The theme of the event is “Engaging Migrants in Agriculture Development”.  The Department of Agriculture saw the potential of investment in agriculture in the Philippines that can be offered to Overseas Filipinos.  It has packaged services that will assist the OFWs in identifying agri-business opportunities, training and market linkage.

Pinoy WISE event in UAE will showcase the agri-business opportunities, products and eco/agro-tourism destination of 6 provinces, namely,  Oriental Mindoro, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Antique and Masbate.  The participating provinces will be led by Governor Alfonso Umali Jr., the president of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines.  For the first time the local government units in the Philippines are actively participating in packaging province specific agri-business opportunities that can be provided to the Overseas Filipinos who are looking at setting up enterprises in the Philippines.   The provincial government are looking at leveraging their own  resources to attract the investment of OFWs.

To make the event more fun and exciting  the Department of Agriculture (DA) will  raffle 5 Agri-Kabuhayan prizes  worth Php 25,000 .  Other prizes are also going to be provided by the sponsors. Whoever wins will get free training and marketing  assistance from the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service Department.  Surpise gifts await the first 200 early registrants.

Other participants of the Pinoy WISE events is Atikha, lead by its executive director, Mai Dizon Anonuevo  will showcase the various programs of their NGO for OFWs including financial literacy training and counselling.  Books written by children of OFWs as well as teachers training  materials on value formation for children will also be shown during the event. Investment opportunities of agri-based cooperatives will be presented by  Soro-soro Ibaba Development Cooperative (SIDC) lead by its chairperson of the Board, Dr. Angelito Bagui and General Manager, Rico Geron.  Another successful cooperative, CAFFMACO lead by its Asst Manager, Imelda Ambrad will present cooperative investment in Cavite.   Concrete success stories of investment in agri-business  such as Nanay Tuneng  represented by its CEO, Isabel Warren will also join the event and exhibit.   DBP, Landbank and SSS will also present  its  programs for OFWs.

Pinoy WISE has already initiated its activities in UAE since February 2011  through the  financial literacy seminar  lead by the DFA, OWWA and Bayanihan in cooperation with Atikha.  More than 650 participants have been involved in the training program.  They have learned budgeting, financial planning, saving, investing, borrowing and addressing family issues that drain their resources .   Most of them are looking for investment opportunities in the Philippines.  As some of the migrants mentioned,  this event and the Pinoy WISE program in UAE  is very timely.

The sponsors who supported the Pinoy WISE event in UAE are Etihad, the official airline of Pinoy WISE, Xpress Money and Megaworld International.

Entrance to the Pinoy WISE International Launching Event is free but entrance ticket is required.  Tickets can be secured from the following:

1.Ernesto “Boy\’ Refugio – 050-6169870
2. Vangie Junio – 050-6681718
3. Vivien Napenas – 050 – 7713810
4. Bal Junio – 050-4468121
5. Ollie Pineda – 050-4751984
6. Vice Consul Norman Padalhin – 050-1345259

The recently held assembly was part of the culminating activities of the two-year project of Atikha in partnership with the Filipino Women’s Council “Mobilizing Migrants’ Resources Towards Agricultural Cooperative in the Philippines” funded by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)  implemented in the Philippines and in different parts of Italy.

The project provided financial education through Training on Financial Literacy and Addressing Barriers to Reintegration to OFWs and families left behind. It also offered skills, livelihood and business opportunity seminar. Furthermore, the project facilitated coop membership and encouraged savings and investment to Sorosoro Ibaba Development Cooperative (SIDC), the largest agri-based coop in the Philippines.   Atikha trained migrant leaders in Italy to conduct the Financial Literacy and Counseling Seminars for OFWs and families. ACFIL is one of the organizations tapped by Atikha to reach out to more and more Overseas Filipinos in Italy.

Present in this significant event were:  Mr. Robert Meins, Remittance Specialist of IFAD, Ms. Aileen Constantino-Peñas from Atikha Inc. and the Pinoywise Financial Counselors from Modena, Padova, Brescia, Milan and Turin.

Ms. Aileen Constantino-Peñas, Pinoywise Overall Project Coordinator and Deputy Executive Director of Atikha thru an AVP presentation updated the group with the developments and accomplishments of the project.   She was very pleased to share that the almost 10 Million Peso Mobilization was achieved in just 15 months and the campaign target membership also doubled.

Beyond the usual public meetings, highlighting this event was the testimonials of the Financial Counselors on the impact and influences of the project to the migrant leaders and to other overseas Filipino workers.

The first heart-warming talk was delivered by Ms. Nerissa Antaran-Tejada, the most tapped Financial Literacy Trainer and a Financial Counselor from Turin. She shared about her experiences in conducting the Financial Literacy training for OFWs in Italy and even with family members in the Philippines.  She mentioned that the seminar was intended to instill the idea of saving, investing and becoming entrepreneurs.  There were times that the seminars turned into a drama as most migrants became emotional as they came to realize, how many years they have wasted before understanding that they can achieve their family and financial goals only with the cooperation of the families left behind in the Philippines; by not giving in to their every demands and by helping one another.

Ms. Lilia Cabaces- Mallari, Milan Coordinator and Financial Counselor who educated the most number of migrants.  She articulated about her enrollment strategies in encouraging migrants to SIDC investment.  She lively conversed that in conducting orientation, she is not looking after the number of attendees nor conscious with the ages of the participants for she believes that everyone, young and old must understand the value of saving.

A very creative and innovative way of inculcating the value of regular savings was imparted by Turin Coordinator, Ms. Rosalie Bajade-Cuballes.  Being the Financial Counselor who influenced and enrolled a big number of saver-investors, she remarked that she started everything with herself, for others to see that “she practices what she preaches”. She employed a “paluwagan system”, compassionately and regularly follow-up and remind the members of their savings.  To secure their monthly investment remittance, she was the one collecting their savings and took care of remitting the amounts in the bank as a group remittance to avail of lower bank charges. She then advised the members to check their accounts online to confirm the deposits.

Mr. Darlito Bueno, Brescia Coordinator, talked about his philanthropic initiative, the “Sulong Mayantoc Movement: Mobilizing Savings and Investment for a Coop Replication – A Way of Giving Back in a Hometown”. He enthusiastically shared the challenges he confronted as he mobilized the 1 Million counterpart capital for his aspiration of bringing a development to the country of origin, his hometown, Mayantoc, a 4^th class municipality in Tarlac.

The wonderful and stupendous series of testimonials was more enhanced by the presentation of the Northern Italy Coordinator, Ms. Minda Teves.  In her “Leading the Leaders”, she artistically referred the migrants as the birds in the cage that hopes to be free and fulfilled. She further pointed out how interventions like Training on Financial Literacy and Addressing Barriers to Reintegration and savings and investment mobilization bring high hopes to the OFWs. She also shared how grateful she is to the shakers and movers of the projects who brought so many realizations not only to her life but to the migrant communities as well.

All these testimonials were heard and the activity was observed by the special guest of the event, Mr. Robert Meins, IFAD Remittance Specialist, who was closely monitoring the implementation and development of the project.   In his message, Mr. Meins stated that he was too overwhelmed with the results and conveyed his admiration to Atikha and the migrant leaders in carrying out the campaign.  He also assured the crowd that he would transmit to IFAD everything that he heard, observed and learned.  He also added that he is looking forward for this initiative to be replicated at the global level.

The Pinoywise campaign was indeed a success and it was well reflected in the Public Meetings. Ms. Aileen Constantino-Peñas concluded the program by introducing and explaining how the campaign turned to an organization.  The PinoyWISE International was then launched.  Ms. Penas made an appeal to all Pinoywise FIN LIT graduates to join PinoyWISE International Closed Group Page.  Furthermore, she also talked about the replication of PinoyWISE initiative at the national level which is spearheaded by Task Force Migration and Development in the Philippines.  She imparted the objectives, plans and activities of the newly formed organization and reaffirmed that it was inspired by the brilliant and shared efforts of migrant leaders in Italy who nourished the project.

Finally, in behalf of Atikha, Ms. Peñas expressed warmest gratitude to International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Sorosoro Ibaba Development Cooperative (SIDC), Filipino Women’s Council  (FWC),  PinoyWISE Financial Counselors, member-investors, participants of Pinoywise training, attendees of orientations and to ACFILIANs who extended valuable support in this meaningful endeavor.

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The first step we did was to teach the migrant workers to set goals, which are to save something from their monthly salaries and invest it. It’s not enough to save. We taught the principle “Let your money works for you”. It’s more productive if the saved money grows. Many tried to practice the said principle to achieve their goal of saving. In fact, in Turin alone, for the period 15 months, we were able to facilitate the enrolment of almost 80 OFWs  and around 25% have already attained their 100k and secured their investment certificates.

Our objective is not only to enroll in an investment package we also ensure that they are committed to achieve their financial goals, and so we monitored their savings habit and performance.

Monitoring was a fulfilling work for me ‘cause I’ve realized how much effort they’ve bestowed just to reach their plans.  We encouraged them to save regularly. For many, it became part of their system to give every month like a “paluwagan”, while for others, they still find it difficult to allocate a percentage of their salary for savings and investment.

How did we inculcate the value of regular savings?  Being in-charge here in Turin, I made a master list of members  who have enrolled & invested  in the cooperative . I used the social network by creating a Group page in Facebook of all SIDC members and investors to provide regular communication and disseminate information. In the said group page, I announced the members who have finally completed his investment package of 100k to encourage others to do the same.

Aside from the social network, I kept on reminding  them every month specifically a week before pay day  through text/messages in their cellphone for their savings and I, being the assigned collector,  am the one collecting them. They only pay 1euro bank charge instead of €5 ‘coz  the remittance is done in group.

After having deposited, I’ll notify online the office of SIDC on the breakdown of the remittance for them to update the virtual bank account of the members. After I’ve received a notice from SIDC that everything is posted accordingly, I notify the members to let them verify their savings in the web site of Pinoywise through the given password and username. In this endeavor, trust & confidence of the members towards the collectors should be preserved and maintained to be able to fully achieved the purpose of PINOYWISE campaign.

My involvement in this campaign is a volunteer work and unlike other financial institutions, it doesn’t provide tempting commission, ample incentives and generous allowance. What made me invest my energy, time, effort and name on this project was my conviction, advocacy and trust to this initiative and the people working behind it. I am convinced of its positive impact in my life in particular and so with the lives of other OFWs in Turin. It is fulfilling on my part that the strategies   that we introduced for regular savings encourage them to continue investing.

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They asked me if i can testify regarding the enrollment strategies, of course i answered a big YES! Everyday i’ve met a lot of individuals that have different characters and have negative points of view regarding investments…. I took them as a CHALLENGE. When Sidc reached my knowledge and learned about their good business track records i don’t give any second thought and grab the opportunity to become their member. I did the savings until i reached the minimum investments of 100 K and received the certificates when i went home last august 2011.

My best approach to our Kababayan is to let them know i am a living proof and one of the many investors of the company, shared them the secrets to how i was able to saved the needed money. I made myself an inspiration to them that i’ve been in their position before but came to learn how to managed my finances well through Financial Literacy Program. When i did my orientation in Mc Donald Milan, i’ve met alot of our kababayans aged above 65 yrs. old, I asked them why they are still here? they answered: We can’t come home to the Phils. because we don’t even have enough money to buy our Tickets….. I asked again why tita? they replied: coz i am the one who provide the needs of my family, i bought big house for them and sent my children in a prestigious schools but due to my absence, they didn’t finised their schooling until they got married, i am still the one who support them and even for the need of my grand childrens….. i answered again: it’s not bad helping our families but lets give some limitations…..because for me, were not helping them to grow in their own selves anymore but instead we let them become irresponsible and lazy. In that tune i introduced the SIDC – as a good investments. I gave also them some background info’s to who were the Mentors/Actors of this projects which were ATIKHA, FWC, SIDC and IFAD, give them flyers of SIDC as well as the business profile and explained to them the mission and visions, the impact to the communities for the agri based cooperatives , that’s the time that i will get their data and some info like telephone numbers and address. Sometimes they made the enrollment at once and i ‘ll accompany them in the bank.

Others were asking why we have it only now? i told them that it’s indeed introduced here for 2 years now. I’ve encountered also some PILOSOPO but still with my strategic appeal/approach they became our members of SIDC.

Flexibility/elasticity and trust were also part of my strategy coz majority of our kababayan have no time to deposits their savings and i also encouraged them to deposit 100 or even 50 euros monthly coz later it will accumulate interest and will be a big helped for them in time. To have this kind of Advocacy to transmit a positive impact and be an AGENT OF CHANGE.

I thank you.

In my 25 years of journey, I must consider myself a person who had come almost to his final end as a migrant, though weary of the thought that,   …once I’ll end up my journey……  & I have questioned, what have I accomplished for myself, done for others and contributed to the community? And I have come to realize that our situation as a migrant is just like a….. “bird in a cage… with the head outside.”

The bars imprisoning us were the work conditions that we have to follow like the working hours or the rules set for us migrants, the responsibilities towards our family back home and to the family here with us, the cultural shock, language barriers, low self esteem, fears, inability to accept  the type of work situations, frustrations and etc.

The head outside the cage symbolizes our desire to know the world, to be part of the bigger space, to participate in community life, our curiosity, observing, waiting and willing to LIVE.

I am a free-spirited    person, who, after months of hibernation…  was unable to resist anymore…                            I wanted to fly… to see the new world… so I started discovering, exploring the surroundings and the people….. both very different.

Then… a bigger curiosity arises, what am I doing here in a foreign land?  Isolation and depression attack a lonely person, so, I have decided to let my other family come & join me… but how can I guarantee our protection?

We established an association, ACFIL and there began our turning point…..  some Italian employers & friends  tried to be of help…. explaining, encouraging, supporting and opening the cage for us, BUT rarely, for only a few  wanted to be free, most of us preferred to stay inside the cage.

But it is up to us how, when & where we want to make our destiny work. We all have the body to manipulate the activities we have to do. And we have the ability to choose and gain peers, and how to make ourselves enthusiastic to others, and how to apply the roles for ourselves..from there, others can view clearly our intentions & desires.

One day in February 2010, in Padova, I was persuaded by my co FC’s & was chosen to act as North coordinator of a project of ATIKHA funded by IFAD “ Mobilizing migrants remittances towards agri-based cooperatives in the Philippines.”through a FINANCIAL LITERACY SEMINAR.

I was startled by the choice of the group , though we have met only a few times but then they have selected me to become the coordinator of North Italy.

Me? Leading the Leaders? Challenge motivated me to accept the role even if I can’t interpret well what lies ahead of the project. I have accepted even without understanding clearly my talents to lead, besides, I have proven already the impact what FINLIT has done to us and mostly I accepted because I don’t want the project to explode immaturely because if we allow it to explode “WHAT WILL BECOME OF OUR COMMUNITY IN TURIN WHO WERE CONVINCED & TRULY BELIEVED THAT SOMETHING WILL CHANGE THEIR FUTURE?

On second thought, I know  that I won’t be working alone to get what’s important in the project done. So, right after I got home here in Turin…I  created a group page  in FB called Northern Italy Financial counselors. The page serves as our meeting point. It gives us the opportunity to design our plans to be able to achieve more and be more productive with the tasks we were assigned.

Everybody can decide and respect everyone’s opinion. We do our evaluation and rotate roles or shift assignments so that we can guarantee the excellent outcome: that is to educate our co OF’s to save for their future. There came a time that some of our co FC’s wanted to withdraw from the group but then, in the end the group members remained intact.

WE AIM HIGH TO GET HIGH! Because we have created a larger NORTHERN ITALY FAMILY! Believe it or not..in our family, you can’t find intrigues nor envy…the €200.00 allowance that I received monthly was used to augment the expenses for the seminars we have been doing in & out of Turin and I even told my peers of the situation ,so that they will realize that I don’t do it for money, fame or whatever.

I know for sure that inside me, I feel a higher calling that demands commitment, patience & sacrifice.

My task as a coordinator may not be financially rewarding but there are beautiful non monetary remunerations that go along with it, like meeting friends like you my co FC’s .

I have also to empathize the struggles and  the difficulties of my co FC’s because pure altruistic concerns always begets genuine affection to those who benefitted from it.

I  am not sure whether I had done my part as a Leader..so it’s up to my co FC’s to evaluate my performance…for me our experiences will remain in my heart forever.

What affected our performances were the different schedules at the back of our own community in the place where we live in, but then, we MEET half way.  As North coordinator I have to connect initiatives, encourage & appreciate.

There was even a period that in Milan the other FC’s were not able to connect their time so I have to approach gradually the situation until  we were able to produce result that were acceptable to everybody. It is not easy to lead especially when the cage calls for my time and I have to go back for emergency reasons.

Having  accepted the task, I have not thought of the cost benefit analysis..my heart always tells me that the most important thing is that my KABABAYANS will benefit from this or at least  we can contribute something for them to realize the essentiality of freedom from obligations back home, to think for themselves and to feel lighter.

In the course of the project, in one of our evaluations, it was not only the way we deliver the topic to our listeners that we have to be very keen of, but we were able to courageously call the attention of everybody how to dress accordingly to the occasion also..Kaya nga, (That’s why) I started dressing up like I used to… which I have totally forgotten a long time ago..now I am slowly recovering myself , which living behind cage made me forget everything, even myself… that I existed.

It’s not effective to teach if what you teach, you can’t apply for yourself..so since our advocacy is to educate OF’s to save and invest for a brighter future..in order to encourage them do what we are doing..I was forced to show my certificates in every FINLIT seminar that sometimes I was misinterpreted as bragging, but who cares?

Being a Leader to lead other Leaders is like being a  bird who finds & gives, receives & shares, protects & depends & is strong . For me LEADING is CHALLENGE and I become more CONFIDENT.

Being an FC for me was just the beginning, having conducted FINLIT seminars were like a stream that goes to the ocean. My role became immense that it is not only diagnosing one’s financial health but our services towards our co OFW’S become popular that even though it is out of context they ask us questions that need a body & head outside, to give them a solution or an answer.

Here’s some report of the impact of this project related to the subject or not but believe me my life become more complex , added to the responsibilities we have been doing as ACFIL:

At this point, please allow me to thank Miss Chato Basa, the foundress of FWC who after 16 long years of friendship, whenever she thinks that she needs the strength of Turin community…     she calls me…! Sorry of not having you here..

The ATIKHA for allowing us to create a bigger community, its reason for being and the prime mover and shaker, as well as dedicated advocate, Mai Anonuevo, my supportive mentor Cherry Girado; Aileen Constantino- Penas, whom I consider a little sister, a friend and a teacher, and of course, IFAD for funding this project!

And to the CONCERNS, please continue in helping us…. to open the CAGES for the other birds to go out, for them to be able to use their wings to fly, to soar high and touch the sky and come back to safe nests, free and fulfilled…

As we all know that everyone of us who left the country has a luggage full not just of the things we needed while away from home but also a luggage filled with dreams and goals or aims if one wishes to call it for oneself and for ones family and along with it the duration of how long one has to stay away.

Some said I will go abroad for 1 year, 3 years, 5 years or 10 yrs and so on. But  don’t you ever realized that  after 20, 30 and even 40 years  we realized that most of them have not reintegrated yet including myself. What are those hindrances that keep us remaining away from home and not achieving all the goals we’ve  set at the beginning  of the journey as OFW?.  One of the reasons that hinder us maybe if not a case for all is a growing luxurios lifestyle, of graving for things that are not even necessary in other word consumerism  etc. and at the end of the day one realized that a monthly salary is not enough to provide all those things for onseself and for the family left behind as a result one becomes also indebted. And saving for onself and the family becomes impossible and to worst cases one comes home with no saving and no more family waiting for him or her..

At the end of the seminar some participants had this question: “Why is it that you’ve conducted this seminar only now?” If this has been conducted when I was younger  maybe I’ve already reintegrated in the Philippines and maybe my family is still complete.

I believe and I am convinced that it isn’t too late to give ourselves another chance to start all over again to set one’s goal and fulfill  one’s dreams for giving one’s family a better future and to prepare for returning home.

In most cases the financial literacy seminar that was conducted was intended to instill among migrants the idea of saving, investing and becoming entrepreneurs ended as a drama having it coupled with the topic of Addressing Barrriers to Reintegration made migrants realized that achieving goals would be realized with the cooperation of the families left behind in the Philippines.

Thank you!

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