Citigroup Microentrepreneur of the Year – Masikap Award Category
Mrs. Imelda Brutas
Address: Brgy. Campetic, Palo, Leyte
MFI: Rural Bank of Dulag, Inc.
Business: Native delicacies making
Imelda produces native delicacies popularly known in Leyte such as moron, binagol, and sagmani. She markets her products through retailers in Tacloban City and wholesalers in Cebu. The enterprise directly employs 23 people from her community in Palo, Leyte. Raw materials are directly sourced from local farmers. Loans from Rural Bank of Dulag helped her expand the sales of her enterprise.
Luzon Masikap Awardee
Mrs. Rebecca Pangasian
Address: Maligaya 2, Brgy. San Vicente, San Pedro, Laguna
MFI: Ahon sa Hirap, Inc. (ASHI)
Business: Basket handicrafts making
Rebecca manufactures handicrafts like fruit trays, laundry baskets, and soap dish trays. Loans from Ahon sa Hirap, Inc. (ASHI) allowed her to stockpile raw materials for her business. Rebecca was able to expand her house in San Pedro, Laguna to three storeys, purchase two apartments, and support the education of her four children using profits from her enterprise.
Visayas Masikap Awardee
Mrs. Visitacion Ducay
Address: Brgy. Paon, Estancia, Iloilo
MFI: Taytay sa Kauswagan, Inc. (TSKI)
Business: Processing & retailing fish products
Visitacion is engaged in processing and retailing of fish products such as fish tapa, fish tocino, and dried fish. She sells her products in Iloilo, Roxas City, and Manila. Visitacion provides employment to 20 women in her community located in Estancia, Iloilo. Loans from Taytay sa Kauswagan, Inc. (TSKI) enabled her to establish and expand her small enterprise.
Mindanao Masikap Awardee
Mrs. Maria Jeaneta Ledesma
Address: Fabette’s Mode & Style, Rizal St. cor. C.M. Recto, Davao City
Phone: 0917-7201257
MFI: Kabalikat para sa Maunlad na Buhay, Inc.
Business: Garments manufacturing
Jeaneta manufactures garments on a wholesale basis. Her client list includes the biggest mall in Davao City, two schools that order uniforms, and other wholesale customers. Kabalikat para sa Maunlad na Buhay, Inc. (KMBI) provided Jeaneta with loans needed to purchase additional sewing machines and sewing tables to meet growing orders for her garments. The enterprise employs twenty of Jeaneta’s neighbors.
Citigroup Microentrepreneur of the Year – Maunlad Award Category
Mrs. Virginia Borde
Address: Bago City, Negros Occidental
MFI: Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation, Inc.
Business: Farm equipment service provider
Providing farmers the equipment and manpower for plowing and tilling the land as well as in threshing the farmers’ rice harvest is the business of Virginia. She helps her neighbors cultivate their small-sized farms and practically provides credit to the farmers by collecting payment for her services after harvest. The business directly employs 21 people. Loans from Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation, a leading microfinance NGO, enabled Virginia to expand her equipment services to farmers in Bago City, Negros Island.
Luzon Maunlad Awardee
Mr. Luciano Mendoza, Jr.
Address: JAS Ice Cream, Santiago City, Isabela
Phone: 0916-3786341
MFI: First Isabela Cooperative (FICO) Bank
Business: Ice cream making
Luciano produces ice cream using his own brand name, JAS Ice Cream. He markets his products to ten wholesalers and eighty retail vendors in the provinces of Isabela, Quirino, and Nueva Vizcaya. The business directly employs 13 people. Loans from FICO Bank enabled Luciano to purchase additional equipment to expand his enterprise.
Visayas Maunlad Awardee
Mrs. Jerilyn Lucareza
Address: 127 Gonzaga Extension, Brgy. 27, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
Phone: 0921-7156444
MFI: Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation (NWTF)
Business: Processing of meat products
Producing processed meat products such as tocino, chorizo, longganisa, and beef tapa is the business of Jerilyn. Her microenterprise employs 11 full-time workers in Bacolod City. Her products are marketed throughout the province of Negros Occidental. A microfinance NGO, the Negros Women for Tomorrow, provided Jerilyn loans that enabled her to purchase the necessary equipment as well as the working capital to expand her meat processing business.
Mindanao Maunlad Awardee
Mrs. Teresita Laraño
Address: Lanton, Apopong, General Santos City
MFI: Kabalikat para sa Maunlad na Buhay, Inc.
Business: Fish cracker making
Making fish and rice crackers is the business of Teresita. She sells the crackers in her hometown of General Santos City and other nearby municipalities. Her microenterprise employs 15 people from her own community. A microfinance NGO, the Kabalikat para sa Maunlad na Buhay, Inc. (KMBI) provided Teresita with loans that enabled her to expand her business and build up her assets.