Dreaming Big & Acting Fully jigger

Dona de Leon for CARD

Shy Mrs. Melda Escalante couldn’t believe she was chosen for the interview. According to her, she has led a very simple life, she thinks her life story isn’t very interesting at all! By the end of this interview, she has proven otherwise. Her story showed what a woman can do if she dreams big and works hard.

Life has been hard on Aling Melda and her family. With farming as their main source of income, food was always lacking. Although her husband would drive their neighbor’s jeepney, what he earned was barely enough to provide for her family’s needs. She would secretly envy her neighbors for they can buy what they want, they had nice homes and always had food on their table. She wondered if there was more to their farm life and if the time would come when she would see an improvement in their way of living.

The answer came when she was invited to attend a seminar. Not knowing what it was really all about, but encouraged by her neighbors, she attended the seminar. Who would have thought that it would be the start of new and more prosperous life for aling Melda?

“At first I couldn’t believe what I was hearing at the seminar! When they told us about CARD and its aim to improve our lives and help us out of poverty, I thought that it was brilliant! But still, there were a lot of doubts in my mind. A lot of organizations here in San Jose, Occ Mindoro have come and gone. Could it really be possible that someone would trust us enough to lend us money without any collateral and without any membership fee? But she said to herself “bahala na!” If this is my one chance to improve our life, I would definitely take it. I don’t think these people are the kind who would lie to us unlike some of the organizations here in San Jose”

And with that Aling Melda took at the time what she thought was a gamble. She wanted to prove her doubts wrong and prove to the others that they thought was impossible at CARD was in fact possible. She set aside all her doubts and her fears. She became a member, and with her first loan (P 3,000.00) she immediately invested in a small sari-sari store. That was only the beginning for Aling Melda. With her succeeding loans, she was able to improve her store with iron grills, a cabinet and more items to be sold. She would sell rice during the rainy season, when most of her neighbors have used up their own stock, earning P50-P70 per sack. She would buy sacks of “uling”, re-pack and sell them, earning about P50 per sack, aside from other grocery items. Earnings from the store were used to buy onion and corn seedlings, which they also plant after the rice-planting season. Aling melda and her husband would also plant alternative crops like tobacco, corn, and watermelon. This is to keep the land in use even after the rice-planting season is over (Talk about strategy!)

Aling Melda was also able to buy her own tricycle, which her husband drives. Now they have their own vehicle and won’t need to rely on the “boundary” with their neighbor’s jeep. She was also able to invest on some livestock. From raising two hogs, she now has a total of four. Sometimes, she would have her hogs slaughtered and the meat sold to her neighbors. It is with goat raising that aling melda is lucky at, for she started only with 5, which she was able to multiply to as much as 21 heads! She was also able to have their home improved, and able was to buy some home appliances, a sala set, and she also had their kitchen renovated.

One of CARD’s services that Aling Melda is thankful for is “Pilit-Impok.” As she says, “sa halip na ibili ko ng softdrinks na saglit ko lang iinumin, ipunin ko na lang.” She now has approximately P10,000 in savings because of Pilit-Impok.

Aling melda is thankful for all her blessings. Although she says there were times when her business ventures were not too successful.

“Last February 2004, I made a loan for P7000.00 to invest on watermelons. However, it was infested with worms , and rats. So we were not able to get any profit out of it. That was a big dilemma for me, how will I be able to pay my loans? That’s when I sold my 4 pigs at P5,000.00 each. I also invested on some onion seedlings in 2003, but the selling price of onion at the time dropped, so I was not able to get much profit.”

Aling Melda clearly recalls the some of the trials that have come her way. Recalling the most recent tragedy in her life brought tears to her eyes. Last March 10, Aling Melda lost her baby.

“My husband and I have always wanted to have a baby girl. So when I got pregnant again, we were both ecstatic! I didn’t have ultrasound done because I wanted my child’s gender to be a surprise when I gave birth. It turned out to be a boy, but he didn’t live long enough. I guess it really wasn’t meant for us to have another baby.”

The interviewer was for a moment at a loss for words. She didn’t imagine aling melda would open up a very sensitive and painful experience. When asked how she was able to cope with her tragedy, she immediately answered, “My co-members at CARD were there to support me.” She is thankful for her center members for they were there during the most trying phase in her life. She feels that they are not only her friends but more a part of her family.

She reflects on the many changes in her life since CARD. “Not only was there a change in our way of living, but there were so many changes with my personal life. Before, I didn’t have too many friends, I didn’t mingle with other people, but now, I am more sociable. I learned how to budget not only time but also my money. I learned how to be innovative when it comes to business; CARD taught me how to take business seriously. I feel very happy because my husband and I work together. I learned how to take care of how I look and I have a bigger sense of responsibility. I am proud of what I have and I feel excited about the future.”

How could she not be excited about the future? Simple and shy Aling Melda has been Center Chief for four consecutive years. Under her leadership,her center was able to win various center-wide awards (Best in Loan Portfolio, Highest Center Fund, Best Center House, Best in Center Expansion). Her members trust her too much and would not give the center chief responsibility to someone else. Aling melda feels proud that her members have faith, trust and respect in her. She gives back by being a responsible and helpful center chief. She feels very proud of herself, because being the center chief, members who are older than her would come to her for help, and she would help them solve their problems. She feels very proud of her center, because everyone is always there to help each other. She instilled in them the value of discipline, and humility, “para hindi lalaki ang ulo.” She has a clear vision for her center, “for her members to get a deeper and better understanding of CARD as an institution, so that CARD will be able to better help them reach their goals.”

Now that Aling melda’s small dreams are starting to come true, she has bigger dreams for the future. She dreams of one day becoming a CARD Bank stockholder. Her two son’s education is also foremost in her mind. She wants them to qualify for the scholarship from CARD. Her eldest shows a talent for the arts, while the youngest is good in academics. One day, she sees her sons working at the institution which trusted her and lent her P3,000.00 to start her life over, and more importantly has given her that empowerment and sense of self-worth.

The future is something that she does not fear anymore. But instead she welcomes it, knowing that CARD will stand beside her. When asked how long she intends to stay at CARD, she proudly beams, “habang nabubuhay ako.” •

- date published: May 2004