells them in pre-cut, ready-to-use, slitted form. She also makes and sells gel ice (ice made from a cooked solution of cornstarch, salt and water) that is placed inside the cavity of a tuna after it has been gilled and gutted.

She has two major clients who are exporters of sashimi-grade tuna to Canada, the US, and Japan.

On the side, Nanay Andresa purchases tuna trimmings – the head, tail, and entrails – for sale to the local market.

Over the years she and her husband have managed to send their children to school. Two of the children have graduated with degrees in accounting and management, and another took computer science. A hearing-impaired son is enrolled in a special education school, and another child is still in high school. She has been able to renovate her house, once made of light material, into a concrete bungalow. She has also purchased three motorcycles, two of which are already fully paid for.

Her dream is to be able to have a sidecar made for one of her motorcycles. This will serve as her delivery vehicle; for now she rents her sister's Kia Pride for deliveries. However, she says, the vehicle is not always available.

Nanay Andresa's motivation for working is her children. She has built a five-unit apartment building that she will be able to rent out as soon as water connections are installed. She says this is what she intends to leave behind for the children. She says that when it is time for her to leave this life she will leave peacefully, with the assurance that her children's needs have been provided for.

The following family members/ neighbors are paid helpers in Nanay Andresa's packing material business:

·  Leslie Generalao

·  Joy Saludar

·  Ellen Saavedra

·  Junior Saavedra

The following are neighbors who help cook and make gel ice:

·  Baby Magallanes

·  Saralin Sevilla

·  Josefa Maceda

GenSan Nanay is Citi Micro entrepreneur of the Year - Maunlad Mindanao Awardee

Nanay Andresa Javines at the fishport in General Santos City
with a cartload of sashimi-grade tuna
ready for packing and sending to the US.

Nanay Andresa Javines, a supplier of tuna packing material  from General Santos City, has been named Maunlad awardee for  Mindanao in the 2011 Citi Micro-entrepreneur of the Year (MOTY) Awards program. Nanay Andresa is a pioneer member of CCT's branch in GenSan. She will travel to Manila to attend the awarding ceremony on November 23 where she will receive a prize of P100,000.00. Aside from the cash, Nanay Andresa will receive three years of life and health insurance coverage, and training on entrepreneurship and financial literacy. The CCT loan officer and the branch office that serve her will also each receive P10,000.00   (To read the original write-up about Nanay Andresa submitted to the awards giving body, please click on http://cctgeneralnews.blogspot.com/2011/10/nanay-andresa-mindanao-masikap.html.)

This is the ninth run of the Citi MOTY awards program nationwide search for outstanding Filipino micro entrepreneurs. It is funded by Citi Foundation in  partnership with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas ( BSP), Citi Philippines and the Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc. (MCPI). 

Nanay Andresa is one of eight winners selected from among 15 microentrepreneurs who made it to the final round of this year’s awards program which  was launched in May. The program has two categories:

1) The Masikap Award is open to micro entrepreneurs who successfully started a business that is now a reliable source of  income for the family.  Asset size of the microenterprise under this category must be less than PhP300,000.

2) The Maunlad Award is open to microentrepreneurs that have grown their business to a level that is now generating employment for people apart from household or family members.  Asset size of the microenterprise under this category must be between PhP 300,000 to PhP 1 million.

Aside from Nanay Andresa, CCT submitted the names of and requirements for  two other nominees: Tatay Francisco Carton, a sand quarryer from Leganes, Iloilo, and Nanay Delia Delin, a  de-boner and seller of bangus from Dagupan, Pangasinan. 

After Nanay Andresa made it to the semi-finals a review committee did a video interview of her in GenSan.  The set of semi-finalists was trimmed down to 15, and then to eight winners – one Masikap national awardee, three Masikap awardees for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, one Maunlad national awardee, and three Maunlad awardees for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The national awardees are to receive prizes of P200,000.00 each aside from the life and health insurance, and training scholarship received by all the winners.

BSP Governor Amando Tetangco and Citi Country Officer for the Philippines Sanjiv Vohra served as co-chairpersons of the National Selection Committee that determined this year’s winners.  Other members of the  committee included print, academe, and industry leaders such as former Monetary Board member Antonino Alindogan, Jr., Ayala Corporation President and COO Fernando Zobel de Ayala, RFM Corporation President and CEO Jose Concepcion III, GMA Network Chairman Atty. Felipe Gozon, Phil. Daily Inquirer chairperson Marixi Prieto, Entrepreneurs School of Asia president Vivienne Tan, and Ateneo de Manila University Professor Dr. Darwin Yu.

New Waterhope Station Now Open

Cutting the ribbon: (left to right) Froilan Parado, CCT Corporate Secretary;
Danielle Saleh of Water for Water Foundation;
and David Bussau of the Wholistic Transformation and Resource Center. 

Ms. Viel Aquino-Dee, sister of President Noynoy Aquino,
makes a brief speech.

Praise the Lord for the opening of another CCT Waterhope station, this time in Caloocan City, just north of Manila.    

The new water station will provide high quality yet affordable drinking water to the residents of Caloocan's Barangay 88, as well as an additional source of income for potential water dealers and delivery workers. The station was built in partnership with Waterhope, a social enterprise which provides affordable safe drinking water to communities where access to this basic human need is challenged.

Guests at the dedication ceremony on September 3, 2011 included heads and representatives of partner-organizations involved in this project, as well as local government officials. Gracing the occasion with their presence were David Bussau,  of Wholistic Transformation and Resource Center; Danielle Saleh, founding partner of Water for Water Foundation; and  Sunil D'Sonza representing Pepsico a founding member of Waterhope.

Also present was Ms. Viel Aquino Dee, sister of President Noynoy Aquino.  Like her late mother, former president Corazon Aquino, Ms.Dee is a active and staunch supporter of micro finance efforts and other projects for the poor in the Philippines. She is currently the vice chair/treasurer of the Assisi Development Foundation.

A five-gallon container of water from a Waterhope station dealer costs P25.00, P5.00 – P15.00 pesos lower than the same amount from other water suppliers.

CCT has two other Waterhope stations, one in Pasay City, and another in Quezon City.

Parade of Colors by members of the Boys Brigade,
Magdalena, Laguna

Froi Parado of CCT makes the
welcome remarks.

Elena Uy from Pasay
talks about God's blessings on her work as
a Waterhope dealer...

...and so does Milagros Dumaran of Bagong Silangan
in Quezon City.

Virginia Sto.Tomas shares
her testimony.

The Folklorico Dance Company
impress the guests with
a vigorous Tinikling rendition.

Bishop Jonel Milan gives an
inspirational talk.

Waterhope General Manager Ziggie Gonzales
introduces the Caloocan water station.

Danielle Saleh of Water for Water Foundation

Sunil D' Souza of Pepsico

VOH-Las Pinas Drum and Lyre
provide music for the event.