A poster declares one corridor at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) as a “brisk-walk zone,” implying passers-by with less urgent agenda to make way for those on a rush to attend to matters of the republic’s Central Bank.
But the walls were in pastel peach and the lighting just right, making it a passable background for an impromptu photo shoot, so Romualdo Blanco Jr. took his spot.
To be fair, Blanco isn’t that much different from those who these halls are cleared for. He’s been moving in haste, coming right off the stage at the recent 17th Citi Microentrepreneurship Award (CMA) to receive his Youth Microentrepreneur of the Year Award trophy. A self-established owner of a putuhan in Batangas, Blanco took the hardware, shook a few hands, then proceeded to this shoot. After which a quick interview awaits. When that’s done, he needs to jump right back inside the hall to catch the rest of the award proceedings.
On a macro scale, the life of the 28-year-old has been equally a blur.
Blanco was working as a delivery boy of soft drinks in his home of San Pascual, Batangas, just seven years ago. He was earning just right to make ends meet, until his girlfriend told him she was pregnant. What was enough suddenly became insufficient. He needed a higher-paying job.
Blanco’s coworker had a cousin in Manila who was looking for an extra hand. The post: an all-around boy at a putuhan in Caloocan.
“Tinanggap ko agad ’yung trabaho,” recalled Blanco. “Nagsimula ako sa pagbabalat ng kamote pang pichi-pichi saka nilupak.”
From preparing the ingredients, Blanco was asked by his boss to take over the kitchen. From there, he was tasked with the deliveries. Blanco took pride in his new designation, confident not only with his driving skills, but with something that he believed would help him earn more.
“Ma-alam ako sa sales,” Blanco said, smiling. “Noong ako’y nagde-deliver ng soft drinks sa Batangas, marami akong napabili ng product namin kahit sila’y exclusive sa kalaban.”
While his predecessors only delivered between 10 and 20 trays of puto and other native rice cakes, Blanco went on his first trip with 30. His boss warned him that each tray Blanco fails to sell would be deducted from his salary.
“Pagbalik ko sa aming store, nagulat ’yung boss ko. Sabi niya, ‘Wow, ubos agad,” Blanco said. “Sabi ko naman, opo, kulang pa.”
The next day, Blanco loaded 40 trays. That became his average delivery amount for over two years, before he decided to quit.
Blanco deemed that the experience he gained and the knowledge he learned over his stint were enough. He was ready to put up his own business. Blanco studied everything from the quirks of operations to the intricacies of food preparation. It would only take the proper mindset plus capital, he believed.
The second part of his equation, however, proved elusive. Blanco’s plans of running his own putuhan would have to wait, but his dreams couldn’t. He returned home to Batangas and detoured into selling fruits, then changed his product to fishballs for bigger profit.
On what was a normal-enough afternoon, Blanco engaged in a conversation with one of his customers, per usual. He told him about his plans to put up a business that sells puto, but he didn’t have enough money to begin.
The customer introduced himself as an employee of Bangko Kabayan, a microfinance-oriented bank. Blanco was told he could loan for capital, and he did.
“Naglakas loob lang ako,” he said.
Combining the loan with his meager savings, Blanco started purchasing cooking equipment in Divisoria. He opened the store and named it PK Maja’s Special, after his daughter. His vision was finally taking shape. He said the store became an instant hit, so much so that he was hitting break even just one month into operations.
Blanco said part of their success is the generous amount of ingredients used in PK Maja’s Special products. He also makes it a point that his puto, maja, pichi-pichi, nilupak and other offerings are bigger than usual.
“Ang katwiran ko, gusto ko binabalik-balikan ng mga customer ’yung mga produkto namin,” he said. “Sabihin man ng iba na wala akong kikitain masyado, ang sagot ko naman, meron, kahit konti lang. Ok lang na ganun basta hindi magsasawa yung mga customer namin.”
Today, PK Maja’s Special earns around P200,000 in monthly income and P60,000 in monthly profit. Blanco has already purchased motorcycles to deliver his products beyond San Pascual and into the neighboring towns of Lipa, Rosario, Malvar and Calaca on consignment basis.
Blanco estimates that between his workers, delivery boys and the store owners that carry his products, he helps the livelihood of around 250 people, not counting their families.
Having been able to uplift the lives of people together with his own was what won Blanco the Youth Microentrepreneur of the Year Award at the 17th CMA.
Since its launch 2002 as part of Citi’s 100th anniversary celebration, the CMA has recognized 141 outstanding microentrepreneurs across the Philippines. The awards program is a signature initiative of the Citi Foundation, and highlights the efforts of partners BSP, Citi Philippines, and the Microfinance Council of the Philippines Inc. to strengthen microfinance and enterprise development, along with financial inclusion in the country.
“The CMA winners serve as a constant reminder on the importance of investing in the economic growth of our communities,” said Aftab Ahmed, Citi Philippines CEO. “The compelling stories of the CMA winners speaks volumes about the winning spirit and the heart of the microentrepreneur.”
In his keynote address, BSP Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said that the CMA honors the men and women whose transformed lives and journey as entrepreneurs demonstrate the power of microfinance as a poverty-alleviation tool.
“Most of these microentrepreneurs started with close to nothing, and yet were able to build and grow a business that support their families and even their communities,” Diokno said. “Theirs is a story of empowerment. And this is what microfinance is truly about.” The National Winner at the 17th CMA was Eduardo Azores of Koronadal City, South Cotabato. He owns Ali-Ali Pastil restaurant, which serves one of the most popular and affordable delicacies among Muslim Filipinos, pastil, or steamed rice with dry shredded beef, chicken, or fish, wrapped in banana leaves. From his restaurants earnings, he was able to open a convenience store, a catering business, a lodging inn and another restaurant branch.
Azores received a cash prize of P200,000 from the CMA, while regional winners and special awardees, including Blanco, were given P100,000. They also received a laptop, life and health insurance coverage for one year, and access to grassroots entrepreneurship management and basic computer literacy training at the Citi Microenterprise Development Center, another Citi Foundation program in partnership with Bayan Academy. The winners’ loan offices and microfinance institutions partners were also given a plaque of recognition and cash incentive of P10,000 each.
Blanco advices those inspired by his success to not only work hard, but to work smart. “Dapat hindi lang sipag, hindi lang tyaga. Dapat may diskarte,” he said. “’Yun ang naging puhunan ko.”