In the rustic community of Loog in Basey, Western Samar lies the hardworking Barangay Loog Meat Retailers Association, a simple community savings group turned microenterprise. 

Blanca Gerilliana, the untiring leader of the 22-member association, looks back on their humble beginnings. She recalled how they originally started the group with the goal of having savings. She even likened it to a piggy bank that lent money with a small interest. Before the group was formed, their only options were lending institutions with exorbitant 10-20 percent interest rates. “But this is a thing of the past. We now have our association,” she excitedly shared.

During the course of the group’s five years, they built a total amount of PHP 500,000 every cycle. Members would divide the amount depending on how much each one contributed. This money had supported the women in different ways. Some used the money to pay for food, utilities, their children’s school fees, and even as capital for a small sari-sari store or convenience store. Others like Analyn Gaddi used the money to repair their homes.

For Rechelle Guarino, another member, her loan helped build a Level III Community Water System. They now have a water faucet inside their home. “We now have a water meter and this is because of the money I saved as a member of the association,” she added.

In fact, when news of Typhoon Odette, they were able to prepare by immediately procuring medicines, flashlights, rice, and canned goods. These items were on standby in case they needed to evacuate.

Today, the bustling retailer is a source of food and income for its members and the rest of the community. Blanca explained, “We started the meat retail store so that members can easily access the goods with a minimal cost. Instead of buying the goods in the town, they can buy it in their own store.”  

It was Food for the Hungry who encouraged them to make the shift for sustainability purposes. They even provided the ladies with a PHP 25,000 matching fund as seed capital, a freezer for storage, and other equipment for the business. The Public Service Employment Office (PESO) from the Basey Local Government Unit (LGU) office also contributed support funds of PHP 20,000. Each member then pitched in PHP 1,500 so they could build their store, pay registration fees, and purchase goods to sell.

Blanca also discussed their patronage policy. Members who consistently bought food from the meat store will receive a 5 percent refund, based on the amount purchased. Each member helped track this by recording their purchases in a notebook.

Inspired by their success, Blanca has big plans for her tight-knit association. “My dream is to make the meat retailer one of the biggest stores in our community with lots of assorted goods [and] to put the same store in the town. We can only do this if we help each other.”