The Center for Agriculture and Rural Development
Mutually Reinforcing Institutions Leadership
(Left to Right) Marivic M. Austria - Internal Audit Director, Flordeliza L. Sarmiento - Executive Director CARD NGO, Enrique L. Navarro, Ph.D. - CMDI Institute Director, Elma B. Valenzuela - Associate Director, CARD NGO, Alexander M. Dimaculangan - General Manager, CARD MBA, Jaime Aristotle B. Alip, Ph.D. - Founder and Managing Director, Aristeo A. Dequito - CEO, CARD BDS, Lorenza dT. Bañez - Executive Vice-President, CARD Bank, Edzel A. Ramos - Training Director, CMDI, Dolores M. Torres - President and CEO, CARD Bank, May S. Dawat - Chief Finance Officer, CARD MBA

 CARD MRI welcomes the 244 new scholars of the CARD Scholarship Program.

The 2008 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service

Ramon Magsaysay Award Presentation Ceremonies
31 August 2008, Manila, Philippines

 

Dr. Alip receiving the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in behalf of Center for Agriculture and Rural Development Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI) for successfully providing self sustaining financial service for half a million Filipino women and their families.

  “Sharing the Same Vision and Heart of Helping the Poor”

Signing ceremony between Dr. Jaime Aristotle B. Alip, Founder and Managing Director of CARD MRI and Mr. Thiraphong Tangthirasunan, BAAC President.

The Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD) Inc. is an institution which believes that financial support is not enough to entirely eradicate the poverty situation in the Philippines. Its in-house researches have showed that poor people needs an outlet for their produce, a well-made structure that they can call their home, proper education for their children and assistance to smooth their consumption spending and build more assets. In response to the eagerness of CARD Inc. to address these needs, it has further improved itself and established the CARD Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (MRI), which is composed of several units, providing these essential services to the poor people and having the same goal as its mother-company, the CARD Inc.

Six institutions are now geographically in operation – the CARD NGO, the CARD Bank, the CARD Mutual Benefit Association (MBA), the CARD MRI Development Institute (CMDI), and the CARD Business Development Services (BDS) and the CARD MRI Insurance Agency (CAMIA). In the nearest future, CARD MRI will also establish its Housing Company for the microfinance clients.

CARD Inc. is known as an innovative leader in the microfinance industry. It has marked a paradigm shift when it became the first NGO to transform into a bank in 1997. It is also the first micofinance institution (MFI) to provide microinsurance services to the clients in 1999 and the first to establish an institute, which provides Masteral Degree in Microfinance for those who aim a higher form of quality education in 2005. After the Business Development Services, the CAMIA is the newest addition in its innovation. To date, CARD Inc. proves its leadership once again as it is very proud to announce that it has already taken the risk and its operation has already reached the region where very few MFIs dares to serve – the ARMM region, in addition to its liaison office in Cambodia.