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IAMRAFI: Sugar, Spice, & Everything Nice

The Story of Josephine De Lara, RAFI Micro-Finance Nanay

By Marco Paulo Trajano Deligero & RAFI Micro-Finance| April 30, 2018

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Josephine De Lara learned baking from her mother. Now, she uses this skill to build her own family business. With the help of RAFI Micro-finance, she has made for herself a name in the baking industry through the power of the ‘word of mouth’, as her baked goods can be found almost anywhere.  She supplies bakeries, canteens, hospitals and even events like birthdays and weddings.  She even has a good number of “suki” in RAFI. 

 

Baking Runs in the Family

Before becoming a RAFI Micro-Finance (RMF) Nanay in 2014, Josephine De Lara was an office employee. She hails from Alegria, Cebu, and back in her childhood, baking has always been the business of their family.  

“I was already a supplier of RAFI back in 2014, even before I became an RMF Nanay.  I learned about RMF while I was waiting at the lobby. I saw a leaflet about the services of RMF, and the benefits of becoming a member, or basically being RMF Nanay.” Josephine said.

 

 

Many Customers, No Equipment

According to Josephine, there was a time when she was would receive orders from new customers and she didn’t  have enough equipment to bake all those volume of orders.

That was what urged her to borrow money from RMF so that she may invest in a reliable baking equipment, around Php 75,000.00 to buy the oven she needs.

“It was one of the biggest investments for my baking business, because of the high demand of order.  I knew that I had to level up my equipment so that I accommodate all the orders.  No orders missed out meant happy customers.”

 

 

The Power of the ‘Word of Mouth’

Josephine said that customer satisfaction is key to having a successful business.

“Aside from the support of my husband and family, I owe the success of my business to my customers, because every satisfied customer could mean referrals to their friends and family.” 

“Every client is an opportunity for me to advertise my cakes and pastry effortlessly, if my clients likes my cake, there will be a huge chance that they will share their experience and recommend me to their friends and family.” Josephine said.

 

“Referrals — that’s how my business grew, that’s why we make sure that every baked goods we make are of the best quality, something that the clients would appreciate.” She added.

 

 

Success and Sacrifices

Like any other growing business, Josephine understands that there are sacrifices that should be made; flowing orders means sleepless nights for her and her family.

“There are many times that we have sleepless nights due to the huge orders, there were many times when we were given rush orders, but we think of it us a challenge…”

“Because for us, sleepless nights are better than having no orders at all; sleepless nights means that our business is booming, and the best we could do is be thankful to God and never complain.” Josephine said.

 

 

The Fruit of Labor is Always Sweet

For Josephine, their baking business is always a family bonding. Their family members have their own designated task – her husband helps her in the baking, and when orders are needed to be rushed.

“My family has always been part of my success.  There were many times when my husband had to deliver orders to far flung places.   Many times we would wake up early to deliver the made-to-order goods to events like wedding, baptisms, even wakes.” She said.

 

 

Family That Bakes Together, Stays Together

But complaining is the last thing Josephine will do, she has always been grateful for the benefits of her hard work.  

“Through my baking, I was able to give the best life for my children. I was able to send them to good schools, and now, they have completed college, one finished Accounting Technology, and the other one finished a Business course.”

 

Credibility Will Bring You To Far Away Places

Josephine believes that having credibility will give you the opportunity to expand your business, but it something that is not earned overnight and should be maintained.

“One of the reasons that our clients keeps coming back is because of our credibility.   That is one thing that business owners should know, if you agreed on a certain thing, you should always make sure that you will deliver.”

 

“In baking, anyone could make use of cheap ingredients because the clients never see the actual baking process anyway.  But for us, credibility and integrity begins in the buying and using the right ingredients, from weighing to baking.” Josephine said.

 

 

The Secrets to Success: Clients Will Always Know Small Changes

Having been in the baking business for many years, Josephine already knows the secrets on how to be successful in her field of endeavor. 

“I’ll share with you some of the secrets for free. First of course, is public relations — you should know how to mingle with clients, know what they want and do it, that is the best thing that you can do for them.”

“Second, credibility. Do what you have agreed on to do – if you say that you will deliver on this certain agreed time, you should really deliver.”

“Third, do not change what you have already made. Because clients will always, always know if you made some changes, if they prefer some changes in their orders, you should deliver that.” Josephine said

 

 

‘Taste is What Makes Us Different’

There are different bakeries in the market, and Josephine was asked on what makes them different.

“Our taste, of course, that is something that our clients keep coming back for. In the entire market, we are the only one who has the taste that our clients prefer. And we ensure we keep it that way.” Josephine said.

 

On Her One Memorable Baking Experience

She fondly recalls a memorable experience in her baking business.

“I remember this certain client. They lived abroad for several years and then eventually came back to visit. And guess what? The mother wanted to try our cakes again. And so they did everything they can to get in touch with us to order one specific cake she preferred.”

“If I remember it correctly, the client ordered a sugarless cake due to her diabetes.  To make that happen, I had to dig into my pile of recipes just to find that specific cake she had ordered many years ago.” 

“It only shows, that when you give what your clients want, they will give you the loyalty that you deserve.” Josephine said.

 

 

Her Biggest Life Motivation

For Josephine, her biggest life motivation are God, her family, and her loyal clients.

Her husband, Lucio De Lara, has been very supportive of their business.

“I am very thankful to my family who has always been there since I started my business.”

“To my children, and to my husband, Lucio, thank you for your support.  I love you.”

“And of course, to God, I never thought that you will bless us with so much, I am grateful to everything that You have done for us.” Josephine said.

“And to RAFI Micro-finance (RMF), thank you for being supportive, you enable small businesses to flourish, you are really a good partner to Nanays or entrepreneurs like me.”

“To those who want to start their own business, be a good payer and trust RMF, they are good partners in making your business grow.” Josephine added.

“Thank you very much for this opportunity to be an inspiration to other Nanays. I am happy.” #IAMRAFI

 

 

 

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Highlighting the importance of collaboration, a multi-sectoral forum and networking event was held last March 9, 2018 to discuss various issues concerning urban development and their possible solutions.

The forum, titled “Y-Port Solutions and Strategies for Metro Cebu,” was organized by the City of Yokohama, Japan, with the assistance of the Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Board – Research, Program, and Organization Development Program Management Office (MCDCB – RPOD PMO). It was held at the Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc.

The seminar aimed to gather a common understanding of the challenges in Cebu related to waste management, green buildings, and other urban issues and, at the same time, exchange views and ideas toward project formulation to tackle urban issues utilizing resources of multilateral development banks. The forum brought together representatives from the private sector in Yokohama and Metro Cebu, and from Metro Cebu local government units and national government agencies to discuss possible solutions to these concerns.

Presenters from Metro Cebu and the City of Yokohama provided national, local, and international perspectives, practices, challenges, and solutions to the given themes.

“The private sector plays a vital role in the development of a city-region. For the sector to have a meaningful engagement and contribution in addressing challenges concerning the city-region, it is important for them to be actively involved in the planning process and participate in discussions with the government and its partner institutions from different sectors,” said Evelyn Nacario-Castro, director of the MCDCB – RPOD Program Management Office.

Masakazo Okuno, director of the Development Cooperation Division, International Affairs Bureau, expressed his gratitude to MCDCB in his closing remarks. Also present in the forum were MCDCB RPOD Execom Chair Gordon Alan Joseph, San Fernando Mayor Lakambini Reluya, and MCDCB Co-Chair for the Private Sector and RAFI President and COO Dominica Chua.

The Governance and Linkages Unit of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI-G&L) seeks to foster responsive institutions and an engaged citizenry through awards and recognition, good governance and leadership development programs, and active linkages and platforms of engagement and collaboration.

In support of the advocacy of the Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI-EJACC), the ICanServe Foundation Inc. turned over a total of Php 100,000.00 to the program last April 13, 2018. 

Mary Anne Solomon, the coordinator of ICanServe Foundation Cebu, shared in an interview that the donation is intended for the breast cancer screening of the indigent women. She added that they entrusted the said amount to RAFI-EJACC because the program is also advocating for early cancer detection and prevention. 

The amount was raised during the fundraising activities organized by the ICanServe last October 2017 at the Oakridge Pavillion. With the donation, the groups could readily sponsor mammography screenings, especially among women who are at risk of breast cancer. 

“ICanServe Foundation is an advocacy group that ideally funds basic mastectomy. The group has been informally partnering with RAFI since 2004. We have been raising funds for the program and also parterning with their breast cancer advocacy.” Solomon said.

In 2004, RAFI-EJACC also assisted Solomon when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. For Solomon, she is extending her gratitude to RAFI by also helping out in the program’s advocacy initiatives. 

“We are thankful to RAFI for the continous implementation of this advocacy and for raising funds for the women,” she shared. 

The turn-over was also attended by RAFI President and Chief Operating Officer Dominica Chua, RAFI Vice President for Social Developmet Atty. James Abadia, RAFI Vice President for Governance and Linkages Evelyn Castro, RAFI-EJACC Program Coordinator Ronald delos Reyes, and iCanServe members. 

The Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc (RAFI-EJACC) saves those who can be saved by eradicating the stigma of cancer through its programs in cancer advocacy & education, screening & early detection, treatment assistance and Palliative Care.

In partnership with Phoneography Cebu, Gabii sa Kabilin is doing a phone-o-graphy contest!

For details on mechanics, click HERE!

The Blogging/Vlogging contest is also back for this year’s Gabii sa Kabilin!

For more information, you may download the mechanics HERE!

For additional inquiries, you may send us a private message at our official GABII SA KABILIN Facebook page.

In partnership with RAFI – Kool Adventure Camp (RAFI-KAC), Gabii sa Kabilin will once again hold the GSK Heritage Hunt. The contest is open to 20 teams of 5 each who have to complete 5 sets of challenges located in 5 out of 10 heritage sites tagged for the hunt within 4 hours.

To know more about the Heritage Hunt mechanics, click HERE!

Each member of the  participating team is REQUIRED to sign and submit the HEALTH AND FITNESS RELEASE OF LIABILITY FORM on or before May 20, 2018. To download the form, click HERE.

For inquiries, you may send us a private message at the official GABII SA KABILIN facebook page.

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IAMRAFI: Collaboration is Key

The Story of Ricky Morillo, Senior Project Engineer,

9 Years in Service

By Marco Paulo Trajano Deligero | April 24, 2018

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Engineer Ricky has been with Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) since July of 2008. He is responsible for the engineering projects, which includes the School Rehabilitation Programs (SRP) and the Gabaldon Restoration Program of the Education Development Unit (EDU) of RAFI. 

His work includes supervision of project engineers, ensuring process are followed as well as on time, on budget and quality implementation of the project and other EDU-related engineering initiatives. And this year, he will be celebrating his first decade with RAFI.

 

 

From Working in Vietnam to RAFI

Engineer Ricky’s work experience include working in the roof material industry, as well as an underwater tunnel project crossing the Saigon river in Vietnam, where he also served as the Senior Site Engineer.

Ricky’s father is a lawyer, while his mother is an accountant.  He considers his parents as his inspiration in pursuing a profession as an engineer.

 

Being with RAFI for 10 Years & Counting

When asked why he stayed in RAFI for almost 10 years, Engineer Ricky simply replied that he found his purpose while working in the organization. He believes that his current job, as the Senior Project Engineer, is his own way of helping different communities.

“It is really tiring when you help different communities, but it’s all worth it when they appreciate your work. And knowing that my work has really helped them, that alone already compensates for the difficulty and exhaustion caused by the responsibility of my job.” Engineer Ricky said

 

From the Seminary to RAFI

He was a seminarian before he became an engineer, but he opted to go out of the seminary because he felt that it wasn’t his calling.

“I think my work now is an answered prayer because before I left the seminary, I told the Lord that I am very much willing to continue serving Him in a different way like through serving communities and community development.”

 

On School Rehabilitation Programs and Gabaldon Restoration

After super typhoon Haiyan or Yolanda, the late President, Roberto ‘Bobby’ Aboitiz ordered the replacement of damaged school buildings with new ones, rather than just repairing it.

Engineer Ricky also believes that the restoration of Gabaldons is very important because these are considered heritage structures due to its history.

“Gabaldon is a great symbol of the education system of the Philippines, it is the beginning of the public school system in the country, a heritage brought by the American era.” 

 

On Working with RAFI 

For Engineer Ricky, working with RAFI is more passion-driven because he thinks that it is the initiative to help people, rather than financial rewards, that really matters most to him. 

He also said that building a school should be everyone’s concern and not just of the local or national government, because everyone is practically affected by the lack of classrooms.  

“I firmly believe that Filipinos should care more about the lack of schools or classrooms because these schools will be used by the children of our beneficiaries, and these children are the country’s future.” Engineer Ricky said.

 

 

Challenges Encountered: Educating the Community

Engineer Ricky said that in order to successfully implement a School Rehabilitation Project, it involves the capacitating of the whole community. He also said that they make people understand that RAFI is an organization whereby projects implemented include long-term plans for the children and the communities who are in need.

One of the pre-implementation steps done is capacitating RAFI-EDU partners: the local government unit, communities, and the families, to ensure that they will understand the purpose of the project and appreciate the whole process. 

“In order to fully implement our projects, our partners should understand what we [RAFI] are doing, and explain that we use our funds in the most efficient way possible.” 

 

 

A Good & Clean Reputation Will Go a Long Way

Engineer Ricky added that RAFI’s good reputation makes the job easier.

“It is easier to make people understand about RAFI because of its good reputation, rooted in the values of our Founders, Don Ramon Aboitiz and Don Eduardo AboitIz. That is why, as the living brand ambassadors of the organization, we should act with integrity to keep it that way, in fact, we need to enhance it.”

 

 

On Leaving a Mark

When asked on how he wants to be remembered, Engineer Ricky said with all humility, that it is better to ask his colleagues.

Through a message online, the Executive Director for the Education Development Unit, Ernie Alix said that he admires Engineer Ricky’s professionalism and loyalty to the Foundation.

While Ma. Rizza Labao, the Senior Program Officer for EDU, said that Engineer Ricky is a very generous person, and works with a heart.

“I will always remember him as someone who always advocates the RAFI brand of collaboration. Sir Ricky always reminds us how RAFI works, and how social development works.” Labao said. “He would always say that we need to collaborate with everyone for that is how RAFI works.” She added.

Labao also noted that, Engineer Ricky is a person who lobbies for innovation and continuous improvement, and whenever there are set backs, he is someone who would remain positive and patient to the changes that might arise.

 

 

Simple Life And Community Service

With the late Roberto ‘Bobby’ Aboitiz, Ricky learned humility, and that first impression of children towards their environment is very important, for it will have a huge impact in their lives.

“Sir Bobby was very down to earth, I even remember the time when he asked ‘why are we helping only the elementary students?’ That is the time when I learned that Sir Bobby wants children to learn in the most holistic way possible.”

“That whenever [the] children see their first few social environment, which is the school, it would give them a positive perspective of the world, and will eventually help them grow  to have a positive mindset about life.” Ricky said.

 

 

People He Admires

Engineer Ricky believes that the foundation of a good team is based on its ability to collaborate and the understanding amongst its members. Hence, he admires the EDU team for their collaborative efforts to make a project successful.

“One person I admire is Ernie Alix, he is like Sir Bobby as well, he is not distant, and is very much accommodating, he is a brother to me; he guides me in some of my decisions, and keeps me and the whole team motivated, he is a good leader.” Engineer Ricky said.

He also expressed his admiration to his previous team leader, Anton Dignadice, whom he considers as a good friend, and colleague.

 

His Message to the EDU Team

When asked to give a message to his team, the Education Development Unit, Engineer Ricky said that they should keep their passion burning.

“The fire to serve the people should always be there, we as a team, should keep the fire burning, because I think, there is no easy thing to do in this world…”

“That is why we should always pray for each other and trust each other, collaborate whenever needed, and set our minds to commit ourselves to continue being of service to people, and the communities we serve.” 

“When we start thinking this way, all our concerns will be gone.” Engineer Ricky said.

 

 

His Greatest Motivation

Family has always been the greatest motivation for Engineer Ricky, everything he does is for his family and children.

“My daughter Mary Suzanne, now 12, and Ricky Joseph, now 7, are my motivation.  I will do everything for them both to finish school and be a good example of humility and honesty in our society.”

“To my wife, Suzette Morillo, thank you for being patient about everything, thank you for understanding the nature of my work as project engineer, I know I am away from my family most of the time but you continue to be very supportive. I love you.” Ricky said.

He also said that from the beginning he knows his role in the organization, and will continue to do everything to serve the communities, and its beneficiaries.

“Everyday, I travel and meet different people; people who can be a source of inspiration, or sometimes, lessons. And I hope, my story would be a good source of inspiration for many. Thank you for this opportunity. I am glad and happy.” #IAMRAFI

 

 

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“My daughter Mary Suzanne, now 12, and Ricky Joseph, now 7, are my motivation.  I will do everything for them both to finish school and be a good example of humility and honesty in our society.”

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“To my wife, Suzette Morillo, thank you for being patient about everything, thank you for understanding the nature of my work as project engineer, I know I am away from my family most of the time but you continue to be very supportive. I love you.”

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How to submit job application to Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.

Follow below brief steps to submit your application:

1. Click the button below to fill-up the application form.
2. Prepare and send your application letter.
3. Prepare and send your CV or Resume.
4. Email all required documents to RAFI Human Resource official email address, rafi_hrd@rafi.org.ph

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