From a PHP100,000 seed capital, a group of village residents in the mining town of Claver, Surigao del Norte, managed to grow their community-based venture into a multimillion business that now operates a pharmacy, microlending, hardware and grocery store.
PRIME (Panaghiusa, Reporma, Inisyatibo Magpalambo sa Ekonomiya) is one of the 24 "success stories" presented by the Taganito Mining Corporation (TMC) during the two-day the People’s Organizations Conference held on Jan. 9 to 10 in Claver – Surigao del Norte's mining capital
"Our businesses grew bigger and bigger, until it branched out and developed as it is today," Marlyn Cañon, the group leader, said in a local dialect during an interview Thursday.
Asked about the group's earnings, Cañon said PRIME's 11-strong members generate enough monthly income that they no longer have to work.
During the conference, Cañon and 215 other members and officers of people's organizations (POs) consisting of cooperatives and livelihood groups supported by nickel miner TMC learned about product development, market access and expansion, and better networking and collaboration to improve their business.
“The 24 POs are recipients of the livelihood program of the TMC. Most of these groups were organized and supported by the company in 2001,” Melith Matabaran, TMC head of Information, Education, and Communications, DMTG, and MonitoringSection, said in an interview.
Matabaran said the POs are engaged in community-based merchandising, agriculture and veterinary business, agriculture, aquaculture, integrated farming involving goat raising and pineapple production.
She said the livelihood organizations benefited from the expertise and insights of the resource speakers during the conference, which included a representative of the Surigao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI).
The conference will also help the POs link their businesses online through a session on digital empowerment and digitalization of their marketing through online collaborations with other stakeholders, she added.
Moreover, Claver Mayor Georgia D. Gokiangkee assured the local government's support for the POs.
"I salute the people's organizations that became successful. Your hard work really paid off. Rest assured that the local government, along with the national government agencies, will ensure that your business ventures continue to be sustainable," Gokiangkee told the people's organizations.
The mayor also encouraged them to prioritize the education of their children, saying it is the best investment they can make in their lifetime.
