Category: Feature Stories

WE USUALLY have a stereotype of a typical small town Filipino farmer—hardworking, skillful, and yet poor.  He tills the soil, sows the seeds of food staples, and provides not only for his family but for a hungry nation in need of sustenance.  And the cycle goes on, leaving the small farmer, content with just providing enough food for his family but not exactly earning the income required to uplift his way of living. What he doesn’t realize is that he … Continue reading “THE FARMER IS A BUSINESSMAN”

2008 is a year that Nanay Annabel “Mayeth” Bonsol would rather forget.  Her husband, a barangay councilor, was fatally shot after a political altercation, and her childhood home in Bauan, Batangas was foreclosed by the bank. Up until then, she has had modest success in her ecobag and rug business, which she started in 1999 with a loan from TSPI and a rented sewing machine.  But the twin tragedies drained her resources, and the stress from the ordeal weakened her … Continue reading “WHEN HAPPINESS FINDS YOU”

TSPI STAR Program graduates with their TESDA instructors Alfaisal Madueno and Bella Lanado, and Project Officer Marie Ballera THE TECHNICAL Skills and Training Development Authority of the Philippines (TESDA) and Tulay sa Pag-unlad, Inc. (TSPI) organized the closing ceremony of TSPI’s pilot batch of client attendees for Coca-Cola Philippines’ Sari-sari Store Training and Access to Resources (STAR) program.  The ceremony was held at the TESDA Women’s Center in Taguig City last May 7.  The entrepreneurship program is part of Coca-cola’s … Continue reading “TSPI CLIENTS GRADUATE FROM STAR PROGRAM”

SIXTEEN members of the CFPA Microfinance Management Ltd. (CFPAMF), a microfinance institution based in Beijing, China, visited the country to conduct insight visits with various local MFIs in the Philippines.  The delegation was composed of selected managers and supervisors from its pool of branch personnel, engaged in branch operations, training, customer service, and information technology. Tulay sa Pag-unlad, Inc. (TSPI) assisted the Chinese delegation in an exposure visit in its Antipolo branch, where they were able to observe branch processes … Continue reading “CHINA-BASED MFI VISITS TSPI ENTREPRENEURS”

When TSPI unveiled its new Discipleship Formation Program in mid-2015, people were initially lukewarm to the idea. Some even asked, “Do you plan to turn us into pastors?” Their fears were soon allayed when Mario Galvez Jr. and the rest of the TSPI discipleship team explained the rationale behind Landas ng Alagad ni Kristo tungo sa Buhay na Araw-araw Yumayabong, or LAKBAY (Filipino for ‘journey’). As part of TSPI’s new service paradigm, LAKBAY aims to emphasize the primacy of spiritual … Continue reading “BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY”

MANY SMALL Filipino enterprises are born out of a livelihood skill, a bright idea, or a strong drive to sell products to address the needs of the market.  Fortunately for some of these small enterprises, being creative and innovative sets them apart from the rest and proves to be critical in their success. A concrete example of an innovative entrepreneur is Beatriz Sibayan, a 52-year-old handicraft manufacturer from Pangasinan, a northern Philippine province known for its vast array of indigenous … Continue reading “INNOVATE TO CREATE”

FOR MANY, a zigzag road is symbolic of a long and winding journey that can be compared to a difficult life.  But for 36-year-old Edita Muhi, she considers living beside the zigzag road as a blessing, despite the many challenges. Ironically, for Nanay Edita, she opened up a small business along the Old Zigzag Road located at the foot of the Quezon National Park, which gives you a preview of her difficult life. “My business is a canteen, a sari-sari … Continue reading “LIFE’S MANY ZIGZAGS”

PRACTICALLY everywhere in Bicol, endless rows of coconut trees seem to dominate the landscape.  Some TSPI clients are seizing opportunities from this abundance to help transform once-sleepy communities into thriving areas of business. From the upland town of Manito in southeastern Albay, the Mayon Volcano towers above Legazpi City and the serene gulf.  The view is one-of-a-kind, but some barangays, like Cabacongan, suffer from a chronic lack of job opportunities aside from copra production and soft broom making. “If you’d go … Continue reading “HOPE FROM COCO HUSKS”

MEMBERS of various Nepal-based microfinance institutions (MFI) recently visited the country to study the microfinance practices and the regulatory system of microfinance in the Philippines.  The Centre for Self-help Development (CSD) and the Rural Microfinance Development Centre (RMDC), two organized MFI networks in Kathmandu, were recently in the country to be a part of a week-long exposure visit organized by the Microfinance Council of the Philippines (MCPI). Part of the exposure trip is a visit to the Bangko Sentral ng … Continue reading “TSPI HOSTS STUDY TOUR FOR NEPAL MFIs”

  TATAY DANILO Flores of Valencia, Bukidnon barely finished high school and had no land of his own to till.  But because he was born to farming parents and taught the ways of the land at a young age of 12, there was no way he can escape his fate, which turned out to be sweet. Since 2007, Tatay Danilo has been harvesting an average of 350 cavans of rice from the three hectares he maintained as a tenant.  Eventually, … Continue reading “FROM FARMER TO LANDOWNER”