IN THIS small urban village of Consolacion, women are proving that starting a business with a little help will always reap good returns in surviving these difficult times.
The Women's Development Committee of Consolacion village has earlier been a recipient of a fund grant from the National Government’s Bottom-Up Budgeting (BUB). The Women's group was able to form rice retailing system or "bigasan" in their area. This project particularly caters the women constituents of Consolacion village who were given an opportunity to manage the "bigasan" business.
It was October 28, 2016 that the committee, together with village officials, first conceptualized the bigasan business which they will award to eligible residents of the village.
Village chief Dante Roa said this project was largely initiated because they want to tackle the issue of poverty in the village.
"Consolacion has a very high poverty rate. A large chunk of our 11,000 population does not have sustainable livelihoods and are living below the poverty line. We think that this is one point that we should really focus on in our projects to achieve development like other barangays (villages) in the future," Roa said.
Rhodora Bulosan, president of Women's Development Committee, stressed that in this particular investment by the village, the women should be allowed to handle the bigasan stores. This is to further tap manpower from the residents.
"The stereotypical woman really exists in this village - women who only stay at home, doing chores or looking over the children. While of course there is nothing wrong about that, we thought that the Barangay should also give opportunities for women to maximize their abilities and contributions to the community," Bulosan said.
Since the granting of the P467,000 BUB fund on November 28, the nine chapters of the Women's Development Committee of Consolacion village were supplied with rice by the Village Council to be sold in their respective areas. Bulosan estimated that at least 500 women now own and manage their own bigasan stores throughout Consolacion.
"As of now, there are issues regarding management among women rice retailers. I guess this is due largely to the fact that the project is new and we are sizing up the issues surrounding it. However, what I like most about this bigasan livelihood project is the fact that I can see more women now in our area who are actually busy about something productive. It is heartwarming what our idea last year brought to our women residents today and, hopefully in the next years," Bulosan said.
Bulosan said the rice are being bought by the Village Council from various suppliers through the fund that was given by the government and are distributed to the women rice retailers every end of the month.
About 60 percent of the money goes to the women retailers and the remaining goes back to the village for the purchase of rice.
Nenita Rojas, 45 years old and a mother of six, is one of the women who were granted the bigasan livelihood project. She said it was a leap of faith for her and her husband when they first decided to be involved in this business.
But now, as the money from their bigasan in front of their house makes ends meet in their household, Rojas could not be more thankful for the investment.
Rojas and her husband, Eñigo, live in the heart of Consolacion village. Eñigo, works as a motorela driver.
Most days, Nenita recounted, the money that her husband brings home could not suffice the expenses of the whole family. Her children are attending school with two of their six children in Senior High School.
"I can really say that financial budgeting in those days is hard on us. While we can sometimes buy food and other necessities in the house, we can never save enough. We almost thought that we would not be able to send our children to college. However, this business allowed us to gain another way to make money and now, we can plan for our family's future," Rojas said.
Bulosan said about the hundred other women whose families are now benefiting from the project and are slowly contributing to the development of Consolacion village.