Secretariat

Allan Robert I. Sicat
Executive Director

Allan Robert Sicat is the Executive Director of the Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc. (MCPI), and has over twenty years of experience in program management and implementation, training, and advocacy related to access to finance and microfinance. Under his leadership, MCPI was awarded the Good Corporate Governance Champion by the Securities and Exchange Commission from 2020 to 2023 and the Financial Inclusion of the Year Partner by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas from 2013 to 2015. Before joining MCPI in 2004, he was part of the Rural Banker’s Association of the Philippines – Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (RBAP-MABS) program, a USAID-funded initiative that assisted rural banks in developing financial services for low-income households. He is an accredited Social Performance Management and Client Protection assessor. Allan earned his Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the De La Salle University Graduate School of Business in 2008. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Economics and a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce, major in Management of Financial Institutions from the De La Salle University in the Philippines. He earned a Course Certificate on Strategic Leadership in Inclusive Finance from the Harvard Business School in 2024.

Aileen Gay P. Gardon
Finance and Administration Manager

Aileen has been with MCPI since November 2000. She is responsible for general administration duties and HR-related services, and performs basic bookkeeping and accounting tasks for the Secretariat. She has 20 years of experience in coordinating a wide variety of events including the MCPI annual conference, CMA awarding ceremony, and the Microcredit Summit. Aileen is a graduate of BS Psychology from St. Paul University Quezon City.

Anna Ria B. Manahan
Program Manager – Capacity Building

Anna is the Program Manager of the Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc. She is responsible for managing the overall implementation of projects and activities under the Capacity Building program of MCPI. She has expertise on project management with almost 15 years of experience working with development organizations, NGOs, and community- based organizations. In 2006, Anna graduated from the University of the Philippines – Los Baños with a Bachelors Degree in Agricultural Economics. She earned a Certificate Course in Law and Regulation of Inclusive Finance from the University of Luxembourg in 2019.

Jonah Rae J. Hufano
Program Officer for Capacity Building

Jonah is the Program Officer for Capacity Building of the Microfinance Council of the Philippines, Inc. She entered MCPI as the project officer for the implementation of the Green Inclusive Finance project with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Jonah is also responsible for supporting MCPI’s member institutions’ training/workshop needs and their other capacity building activities. Trained as a communicator, she is well-adept with project and stakeholder management. Jonah is an alumna of the University of the Philippines – Los Baños with a Bachelor’s Degree in Development Communication.

Noriel Victoria N. Tolentino
Program Officer – Knowledge Management

Noriel has been with MCPI since January 2019. She has 7 years of experience in project management, technical writing, and event coordination. Currently, she is the Knowledge Management Officer who is responsible for the collection and management of microfinance data relevant to the industry and handling of projects under Knowledge Management. Noriel is a graduate of BS Human Ecology Major in Social Technology from the University of the Philippines Los Baños.

Jerwin A. Datuin
Office Assistant

Jerwin was part of the USAID-funded initiative on Developing Standards for Microfinance Project. He is one of the pioneer staff members of MCPI when it started in 1999.