CCT’s Nanay Mimosa Cortez is 2017 Citi Microentrepreneurship Awardee for the Visayas

Nanay Mimosa with (left to right) Michelle Taway, Kiva writer; Allan Pardico, CCT Co-op 
peer servant for shared services; Rhodora Prado, CCT Co-op general manager; 
John Santillan, covenant community builder - Victorias branch;  Jean Yulo, 
regional peer servant;  Mimosa's sister Pastora Estela Valdeviezo; 
Connie Defensor, island peer servant for Luzon; 
and Myra Gaculais del Rosario, writer. 

Mimosa Cortez, owner of a crab picking plant in Manapla, Negros Occidental, was recently named regional awardee for the Visayas in the 2017 Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards (CMA).  

A member of the CCT Credit Cooperative since January 2013, Nanay Mimosa was one of eight winners chosen from among 136 candidates nominated by microfinance institutions, banks, cooperatives, foundations, and non-government organizations from all over the Philippines.

She received a trophy, P100,000, and a laptop in an awarding ceremony held at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas headquarters in Manila. Other prizes she received are life and health insurance coverage for a year, and enrollment in a microentrepreneurship course to help her improve her business.  She will also be honored in a town hall celebration in Manapla early in 2018.  John Santillan, her covenant community builder (loan officer), and the CCT Victorias branch office where she receives her loans also received P10,000 each.

Building Her Business. Mimosa began working for a crab exporting company at 16. When the company closed 19 years later, she used part of her separation pay to buy herself a fishing boat and started earning a living by fishing. Shortly afterward, she joined the CCT Credit Cooperative. She has since received nine CCT loans, most of which she used to buy more boats. She now owns a fleet of 11 bangkas (motorized boats with outriggers) and eight barotos (paddle boats).

In 2015 she realized she could manage her own crab picking station rather than sell her crab catch to others. Today, her crab picking station provides jobs for about 40 neighbors and her boats provide livelihood for about 40 men in her community. 

Left to right:  John Santillan; Orlando Vea, president, 
Voyager Innovations, Inc.; Nanay Mimosa;
 Jose Ma. Concepcion III, presidential consultant on
entrepreneurship; and Kerwin Tan,  CCT
 Credit Co-op vice chairperson.  

Seeing Her Dreams Come True. Mimosa traveled to Manila for the first time to attend the awarding ceremony. Visiting Manila was a dream come true for her, but she has a far greater dream: to see all her nephews and nieces earn college degrees because she herself only studied until sixth grade. She has been sending three nieces from her husband’s side of the family to college. One of them is studying office administration, another is   studying to be a teacher, and the third is studying nutrition. At the beginning of each school year she spends about P30,000 to supply nearly two dozen nephews and nieces with bags, uniforms, shoes, and other school-related needs.   

CCT and the CMA. CCT has been nominating community partners to the CMA for seven consecutive years and has had three other winners so far: Nanay Andresa Javines, tuna packer of General Santos City, in 2011; Nanay Rabia Mangumpig, dress shop owner of Cotabato, in 2012; and Nanay Rosario Caparas, restaurant owner of Laguna, in 2013.

CCT community partners who made it to the CMA semifinals are Danilo Papalid, siomai cart business owner of Cebu and Maria Nida Jatulan, misua maker of Antipolo, in 2015; Emily Sumudivila, curtain maker of Laguna, in 2016; and Analyn Estrella, pizza cart business owner of Quezon City, in 2017.

Nanay Mimosa with other winners and, in the back row, members of the 

national selection committee: Ayala Corp. President Fernando Zobel de Ayala,

Jose Ma. A. Concepcion III, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Deputy Governor

Chuchi Fonacier, Inquirer Chair Marixi R. Prieto, Citi Philippines CEO Aftab N. Ahmed,

 SPARK! Philippines Trustee Imelda M. Nicolas and Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez.