Fisher family bounces back through microfinancing
THE City of Mati, a 5th class city and capital of the province of Davao Oriental, is blessed with beautiful bays and beaches, islands, diverse marine life and other man-made and natural wonders. The city is also known for its legendary ‘Sleeping Dinosaur’, which is located in the town of Badas, or the famed Dahican Beach where many tourists include in their must-visit place list.
In barangay Macambol, Mati City, lives Amy Cielo Florentino, 43, owner of a sari-sari store, a well-known fish dealer, and owner of a boat-building shop. Amy and the rest of the fisher folks will make you love the place even more. Their laughter echoed as they chat just right outside Amy’s store by the bay.
Amy’s husband, Abeto, is a fisherman who is also a registered boatbuilder since he was 17 years old. When they married, they promised themselves to give a better future for their children, and they definitely did.
Just like any other stories, the Florentino family experienced their greatest downfall in 2012 when typhoon Pablo hit the place. The store was forced to close and their only means of survival is fish dealing. According to Amy, she prayed to God to give them wisdom on how to deal with the situation.
In 2014, their prayers were answered when they met Card Bank, Inc., a member institution of Card Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (Card MRI) that provides microfinance loans, SME loans, and other financial services tailored-fit to the evolving needs of its clients.
Amy then joined in the bank and started with a PhP3,000 loan. As she understood the bank’s goal of poverty eradication, she was able to encourage their neighbors to also join the bank. At present, she can now avail more than PhP200,000 loan for her additional capital for boat-building, sarisari store, and fish dealing business.
“Card Bank has been our shoulder to lean on. It is an institution that is responsive to the needs of its clients,” said Amy adding that because of their booming business, her son was able to finish a degree.
“What else we could ask for if we have Card Bank already?” said Amy while hoping that more and more Filipinos will become part of this movement of Card MRI, which is to eradicate poverty in the country.