Hardwork and Discipline: Ingredients of Success

Aniceta R. Alip and Lea Manguera

The smell of adobo wafted through the conference room. It went unnoticed for a time, so engrossed were the CARD staff and management on the issue at hand: should we allow members to withdraw their Center Fund? When the smell of good cooking came into everyone’s consciousness, a unison of voices called out: “Let’s try the idea on Bine!” Bine is short for Leovina, CARD Training Center’s on-call chef, and one of a handful of CARD members who were graduated to individual lending. Forthright in her views, Bine’s long experience in the program infused depth to her answers. With her invaluable contribution, the policy on Center Fund withdrawal was crafted. She did withdraw her Center Fund, but she put back P15,000 as time deposit. Bine also maintains a checking account. Bine has been a CARD member since 1993. She is a veteran leader, having served as center chief for four years and was Bay branch’s over-all center chief for more than a year during her tenure. When she left the solidarity group upon qualifying for individual lending, she stayed on as the Center’s adviser : “Itinalaga ko ang aking sarili sa CARD, dahil gusto kong tumagal ang Center para ang iba ay matupad din ang pangarap katulad ko” (I committed myself to CARD because I wanted my Center to endure so that other members may fulfill their dreams like I did).

Ironically, it was the devastating Typhoon Rosing in 1997 that compelled Bine to pursue her dream of having her own house and lot. They used to live with her parents, investing her loans in a variety store and a small room for her family. “Hindi ko malilimutan yong pangyayari dahil sa bagyong Rosing naapektuhan ang proyekto ko at nasaktan pa ang aking mag-aama. CARD ang tumulong sa amin para makaahon, nakahiram ako ng housing loan at paunti-unting nakahulog ng bahay at lote. Kung kapisan pa kami sa aming mga magulang, hindi sana kami natutong tumayo sa sariling paa”.” (I will never forget that because of Typhoon Rosing , my project was wiped out and my family was injured. It was CARD which helped us recover: with my housing loan, I was able to put up installments for a house and lot. If we were still staying with my parents, we would never have learned to stand on our own feet.”) She bought a jeepney with her CLAP loan, so that her husband could continue to earn from driving. Eventually, they sold the jeepney to fully pay the lot and improve their house.

As an individual borrower, she was able to obtain a loan of P160,000. She used it to put up a rice retailing business. She gets 15 sacks of rice per week at P1,050 per sack and sells them to neighbors and CARD staff on installment with a hefty profit. She is also engaged in hog breeding and fattening, a project she has maintained since she got her first loan. She values the credit disciple that CARD taught her, and appreciates the fact that even without collateral, they are able to access large loan amount: “ Hindi ako magiging individual borrower kung hindi ako nagbayad ng maayos at kung sinira ang tiwala ng CARD sa akin. Yan ang aking natutunan: disiplina sa sarili sa paggamit ng hiniram at pagbabayad sa tamang oras. Hindi ko rin akalaing makakahiram ako ng malaking pera na walang collateral. Walang taong magtitiwala sa aming mahihirap ng ganitong kalaking pera”. (I would not have graduated into an individual borrower had I not paid my loans diligently and if I lost the trust CARD placed on me. That’s what I learned: self-discipline in using the loans and paying back on time. Before CARD came, it never occurred to me that I would be able to borrow large sums without collateral. Nobody would have trusted us poor people with as large amounts as CARD does!”

This 40-year old mother is also one of the stockholders of CARD Bank. She readily admits that receiving a dividend on her P16,000 equity brings her pride and joy: “Masaya ako kasi dati ang tawag sa amin ay mga mangungutang lamang pero ngayon ay isa na sa may-ari ng bangko”. (“I am happy because in the past, we were referred to merely as borrowers but now, we are one of the bank owners !”).

Aside from her entrepreneurial savvy, Bine is known for her culinary talent. It was honed at the CARD Training Center, when she started as part-time chef when there were in-house training for the staff. She applies her business sense to her job, saying “If I turn out inexpensive but nutritious and delicious meals, trainees will reflect that in their evaluation, or visitors will complement me; in turn, CARD will always seek my services.”. She got her desired “customer loyalty” even as with CARD Training Center’s growing clientele, her services is in constant demand. For a 12-hour working day, she earns about P570. Not only does her wage helps in her repayment, it also enables her to fill up her home with the appliances that she so desires. Bine mused that her situation in life would have been different without CARD, “Siguro plain house wife ako at nasa bahay lang, hindi makakaisip maghanapbuhay. Hindi ako makakapagpaaral ng mga anak. Hindi rin kami magkakaroon ng sariling lupa at bahay at hindi matututong magsavings”. (Perhaps, I would have remained a plain housewife, staying at home, and not thinking how to earn a living. I would not have been able to educate my children. Too, we would not have our own house and lot nor learned how to save.”)

Bine’s future is full of plans and dreams. She would again borrow P160,000 from CARD to buy a brand-new passenger jeepney for her husband, build a welding shop for her son and continue her business in rice retailing. She would send her daughter to college because her two sons would rather work than study. Lastly, she dreams of becoming a regular staff of CARD as its chef.

CARD likes the idea of its clients growing with it. So who knows? •

- date published: July 2003