RLove and ICM’s Pitch for Hope Grants Capital to Boost Microenterprises of Ultra Poor Vis-Min Communities
With great love and faith for suman arasip, a type of waraynon delicacy, a small community group based in Tacloban, Eastern Visayas now has a hundred thousand pesos to expand their microenterprise from the Pitch for Hope project, which aims to fight poverty through jobs creation. The project is presented by International Care Ministries (ICM) and Robinsons Land Foundation Inc, in partnership with Robinsons Land and Robinsons Hotels and Resorts.
Suman Arasip
The Leyte grown Amandangay Community Savings Group, which clinched Grand Prize in the competition bested over a hundred social enterprise entries from Visayas and Mindanao. Mostly composed of women, the 38-member group capitalized on the traditional Arasip delicacy recipe that some members inherited from their elders.
With some innovation, the group now offers vacuum packed Arasip, made from pure and organic products sourced from local farmers, and enjoyed by households in their locality. While sales figures are growing, the group is limited by rainy seasons which stunt the production of Lumbia flour, an essential ingredient.
Julidith Gaspay, who pitched their group’s business concept during the Pitch for Hope Finals round shared that they plan to use the prize money to buy a drying machine that will enable them to produce and store Lumbia flour in any weather.
Rugs and Holders from Clothing Waste
Winning first prize is the Palawan-based Alpha Savings Group who took home PhP 65,000. The group earns from selling doormats and pot holders made from upcycled clothing waste or ukay-ukay, and which are woven by hand by mostly women members.
“Nagsimula po ang business naming dahil sa pangangailangan..nauna po kami sa pagpapautang at ukay-ukay…eventually, nagka-idea ang mga group officers na gamitin yung mga natirang ukay-ukay sa paggawa ng door mats at potholders…”
The group which has seen growing revenues from its micro business venture, seeks to diversify into making mats for pets to expand the enterprise. Angelie Esther Colendres, presenter of their team during the Pitch for Hope Finals, said that they will invest their winnings in sourcing and purchasing raw materials such as retaso, wooden mat “molders”, as well as transportation.
The group, which started in 2023 after a successful training from ICM, is currently composed of 43 members.
Sustainable Hog Raising
The second-runner up is Bacolod-grown Montilla Savings Group who won PhP 45,000 grant with their pitch focusing on hog raising. The group, which is composed of 30 members, is led by pastor Michael Mojares, 42, who wanted to help indigent community members make use of their existing backyard pig pens to earn income.
“During my visits to the community, I noticed that majority of them have empty pig pens in their houses. No wonder they have empty pens because they can’t sustain them anymore due to lack of finances… Ang perang pambili ng pagkain ng baboy, ibibili nalang ng pagkain ng kanilang pamilya.”
Michael shares that they will use their winnings to add to their capital in buying and growing a sow that would bear more pigs.
Frozen Meat Products
The third-runner up is Davao-based YCF Savings Group, which was given PhP 30,000 grant for business expansion. The 35-member group earns through membership-selling of frozen meat products to its members, who in turn, earn through reselling to their respective communities.
The business, which was borne out of the lack of accessible wet markets in the members’ villages, now supplies various frozen products such as processed sausages, poultry and chicken parts. Loida Valmoria group presenter during the Pitch for Hope Semi-finals round, shared that they plan to use winnings to invest in building physical stores in member resellers homes, a group-owned refrigerator, and as additional capital in meat processing.
Ethical Pig Farming
The fourth-runner up, which won PhP 15,000 is Dumaguete-based JCLIM Savings Group. Founded in 2018, the 61-member group has been operating a small cooperative for 6 years to date, which earns margins through loan lending. The group pitched a hog raising venture where they can raise pigs and produce ethically grown pork via direct selling to consumers in the community or to business establishments in Dumaguete.
Keren Love Sumangka, group presenter during the Pitch for Hope Semi Finals round, shared that they plan to use winnings in establishing a piggery in Pulantubig, Dumaguete where 20 of the group members will work as pig farmers.
Pitch for Hope
The Pitch for Hope competition is an initiative of Bacolod-based non-profit International Care Ministries (ICM), which runs livelihood programs to ultra-poor communities in Visayas and Mindanao regions. Launched in 2019, the program aims to support business ideas from the community savings groups by providing them with working capital to acquire assets, fund operations, and grow their investment. This year, Robinsons Land Foundation co-presents Pitch for Hope with ICM as an effort to contribute to Community Building through livelihood.
The partnership brought the competition to Robinsons Hotels and Resorts Head Office in Ortigas where 15 participants from Palawan, Tacloban, Dumaguete, Bacolod and Davao were flown to Metro Manila to participate in a 3-day program culminating in a pitch of business proposals. These participants were initially culled out of over a hundred pitches from Visayas and Mindanao.
The synergy introduced a mentorship program on the first day where participants received strategic business coaching from business management professionals at Robinsons Land: Mario Cuengco Jr., Associate Director for Business Development of Robinsons Hotels and Resorts (Palawan);
Alrie Joy Torres, Manager for Product Development of Universal Robina Corporation (Tacloban); Ramon Rivero, Head of Corporate Strategy, Planning & Sustainability for Robinsons Land Corporation (Dumaguete); Loise Albert “LA” Montes, AVP for Business Development of Robinsons Destination Estates (Bacolod); and Elton John Peralta, Head of Special Projects at Robinsons Offices (Davao).
The competition proper was held on the second day, featuring more coaching sessions, a Semi-Final and Final round where business pitches were judged based on innovation, demand, business potential for growth and sustainability, and employment opportunities for those in their respective communities by a 7-person panel.
Organized by RLove, the panel for both rounds of the competition included top executives from the Gokongwei Group and esteemed stakeholders of Robinsons Land Foundation: Robina Gokongwei-Pe, Chairman of Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc.; Jericho Go, CEO & President of Robinsons Land Commercial REIT;
Yvonne Flores, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainability for JG Summit Holdings Inc.; Robert “Dodot” Jaworski Jr., Vice Mayor of Pasig City; David Gulliver "Gully" Go, Board Member of Cebu Air Inc.; Mybelle Aragon-Gobio, President & CEO of Robinsons Logistix & Industrials Inc.; and Rowena "Weng" Kakilala, Sr. Director for Donor Relations of International Care Ministries Foundation.
At the end of the competition proper, participants enjoyed giveaways from Robinsons Hotels and Resorts and South Star Drug. Participants also enjoyed a free 3-day, 2-night stay at Go Hotels as part of the program.
Collaboration with ICM
Since 2021, Robinsons Land Foundation Inc. (RLove) has funded ICM’s Transform programs which conducts values and health training, as well as livelihood opportunities. The program encourages participants to form a savings group that enables them to practice saving money and eventually, use this money collectively to invest in small or low-risk businesses, group enterprises, home improvement, or even medical needs. Through this collaboration, RLove has imparted livelihood assistance to over 300 Filipinos.
Apart from sponsoring the grant prizes, RLove through Pitch for Hope, was able to give a one-of-a-kind learning experience to the participants that improved not only their entrepreneurial and business acumen, but also, their storytelling skills for potential investors in the future. Pitch for Hope exemplifies RLove’s emphasis on sustainable livelihood which Constantino Felipe, Board Member for Robinsons Land Foundation, illustrates with the classic Confucian quote:
"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."
Robinsons Land Foundation Inc
Robinsons Land Foundation Inc or “RLove” is Robinsons Land Corporation’s (RLC) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm that spearheads various social welfare & development and environmental sustainability projects. Launched in 2020, it aims to take up initiatives supporting meaningful causes in pursuit of enriching lives and shaping a better future for communities where Robinsons Land Corporation operates.
Pitch for Hope is an initiative under R Sikap: RLove’s livelihood assistance program that provides sustainable sources of income for individuals who need them the most.
